While the Stanley Cup Final is still going on, the New Jersey Devils have already started working on their offseason plans. The team made it back to the playoffs this past season but lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes. General manager Tom Fitzgerald is now focusing on how to make the team better for next year.
One of the first things the Devils need to do is re-sign defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. Both are restricted free agents on July 1. Fitzgerald said that getting new deals done for them is a top priority. Luke Hughes had a strong season, scoring 44 points in 71 games. However, he only played in one playoff game because of a shoulder injury. He had surgery on April 30. The Devils still see him as one of the key players on defense.
Simon Nemec appeared in 27 games, so he didn’t play as much this season. Even though he had limited time, the team expects him to take a bigger role next year. Fitzgerald was recently at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, where he stated the team has already started talking with player agents about contract details. He explained they’re trying to do what’s best for both the players and the team while staying within their salary limits.
Besides Hughes and Nemec, the Devils also need to decide what to do with several other players. Goalie Jake Allen is one of them. He will become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by July 1. This season, Allen had a record of 13 wins, 16 losses, and 1 overtime loss. His save percentage was .908, and his goals-against average was 2.66. Fitzgerald said Allen worked well with starting goalie Jacob Markstrom. He praised Allen’s attitude and how well he handled the backup role. Allen’s camp has said he wants to stay, and the team is now trying to find the right contract number that fits their budget.
The team could also choose to promote goalie Nico Daws. Daws is 24 years old and is heading into the final year of a two-year contract. His salary cap hit for next season is $850,000. He spent most of the past season with the AHL’s Utica Comets. Daws played four games for the Devils and had a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, including one shutout. The season was a tough one for him. Utica started the year with 13 straight losses, and Daws also missed time with an injury after Christmas. Even so, he said he gained confidence and learned how to handle tough situations. He now wants to earn a full-time spot on the Devils’ NHL roster.
At the same time, the Devils are looking to add more offense. They need scoring help and have been linked to several players who might become available. One name is J.J. Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres. He had a career-high 68 points this past season. He is also a restricted-free agent. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Peterka’s agent might be trying to increase interest in him by inviting trade talks. It’s unclear if Buffalo will actually trade him, but teams like the Devils are watching closely.
The Devils have also been linked to Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets and Martin Necas of the Colorado Avalanche. According to reports, Necas is not happy in Colorado, even though he played well next to Nathan MacKinnon. There’s also Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators, who may be traded so Ottawa can save salary. Any of these players could help the Devils improve their scoring.
Nonetheless, trading for a player like Peterka would be costly. The Devils don’t have many top prospects or high draft picks to offer, but they do have current NHL players who could be included in a deal. Two names to watch are Dawson Mercer and Ondrej Palat. Mercer hasn’t scored 20 goals in either of the last two seasons and hasn’t hit 40 points in either one. Palat is 34 years old and still has two years left on his contract. Together, they account for $10 million in salary cap space. Trading one or both of them could help the Devils make room to sign new players.
Overall, the Devils have about $12 million in cap space and nine players without contracts. Besides Allen, Brian Dumoulin, Nathan Bastian, and Dennis Cholowski are all unrestricted free agents. Tomas Tatar has already signed with a team in Europe and will not return.
The Devils made progress this year by getting back to the playoffs, but they want to go further next season. That means re-signing young players like Hughes and Nemec, deciding who the backup goalie will be, and possibly adding a top forward.
