On the second day of the 2024 NHL Draft, Tom Fitzgerald traded away Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Paul Cotter. At the time, it was clear Cotter was indeed a solid, physical mid/bottom-6 player. However, it appeared as though the New Jersey Devils sacrificed too much to get his services. Mainly because Holtz is a former seventh-overall pick and was rumored to be in bigger trade packages for players like Timo Meier or Jacob Markstrom. Schmid was also a big reason why the Devils defeated the New York Rangers in the 2023 playoffs. The point is, Cotter was definitely not the return we envisioned for both respective players.
The expectations for Cotter going into the season were moderate. He needed to play efficiently and replace the physicality of both Michael McLeod and Miles Wood. However, seven games into the season, Cotter has already exceeded my expectations. It's only seven games into the season, but it already appears the Devils won this particular trade.
Firstly, Cotter is an underrated scorer. He currently leads the Devils in goals with five and has shown tremendous precision with his mitts. He's also tied for the most points on the team with six, alongside Stefan Noesen and Jesper Bratt. Cotter's most impressive outing so far was when he, Noesen, and Erik Haula combined for eight points in a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals last Saturday.
"We're just three hard-working guys and it clicked...He [Cotter] definitely doesn't lack confidence. That's one thing we like about him. "Stefan Noesen when asked about Cotter
More likely than not, Cotter won't be one of the top scorers come the end of the season, but that's not what his role is supposed to be. In addition to the goals, he also leads the team in hits with 20. He's such a versatile player; if you combine his physicality and speed, Sheldon Keefe can insert him anywhere in the lineup. He was recently placed on the same line as Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.
"We want a different-looking bottom six. Paul Cotter fills that with his skating, speed, and physicality. We are betting on Cotter's upside, and he's just scratched the surface of what he can do. "Tom Fitzgerald after acquiring Cotter
Holtz's goal-scoring is replaceable. Aside from scoring, Holtz was struggling in other aspects of his game: puck handling and defense. That made it easier for the coaching staff to limit his minutes and keep him stapled to the bottom six. Holtz has untapped potential and needs to be given a longer leash, but the Devils are trying to win now. If Cotter doesn't score, then he'll still bring physicality and speed and keep offensive possessions alive for the Devils. This makes him less one-dimensional than Holtz. For anybody curious, Holtz still hasn't registered a point for Vegas in four games played, and Schmid is in the AHL. Fitzgerald knew what he was doing with this trade.