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New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Big questions for the Devils' offseason: Bottom-six shakeup? RFA deals?
It's hard to know exactly what the Devils were in the 2024-25 season. Jack Hughes, their top forward, had his year cut short because of shoulder surgery. Three defensemen also finished the year hurt, with several others playing banged up. New Jersey returned to the playoffs, for the second time in three seasons. But by the time the team got there, its roster was a shell of what president Tom Fitzgerald envisioned. Advertisement It was a good year, Fitzgerald said after the season, but not a great one. Now his job is to help the Devils take the next step in 2025-26. First, let's dig into their salary cap situation entering free agency. PuckPedia projects they will have a little over $12 million in room. They have 10 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies on the books, not counting forward Arseni Gritsyuk, who is on an entry-level deal and will contend for a roster spot. Here are their NHL free agents: •Restricted: defenseman Luke Hughes; forwards Cody Glass (arbitration rights) and Nolan Foote (arbitration rights) •Unrestricted: forwards Tomáš Tatar, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong and Justin Dowling; defensemen Brian Dumoulin, Dennis Cholowski; and goalie Jake Allen With that in mind, here are some key questions facing Fitzgerald as he enters the summer. Fitzgerald raised some eyebrows on breakdown day by saying the Devils would not be coming back with the same group in 2025-26 because the team 'was just not good enough.' That does not necessarily mean big chances, as some fans interpreted. The core will look the same. Jack and Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier are all almost certainly not going anywhere. Both Hughes brothers were hurt in the club's first round series against Carolina, but Hischier, Bratt and Meier all showed they can go head-to-head with other teams' best. New Jersey's depth was the far bigger issue. If the Devils wanted to move out big money they could explore a Dougie Hamilton trade, but that also feels unlikely. He's still an important player in their lineup, and he has a no-movement clause in his contract until July 1. After that he has a 10-team trade list, meaning that he could block a deal to any of the clubs not on his list. With a $9 million cap hit, he could make himself virtually impossible to deal. Ondřej Palát also has a no-movement clause and then a 10-team trade list that sets in on July 1. Advertisement If Fitzgerald wants to open cap space he could explore deals for someone like middle-six forward Dawson Mercer ($4 million average annual value). But don't expect any huge Devils' names to move this summer. Fitzgerald's comments were likely pointing more toward the team's depth pieces. Speaking of which… If injuries were the biggest reason the Devils lost in five games to Carolina, their lack of depth scoring was second. New Jersey had only three points from bottom-six forwards against the Hurricanes: a goal and an assist from Stefan Noesen and an assist from Paul Cotter. All three of those points came in Game 5. 'Offense has been a challenge for our team most of the season,' Keefe said when asked about the depth after Game 4. 'To expect them to all of a sudden come out and have a dominant effort offensively is probably not realistically.' That sounded less like a coach frustrated with his players and more like one realistic about his roster's limitations. Fitzgerald has a chance to tweak that this summer. His entire fourth line from the Hurricanes series — Tatar-Dowling-Bastian — will be unrestricted free agents, as will Lazar, a scratch all series. Except for Dowling, all of those players had cap hits above $1 million this year. When Fitzgerald said the group won't look the same in 2025-26, the bottom-six is a clear area where that could apply. He'll have space to shuffle the bottom-six deck. The Devils can explore adding via trade or free agency, or they can look to internal options like Gritsyuk, whom we'll get to in a bit. [ graphics id='showcase-link_FW0sjh78UXov'] Luke Hughes is the team's biggest RFA. AFP Analytics offers two types of projections for the young defenseman. If he signs long-term, AFP projects a six-year deal with an $8.39 million AAV cap hit. It has a short-term deal at three years, $5.76 million AAV. Advertisement Whether the Devils sign Hughes to a short- or long-term deal, the contract will take up a significant portion of their cap space. It's still probably worth taking a shot at a long-term contract, even if it costs Fitzgerald some flexibility this summer. With the cap going up, a long deal will age well assuming Hughes keeps developing. Nolan Foote's next deal shouldn't be too expensive — AFP Analytics projects a one-year, $866,250 deal — but Cody Glass could have an interesting one. New Jersey acquired him at the deadline from Pittsburgh, and he had two goals and seven points in 14 regular season games. He raved about his fit with coach Sheldon Keefe and said he'd 'love to' return to New Jersey in 2025-26. 'Obviously some things are out of control, but I think I've fit in,' he said. 'Hopefully I can stay.' The 26-year-old has a qualifying offer of $2.5 million. The Devils will have to decide whether that's too much to give because of their cap situation. They also can negotiate with Glass' camp and potentially sign him to a deal with a slightly lower cap hit. Fitzgerald got an early start on his offseason to-do list, signing draft picks Lenni Hämeenaho and Gritsyuk, both of whom are coming to North America from Europe. The 20-year-old Hämeenaho, a 2023 second-round pick, had 20 goals and 51 points in 58 games for Ässät in the top Finnish league, then had four points in eight games for Finland at World Championships. 'His game doesn't grab you with dynamic quality, but he goes to the net, gets involved, reads the play quickly and has decent skill across the board when opportunities to make plays arise,' The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote in his Devils prospect rankings. Hämeenaho will likely start his North American career in the AHL, barring a remarkable training camp. Gritsyuk, on the other hand, is 24 and could immediately jump into the Devils' lineup. New Jersey drafted him in the fifth-round in 2019, and he's since become close to a point-per-game player in Russia. He had 17 goals and 44 points in 49 games for SKA in the KHL this past season. It's hard to project exactly what he'll look like in the NHL but seems like he could be a top-nine winger. If he can bring immediate production, it would give New Jersey's forward group a big boost. As mentioned earlier, the team didn't get enough depth scoring when it mattered this year. Advertisement With Johnathan Kovacevic, injured in the Hurricanes series, not expected to be ready for the start of next season, Šimon Nemec and Seamus Casey will both have a chance to compete for early playing time. Nemec had an up-and-down 2024-25, but he played some of the best hockey of his career in the playoffs. That's encouraging going into next season. It's hard to blame anyone for getting ahead of themselves after Canucks president Jim Rutherford told local reporters that star defenseman Quinn Hughes 'wants to play with his brothers.' But let's pump the brakes a little. All indications are that the eldest Hughes, who has two years left on his deal, isn't going anywhere yet. He has neither asked for a trade nor told Vancouver he won't re-sign. The Canucks are going to try to build a contending roster this coming season, and they can't do that without their best player.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
4 Players Blackhawks Must Consider Drafting 3rd Overall
What's Next For The New Jersey Devils After GM's Bold Comments About The Roster? Although the New Jersey Devils made the Stanley Cup playoffs despite injuries to Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, the meek way they lost the first round left a bad taste.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What's Next For The New Jersey Devils After GM's Bold Comments About The Roster?
What's Next For The New Jersey Devils After GM's Bold Comments About The Roster? Although the New Jersey Devils made the Stanley Cup playoffs despite injuries to Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, the meek way they lost the first round left a bad taste.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Jack Hughes injury update: Devils GM addresses concerns for the team's center and offseason plans
Devils are concerned about Jack Hughes's long-term health after another season cut short by a shoulder injury (Getty Images) As the New Jersey Devils gear up for a critical offseason, one of the most pressing concerns surrounding the franchise is the health and long-term durability of their franchise cornerstone, Jack Hughes. After yet another season cut short by a shoulder injury, the conversation around Hughes' ability to stay on the ice has intensified—especially as the team eyes a deeper playoff run in 2025-26. Tom Fitzgerald expresses measured optimism about Hughes' recovery Jack Hughes sustained his third shoulder injury in four seasons during a March 2 clash with the Vegas Golden Knights. Operation Sindoor PM Modi meets NSA, chiefs of armed forces amid spike in tensions with Pak India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan Several airports in India to be closed till May 15 - check list Following a collision with Jack Eichel, Hughes was visibly in pain and exited the game. A few days later, he underwent season-ending surgery—a crushing blow to a Devils squad that eventually fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games during the first round of the playoffs. At a recent press conference, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald addressed the growing anxiety surrounding Hughes' injury history. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cost Of Amusement Park Equipment From Mexico Might Surprise You - See Tips Amusement Park Equipment | search ads Click Here Undo 'Concern is a strong word; it's not that you don't think of that, but when you have a top player like that not playing, no one plays 100% of the games, but the top guys pretty much play a majority of the games. I'd like to think Jack's shoulder injuries are behind him now. But you never know,' Fitzgerald said. He emphasized Hughes' commitment to his recovery and the work that lies ahead: 'Jack knows the work that's ahead of him this summer and where he needs to go, strength-wise and body makeup. And again, it's not just snapping the fingers; there's a process to that. And he's been going through it,' he added. Despite the injury setbacks, Hughes continues to prove he's among the NHL 's elite when on the ice. He registered 70 points in just 62 games this season, ranking 10th in the league in scoring before his injury—a pace that projected to a 93-point season. Also Read: 'Robbed!': Lil Wayne rips NHL after no-call cost Golden Knights in dramatic OT loss against the Edmonton Oilers With five years remaining on his $64 million deal, the Devils are clearly invested in Hughes as a long-term centerpiece. This offseason, both his health and the team's roster decisions will be under the spotlight as they aim to build a more resilient core around him.
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How does Matthew Schaefer compare to recent No. 1 NHL Draft picks? Scouts, execs weigh in
The first-overall pick in the NHL Draft is always highly anticipated. This article compares the last nine No. 1 picks with this year's top prospect, Matthew Schaefer, based on rankings from NHL scouts and executives. The idea of this article is to ask the evaluators to compare Schaefer to the other players at the time of their drafts, not incorporating how they have played since then. Six NHL scouts and executives were polled for this list. 1. Auston Matthews, 2016 (Toronto Maple Leafs) Average ranking: 1.67 Range of votes: 1st – 2nd Matthews consistently ranked at the top for the scouts, replacing Connor McDavid in this annual exercise for the top position. He was viewed as a potential franchise center due to his size, elite skill and shot. 2. Macklin Celebrini, 2024 (San Jose Sharks) Average ranking: 2.83 Range of votes: 1st – 5th While I try to use mostly the same scouts every year for this exercise, sometimes I have to change the voters. I say this because Celebrini was fifth last year, behind Matthews, Connor Bedard and Jack Hughes. This exercise is about how players were viewed at the time of the draft, and Celebrini was highly regarded for his all-around play, but some evaluators last season were worried about his offense in the NHL. The ones I polled this year were not, and most claim they always viewed him as having star offensive upside to go with great compete level. 3. Connor Bedard, 2023 (Chicago Blackhawks) Average ranking: 3.33 Range of votes: 1st – 6th Bedard was a consensus top pick in his draft, with a massive hype machine behind him after his dominant performances in the WHL and World Juniors. There were minor concerns on his size and lack of elite speed, but overall a ton of love for the player. His ranking reflects how high scouts were on the offense, but the variance reflects some uncertainty on the player. One NHL executive on why he put Celebrini over Bedard: 'I think Celebrini makes others better more often. He's a true center who you'll trust in more situations.' Another test in hindsight bias, as last year no evaluator placed him lower than third, but this year he got a fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place vote. 4. Jack Hughes, 2019 (New Jersey Devils) Average ranking: 4.67 Range of votes: 3rd – 7th Hughes had a monster draft season as the leading player on one of the very best U.S. NTDP teams ever. His combination of elite skating and skill excited scouts. The one who placed him seventh noted worries about his frame and how that would hold up in the playoffs. 5. Matthew Schaefer (2025 NHL Draft Eligible) Average ranking: 4.83 Range of votes: 2nd – 7th This year's top pick comes in right at the middle of the pack. Schaefer is a great skating defenseman with size and very good puck-moving ability. He missed most of the season due to mono in the fall and a broken clavicle he suffered at the World Juniors. When healthy, he dazzled at several major events such as the Hlinka Gretzky and CHL/NTDP series. The executive who ranked Schaefer second thinks he could be a Norris-winning defenseman around whom you can build a contender. The scouts who ranked him lower had minor questions on his offensive upside, as well as the lack of data on him. 'He's a consensus No. 1 pick in part based on a handful of great international showings, but who knows how his season would have gone if he wasn't hurt all year,' said one scout. 6. Rasmus Dahlin, 2018 (Buffalo Sabres) Average ranking: 5.33 Range of votes: 3rd – 8th It's easy to forget the hype there was for Dahlin in 2018 and the lengthy highlight reel he piled up in Sweden. He's one of the most skilled defensemen I've seen. One NHL executive said at the time of his draft that they viewed Dahlin as an annual Norris contender. The exec who ranked him lower pointed to a worry at the time about how his style of play, an aggressive skill-driven defenseman, would translate to the NHL. 7. Owen Power, 2021 (Buffalo Sabres) Average ranking: 7.00 Range of votes: 6th – 10th The voters saw a drop off after Dahlin to the next group of players. Power was a very unsexy No. 1 pick. His assets were being a huge defenseman who could skate well and make legit offensive plays. That's an exciting package, but there was never anything truly 'special' about his toolkit, even if the scouts who had him highest thought he could be Victor Hedman if he truly hit. 8. Nico Hischier, 2017 (New Jersey Devils) Average ranking: 7.83 Range of votes: 6th – 9th Hischier was a well-liked player in his draft season who excited evaluators with his skill, hockey sense and all-around play. He wasn't considered the most dynamic forward you'll ever see taken at the top of the draft, though, which was reflected in the votes. 9. Alexis Lafrenière, 2020 (New York Rangers) Average ranking: 8.00 Range of votes: 3rd – 10th I appreciated the brutal honesty from the executive who put Lafrenière at No. 3, as he was very highly touted coming out of the QMJHL. His footspeed has held him back in the NHL to date, though, and was the main concern of evaluators for why they put him toward the bottom. 10. Juraj Slafkovský, 2022 (Montreal Canadiens) Average ranking: 9.50 Range of votes: 8th – 10th Slafkovský got beat up by the panelists a bit over his hockey sense, but keep in mind he's probably been better than some expected in the NHL. His draft season was up and down with great international showings but scouts didn't love him in Liiga. (Photo: Dennis Pajot / Getty Images)
