The Stanley Cup final has concluded as the Florida Panthers once again defeated the Edmonton Oilers to take home Lord Stanley for the second-straight season Tuesday night. With that, and the fact that the New Jersey Devils have been dormant for weeks now, it’s officially offseason time. What are some important dates to look forward to over the next few months?
48 Hours After The Conclusion of The Cup
Team-Elected Arbitration
The first notable date of the NHL offseason is the first of two deadlines for clubs to elect arbitration with their own players who are eligible. This deadline is at 5:00 pm ET two days after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup final.
Salary arbitration is a process that is utilized to solve contract disputes between a player and their team. A third party will determine what a players contract will be for the next season once each side submits their case. The mediation can result in a one-or two-year deal.
For those who do not know, restricted free agents (RFA) can be eligible for arbitration if they fulfill the following benchmarks:
- Players aged 18-to-20 must have four years of NHL experience before they are eligible.
- Players that are aged 21 must have three years.
- Players aged 22-to-23 years old must have two years.
- Players aged 24 or older must have one year.
Note, a player earns a year of NHL experience by playing in at least 10 professional games.
The following New Jersey Devils are arbitration eligible this offseason: F Cody Glass, F Nolan Foote, D Santeri Hatakka, and G Isaac Poulter.
Buyouts
On the same day as the above, 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup final, the first buyout window of the offseason begins. This first window will then close on June 30.
For those that do not know, a buyout in the NHL is essentially releasing a player that is still under contract. Given the team is choosing to end a previously agreed upon contract, there are penalties for doing so. See the example below.
The most realistic buyout candidate on the Devils is forward Ondrej Palat. If the Devils chose to buyout the veteran Czechia forward, the team would save $2.47 million against the salary cap this season and next year, however, would face a $1.48 million penalty in 2027-28 and 2028-29. Palat and the Devils agreed to a five-year, $30 million deal prior to the 2022-23 season. New Jersey would be buying Palat out of the final two seasons of that contract.
June 27-28
The first major occurrence of the offseason is the NHL Entry Draft, which is slated to begin on June 27 and end the following day. This season’s draft is going to be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. Round 1 will begin at 7:00 pm ET and be televised on ESPN. Rounds 2 through 7 will occur on June 28 and begin at 12:00 pm ET on NHL Network and ESPN+.
The top three picks in the draft belong to the New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks. Several teams do not currently own a first-round pick, those include the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.
The Devils, who, as mentioned above, don’t have a first-round pick, are slated to pick six times during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Those picks are listed below:
- Round 2 (Twice; Edmonton’s, their own)
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 6 (Twice; San Jose’s, their own)
June 30
Just two days after the NHL draft, clubs will need to make a decision on if they’ll want to retain their rights on their respective restricted free agent by extending them a qualifying offer. By qualifying a restricted free agent, a team is in essence offering a one-year contract worth a predetermined amount based off that player’s salary the previous season.
For those who are unaware, players are restricted free agents until age 27 or when they have played seven or more seasons in the NHL and their contract has expired.
The Devils have the following restricted free agents this offseason: F Cody Glass, F Nolan Foote, D Luke Hughes, D Santeri Hatakka, and G Isaac Poulter.
July 1
On the first of July, the NHL’s most exciting time of year commences, free agency. At 12:00 pm ET, free agents are allowed to officially sign with new teams.
The Devils have the following players who may hit the market:
- Unrestricted Free Agents: F Justin Dowling, F Curtis Lazar, F Daniel Sprong, F Nathan Bastian, F Max Willman, F Samuel Laberge, F Marc McLaughlin (G6), D Brian Dumoulin, D Dennis Cholowski, D Tory Dello, G Jake Allen
- Restricted Free Agents: F Cody Glass, F Nolan Foote, D Luke Hughes, D Santeri Hatakka, and G Isaac Poulter.
July 5
A few days after the beginning of free agency, on July 5, players who are eligible for arbitration must elect it by 5:00 pm ET. As mentioned, the following are the Devils who are eligible for arbitration: F Cody Glass, F Nolan Foote, D Santeri Hatakka, and G Isaac Poulter.
July 6
One day after the player deadline, the second and final team deadline to elect arbitration passes at 5:00 pm ET. These hearings span from July 20 through August 4.