Pucks and Pitchforks 2026 New Jersey Devils free agency preview

Today marks the start of NHL Free Agency, which means all 32 teams are looking to upgrade their rosters. Free agency is one of the few moments where everyone comes out feeling pretty good about their future. Teams don’t sign players just to hate them immediately, even if they are contracts we end up hating.

This will be the first time that New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta is leading a team into free agency. He’s already made positive moves, including trading Simon Nemec and Jacob Markstrom and re-signing Arseny Gritsyuk and a Nico Hischier extension on the horizon. However, we haven’t heard much about who they might target in free agency. 

So, we got the crew back together. The Pucks and Pitchforks team is back together to discuss free agency and the biggest topics. 

1. Who is one free agent you want the Devils to sign?

Nick Villano: I’m not hearing a lot of people talk about Oliver Bjorkstand as a free agent target. He had a rough season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he could be an amazing depth option, and he’s always killed the Devils. He can’t do that if he plays for the Devils. 

J.P. Gambatese: Cole Schwindt. He’s the quintessential Sunny Mehta pickup between his underlying numbers, age, and likely cap hit.

Neil Villapiano: Viktor Arvidsson.  I feel that he can bring a solid 200 ft game with speed and scoring both 5 on 5 and on the PK as well.

Charlie Borges Jr.: I would really like the Devils to sign Patrick Kane. A proven winner that can still produce and would fit nicely on Jack Hughes' other wing. Also would be cool to see Hughes play with his childhood idol.

Joe Stanlislau: Eeli Tolvanen is the sniper we need with a good  transition game that is young and brings a nice left wing shot.

Luke Garrison: The one free agent I would love to see the Devils sign is Adam Henrique. Though Henrique would be more of a depth piece, since Evan Rodrigues, Nico, and Jack fill those positions, he would be a great player to learn from, and it would be a good piece of nostalgia for people who watched him.

Rob DeLuca: This free agent class is HORRID; I would pick nobody if that was an option. But let's bring showtime to Newark, Patrick Kane! He will be cheap, still drives play very well, and helps fill some bottom-six depth.

Damien Flores: I want the Devils to sign Mason Marchment, a wing that can slot into our top 6 that has a fantastic net-presence and will protect the puck.

Craig Patrick: This UFA class is absolutely horrendous, but one player I think would really improve the Devils while probably not costing the entirety of their remaining cap space would be Viktor Arvidsson. Coming off 54 points in 69 games with the Bruins, and with a contract projection from CapWages of 2 years under 5 AAV, he is one of the few top 6 upgrades the Devils could realistically sign in free agency.

2. Who is one free agent you want the Devils to avoid at all costs?

Villano: For me, it’s Anders Lee. He has incredible analytics, which Sunny Mehta will love, but he feels like a worse version of Timo Meier with similar luck. And he wants a three-year deal.

Gambatese: Sergei Bobrovsky. The Devils need a goalie after the Markstrom trade, but that contract will be a complete nightmare. 

Villapiano: Sergei Bobrovsky.  I know he might be a Sunny guy, but the Devils shouldn't look to him as a goalie solution given his age and what he wants in his new contract 

Borges: The Devils should avoid Sergei Bobrovsky. For what he wants money and years wise, Sunny Mehta would have to pull another Jacob Markstrom-sized rabbit out of his hat at the end of the contract.

Stanislau: Sergei Bobrovsky is a goalie to avoid. It’s better to let an aging big contract goalie with an AFP projection of 2 years 5.6M AAV you would lose most cap space from moving on from Markstrom’s contract.

Garrison: The one prospect the Devils should stay away from is Petr Mrazek. While the team is looking for a goaltender, Mrazek isn’t the goalie the Devils need, especially one who posted a 4.07 GAA last season.

DeLuca: Anders Lee will be extremely costly and he will likely be seeking heavier term at age 35, not worth it. If he would take a discount on a 2-year deal, then sure, won't be the case.

Flores: Vladimir Tarasenko is a player I think the Devils should avoid, an aging inconsistent winger that doesn’t have the legs to keep up with the offense.

Patrick: Sunny Mehta likely feels some level of gratitude toward Sergei Bobrovsky for his two Stanley Cup rings, but please, for the love of God, do not sign a goalie who will be 38 on opening night, coming off a season with an .877 SV%, to any contract, even on a one-year deal. We just got free from Markstrom; don’t make us suffer through Markstrom 2.0.

3. Who will be the next Devils player traded?

Villano: I think it will be Dawson Mercer. He could be traded for a bigger player as part of a package, or he could net a similar package to Simon Nemec. 

Gambatese: Stefan Noesen. Yesterday’s acquisitions made him completely redundant and too expensive for the Devils’ lineup. 

Villapiano: Dawson Mercer for either a top-end goalie or top-six forward.

Borges: While the obvious answer is Dawson Mercer, I think Stefan Noesen is the next player to be traded. The emergence of Connor Brown while Noesen was injured made him expendable.

Stanislau: Dawson Mercer he has been an average scoring forward with really good faceoff skills and defensively strong. However he hasn’t worked well under Lindy Ruff or Sheldon Keefe in NJ.

Garrison: The next Devils player to be traded will be Dawson Mercer. We’ve been hearing speculation about Mercer being moved for a big piece, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Sunny Mehta finds a way to make Mercer part of that package.

DeLuca: Dawson Mercer. He doesn't have a no trade clause so easier to move and he provides high value to go big game hunting.

Flores: The next Devils player traded will either be Jonas Siegenthaler or Brenden Dillon.

Patrick: Looking at the roster as it stands, it doesn’t feel like there’s much of a place for Dawson Mercer if the Devils have one more big move in them for a top 6 piece. I also think he could be the piece dangled to acquire them their new 1A goalie. He's also one of the very few Devils players without any trade protection.

4. Who is your ideal Devils trade target?

Villano: I’ve been on record for targeting Shane Wright, but I think fixing the goalie issue once and for all with Connor Hellebuyck, even if it costs Mikhail Yegorov in the trade, will be the most important move. 

Gambatese: Kirill Marchenko. It’s unlikely the Blue Jackets trade in-division, but he checks the boxes of a power forward who can play in the top six and produce at a high level. 

Villapiano: If the Devils can swing it with assets and money, it's Jason Robertson 110%. A top scoring winger for Jack Hughes long-term

Borges: The ideal trade target is Connor Hellebuyck. While Elliotte Friedman said he doesn't believe the hype around the Devils and Hellebuyck, it wouldn't be smart for Mehta to just ignore the best goalie in the world who could want to come to your team.

Stanislau: Connor Hellebuyck for his age and 8M plus contract is worth it for 4 years for this team to have a window  to contend big in the playoffs. 

Garrison: The ideal Devils trade target is Connor Hellebuyck. The speculation from reporters is high, and after the Jacob Markstrom trade, it would and wouldn’t surprise me if Connor Hellebuyck were a Devil, and Hellebuyck’s stats showcase his reputation as a great goalie. 

DeLuca: Speaking of big game hunting, don't leave the goaltending situation up to chance at this point. Send Mercer plus more and secure Connor Hellebuyck in net, worth everything we could possibly trade over.

Flores: An ideal but somewhat realistic trade target would be Matias Maccelli of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Patrick: Besides Connor Hellebuyck, who many folks will rightfully say, how about Jared McCann and Shane Wright in Seattle? Maybe if you dangle enough picks (and Mercer) in front of them, you can convince Seattle to give up both as a package deal, and Wright is still cheap for one more year and maybe would be willing to do a below-market extension for a change of scenery

5. Tell me how you might consider this a successful offseason.

Villano: Honestly, it’s pretty simple at this point. They need one more forward who could play in the top six and a goalie. 

Gambatese: Cleaning up some of the cap sheet and acquiring players who control their minutes at 5v5 would be a success. Expecting the team to be a Stanley Cup contender in year one of Mehta’s tenure seems like a reach.

Villapiano: Improving the depth scoring, find a solid goaltender to pair with Jake Allen and possibly push for a top 6, top flight scorer

Borges: The Devils have already had a successful offseason. Mehta has cleaned up much of the Tom Fitzgerald mess.

Stanislau: Landing a star goalie, adding physical forwards, and a few dynamic right handed defenders. A lot of the lifting has been done through the Evan Rodrigues trade. We have Bratt, Meier, Gritsyuk, and Rodrigues all as 4 guys who can shoot the puck. My eyes are on rookie development camp to see who makes and thrives in preseason to fill in a few holes.

Garrison: To me, a successful offseason for the Devils would be for them to get a top goalie, like Hellebuyck, or at least a great one. Find a way to use those first-round picks to get a top 6 winger and fix the depth, just in case what we saw last year with the injuries happens again.

DeLuca: Making sure the goaltending situation has an answer (Not Nico Daws; we are simply not doing this dance again), I prefer Hellebuyck, but there are other good options out there. A top-6 forward addition would also be nice, but depending on how a potential goalie trade shakes out, the team might be able to wait on that as a deadline add. 

Flores: The Devils upgrading the top 6 and solidifying a new goalie tandem would be key to a successful offseason.

Patrick: Add another piece to the top 6, shed some of the deadweight in the bottom 6 (Noesen or Bjugstad), and get a younger, better 1A in front of Allen, and you get full marks on the report card. But just adding a good goalie would be enough for now; you might be able to add another forward in season.

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