It’s no surprise that Tom Fitzgerald put the New Jersey Devils in a bad spot. Between rough drafting and mistaken signings and trades, the Devils roster is almost in a worse spot than when Fitzgerald took over in 2020.
However, when Sunny Mehta took over this summer, he had a very long to-do list. While some of the needs of the Devils were lofty, Mehta did great work to reset this roster as much as he could. The biggest moves he made were trading away Simon Nemec and Jacob Markstrom. He added some futures, Evan Rodrigues, and Jesper Boqvist in those deals.
He also added Anthony Mantha in free agency to get another top-six winger in the group that is working with more depth over the endless chase for star power that led Fitzgerald to the world we live in today.
While the roster isn’t where Devils fans would like it, the contract stack is where there are real issues. Most Devils fans know that New Jersey gave out no-trade and no-move clauses like they were candy. And that brings us to the rankings.
The Hockey News ranked the teams in the worst position when it comes to no-move clauses. It’s no surprise that the Devils are on the list.
The New Jersey Devils have way too many contract clauses
Four players on the Devils (Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton) have no-move clauses. Four others have full no-trade clauses (Johnny Kovacevic, Brett Pesce, Jake Allen, and Connor Brown). Then, on top of all that, four additional players have modified no-trade clauses (Jack Hughes, Brendan Dillon, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Stefan Noesen).
Giving someone like Stefan Noesen, who was given a massive contract compared to expectations when signed, a no-trade clause at all, even a seven–team one, is insane mismanagement. Giving Kovacevic full trade protection is beyond the scope of reality.
It’s not surprising the Devils are here, but it is surprising that four teams are ahead of them. Ryan Lambert ranked the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, and Boston Bruins ahead of the Devils.
None of those teams are expected to be contenders in 2027. In fact, all of these teams are in a similar spot. They are playoff tweeners that need a little luck to get the most out of their rosters. That is not a good place to be when you are giving out this many contract clauses.
The Devils have been burned by this, with an inability to get Kovacevic off the books, and Hamilton canceling a trade to the Sharks last season. However, Mehta has a light at the end of the tunnel. The Devils have some of these contracts coming with lesser clauses, including Kovacevic, or just ending, like Noesen’s three-year deal.
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