The NHL Free Agency period continues to weaken, as teams decide to re-sign their own free agents. Patrick Kane returned to Detroit, John Tavares went back to Toronto, and the Florida Panthers somehow re-signed all of Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. Even the Devils reversed course on Cody Glass and decided to give him a qualifying offer after trying to play hardball and get him to sign a lower-term deal.
With the Glass qualifying offer official, the Devils are left with seven unrestricted free agents who will hit the market at noon on Tuesday, July 1st. Some are much more important than others, but it seems as if all seven will be finding new NHL homes next year. Where will they go? Let's start with the biggest free agent at his position.
Jake Allen
Jake Allen is by far the best goalie on the free agent market. Honestly, after the John Gibson trade, there really isn’t any good trade option, either. The Devils are reportedly trying to re-sign Allen, but he will command more money than the Devils are willing to spend. There are plenty of teams looking for an upgrade in net. Edmonton, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Columbus are all expected to at least look at goalies who are available. Which one might go to $5 million for Jake Allen?
Predicted Destination: Philadelphia Flyers
Predicted Contract: two years, $9 million total
The Flyers hold some advantages for Allen, who is in a different era of his career. They can spend the money on Allen, and they can give him a starting job that eventually goes to a young guy. A place like Edmonton would come with a ton of pressure, and Allen could play in Philadelphia without moving his stuff.
Brian Dumoulin
The Devils traded a second-round pick and prospect Herman Traff for defenseman Brian Dumoulin. If anyone got their money’s worth for a short-term gig, it was the Devils. Dumoulin played ridiculous minutes after half the team’s defensemen went down with injuries. Dumoulin averaged 29:21 in ice time over the Devils’ five-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. That type of performance probably made him a few extra million dollars this offseason. Honestly, Dumoulin played so well that he likely priced himself out of New Jersey.
Predicted Destination: Carolina Hurricanes
Predicted Contract: three years, $9 million total
After seeing what Dumoulin did against them in the playoffs, we wouldn't be surprised if the Hurricanes use some of their ample cap space to sign Dumoulin as depth. He still clearly has ability, and the Canes are saying goodbye to Dmitri Orlov this offseason. He could be a cheaper option for them while they focus on upgrading their forwards.
Nathan Bastian
The Devils are completely revamping their bottom six, and the changes have already begun. Tomas Tatar signed overseas, ending his return to New Jersey on a sour note. Nolan Foote was not qualified on Monday, and Erik Haula was traded to the Nashville Predators. There are also a few unrestricted free agents who aren’t expected to return. One of them is long-time Devils forward Nathan Bastian. This season, he didn’t play well, and it seems like it’s time for a change of scenery. He ended up with zero points in the playoffs and just 10 points in the regular season.
Predicted Destination: Chicago Blackhawks
Predicted Contract: one year, $950,000
Bastian won’t have many opportunities where he would be a guaranteed NHL player, but Chicago would provide that. They are looking for interesting options for their forward group, and Bastian still has a small amount of upside. He’s still just 27 years old, so he should be in his prime. If he can play closer to how he played in 22-23, where he had 15 points, it would make him at least a worthwhile fourth liner when adding in his size and hitting.
Curtis Lazar
There has been almost no buzz around Curtis Lazar’s free agency status. He fought injuries this past season, and the Devils haven’t even mentioned bringing him back. He was forced to play center, and when he went down, the Devils didn’t have a good fix. He finished the season with just five points. Lazar is only 30 years old, and he is well-regarded around the league, but we’re not sure how much teams will covet his contributions without understanding the risk.
Predicted Destination: Columbus Blue Jackets
Predicted Contract: PTO
We think Lazar is going to miss out on the free agency frenzy and have to wait until September to find his next team. He will prioritize an opportunity to play with young players but also have a shot at the playoffs. Columbus was right on the cusp of a playoff berth, so catching on with them makes sense for Lazar on multiple fronts.
Nolan Foote
As we mentioned earlier, the New Jersey Devils did not give a qualifying offer to former first-round pick Nolan Foote. That allows him to become a free agent. A player who once came with high expectations, the Devils finally gave up on the 24-year-old. Foote had a career-high 39 points in the AHL this season. He has an NHL-level shot and can be decent in the right opportunity. And we might know the opportunity.
Predicted Destination: Vancouver Canucks
Predicted Contract: one year, $825,000
It seems too easy to predict Nolan Foote to the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks surprisingly hired Adam Foote to be their head coach, giving them some continuity on their staff after Rick Tochett left. Foote will keep it all in the family and give his son an opportunity to prove himself. It’s honestly not a bad bet for a team like Vancouver that is looking for lightning in a bottle.
Daniel Sprong
The Devils sent a seventh-round pick to the Seattle Kraken for Daniel Sprong at last year’s NHL Trade Deadline. It was a flyer move to add a little offense. There was some talk that the Devils were discussing bringing Sprong back. He wasn’t bad, but he didn’t do enough to warrant a return, in our opinion. He is probably looking at another situation where he needs to prove himself.
Predicted Destination: Dallas Stars
Predicted Contract: PTO
The Dallas Stars are looking to make interesting money moves, and Sprong comes with little risk if he signs a professional tryout. If they can get a scorer for the league minimum after the tryout, then it makes all the sense in the world. If he isn’t what they need, they can let him go and another team will try him out.
Justin Dowling
Justin Dowling is listed by Puck Pedia as an NHL player, so we will list him. Everything we’re hearing is that Dowling has played his last game with the Devils. He was fine in a role, but for the most part, he was only in the lineup because injuries became too much. He was actually an unfortunate sign that the team had no center depth. Dowling is likely looking at a two-way deal.
Predicted Destination: Detroit Red Wings
Predicted Contract: one-year, two-way deal $775,000
Dowling feels like Red Wings player with him low outcome but no-mistake hockey. He would be a fine AHLer for anyone.