Today’s is the day! At noon eastern time, the NHL Free Agency period will open. We have previously outlined some solid options for the New Jersey Devils to pursue at both defense and goaltender. But, how should the team address their lackluster forward group? Well, unfortunately this forward class is not extremely deep. But, if general manager Tom Fitzgerald looks in the right areas there are certainly some quality players.
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| TBD | Jack Hughes | Jesper Bratt |
| Pavel Zacha / TBD | Nico Hischier | Yegor Sharangovich |
| Janne Kuokkanen | TBD / Pavel Zacha | Andreas Johnsson |
| Miles Wood | Michael McLeod | TBD |
As was done at the beginning of our possible defensive free agent targets, let’s examine the Devils’ current offensive depth chart. As you can see, there are about three glaring holes in the forward group. One top-six left wing, a number-three center, and a bottom-six right wing. This if New Jersey wished to play Pavel Zacha at the wing, which he succeeded with last year. If they play him at center, the team’s center group would be set and a hole at the top-six wing position would open.
Worth mentioning, despite the season he had, Pavel Zacha is not exactly a top-six forward. So, making a move that bumps him down to a bottom-six role would help New Jersey gain more depth. Also, despite the season Yegor Sharangovich had, a top-six forward role for him on a good team this early is a bit unrealistic. Sharagovich has profiled more as third-liner on a good hockey team. But, given New Jersey is not quite there yet, and Sharangovich really excelled last year, placing him in the top-six is fine for now.
Left Wing Targets
Blake Coleman
Someone that New Jersey Devils’ fans are well acquainted with and very found of is Blake Coleman. He was traded from New Jersey during the 2019-20 season and promptly went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, the 29-year old “do-it-all” forward is looking for a large pay-day.
Coleman is one of the top all-around forwards in the NHL. He is elite in his own end, he constantly finds his way into high-danger scoring areas, and is one of the best penalty killers in the NHL. What can’t he do? Per Evolving-Hockey, he is projected to sign at four-years and $4,698,000 per season. This seems to be a very low amount to what is rumored. Nonetheless, if New Jersey is able to reign him back in, he would jolt the team’s middle-six group, as well as the special teams group exponentially.
Tomas Tatar
Tomas Tatar was oddly a healthy scratch for a large part of the Stanley Cup playoffs with Montreal this past season. He has been one of the NHL’s most consistent forwards when it comes to on-ice metrics. He also, usually, produces points as well, and shots the puck a lot. He is just one season removed from totaling 61 points in 68 games. The year prior to that, he racked up 58 points in 80 games.
The above further demonstrates how incredible of an impact Tatar has for his team when he is on the ice. Worth noting is the “PP Offense,” part of the card. This shows how well his team does when he is out on the ice for a power play. Tatar would be a game-changer for the Devils’ top-six.
Now, he is 30-years old, so general manager Tom Fitzgerald should exercise some caution. Evolving-Hockey is projecting a three-year deal at a cap-hit of $5,236,000 per season. Given how the playoffs went, it seems his value should be suppressed a bit. Anything in the three-year range, at around $5,000,000 would be great value.
Nick Ritchie
Nick Ritchie was one of several surprising non-tenders (note, non-tender means he was a restricted free agent but instead was able to hit the open market since his team did not tender him). Ritchie is only 25-years old and coming off a solid season with Boston. He scored 15 goals and 11 assists while only playing around 15-minutes per night. He is your textbook power-forward as he also laid 102 hits using his six-foot-two, 234 pound frame.
Ritchie’s underlying metrics check out as well. The noteworthy aspect of the Regularized Adjusted Plus-Minus (RAPM) chart above is the power play portion. He did solid work as the front-net man for Boston on a very good power play. Of course, as you can see his even strength metrics check out as well.
Given the non-tender, it seems signing Ritchie would not run whichever team that chooses to do so that high of a price. Given his age, and consistent play, whoever signs him is going to get a very solid, bottom-six power-forward with expertise on the power play. The only issue here is Ritchie is a left wing, and as the Devils’ depth chart stands – specifically if Zacha plays left wing this season – the Devils’ left-side is a bit crowded.
Other Options: Dominik Kahun
Center Options
Phillip Danault
What a postseason it was for the Montreal forward. Danault has quickly emerged as one of the better defensive centers in the league. He should have been at the top of the Devils’ possible free agent target list before the postseason began. However, given his great play in the postseason, the contract he might receive may not be of the type the Devils wish to dish out.
Now, the 28-year old was vastly underrated before his breakout playoff campaign. This is evident by RAPM chart above, which shows his on-ice impact over the past three seasons. Simply, the play people finally noticed during the post season has been going on for quite some time. His on-ice impact has been terrific at both ends of the ice. Also, not pictured is his expertise on the penalty kill. A New Jersey center group of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Danualt, and Michael McLeod would be absurd. However, it seems likely the price will be too high.
Mikael Granlund
Mikael Granlund has done great work over his nine-year career. The 29-year old had a stretch from 2016 through 2019 where he put up 69 points, 67, 54, and then 49. He did only put up 47 points combined in the previous two seasons, but his play time decreased a tad and he was playing under an underwhelming head coach in John Hynes.
Granlund is an offensive-first player who does terrific work on the power play. His offensive metrics over the past three seasons rank in the 63rd percentile of the league. He does struggle a bit in his own end, but with how aenmic the Devils’ offense has been, sacrificing a bit of defense in favor of a playmaker like Granlund would be well worth it. Furthermore, given his “down-year” in Nashville, he is likely to come at a bargain. Granlund also is versatile in the sense he can also play on the left-wing. He would be a perfect, cheap middle-six option for New Jersey.
Nick Bonino
Sorry “eye-test” folks, close your eyes/ears. Nick Bonino is an analytical darling. He has graded out incredibly well throughout his career. The below player card, which captures the past three seasons, demonstrates this exact point. Bonino is elite defensively, both at even strength and on the penalty kill. His offensive game is also very underrated, as he has been only playing about 15 minutes a night and on team’s with just horrific offensive generation. For that reason, his point total might not indicate a solid offensive player.
The issue with Bonino is he is 33-years old. It has been against general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s philosphy so far at the helm to sign older players. However, given the reportedly motivated and wanting to win mindset, maybe New Jersey would be open to bringing in the veteran to serve as an elite third line center.
Pius Suter
What a baffling decision it was by the Chicago Blackhawks to let surprise rookie Pius Suter walk. Suter was a restricted free agent, but was non-tendered by the Blackhawks allowing him to hit the open market on Monday. In 55 games with Chicago, he totaled 14 goals and 13 assists. His on-ice impacts were tremendous as well. This is evident by the below player card reflecting his play last season.
Suter fits general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s philosophy of maintaining youth. Coincidentally enough, he also seems – based off of a 55-game sample size – to be a very good hockey player. Surely, his services as a 25-year old will be wanted all across the league. Nonetheless, he should certainly be on the Devils’ radar.
Other Options: Casey Cizikas, Jordan Martinook
Right Wing Options
Brandon Saad
Whether it be due to playing with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane or playing on a good Colorado Avalanche team this past season, Saad has been vastly underrated for quite some time. Three times in his 10-year career Saad has totaled 50 or more points, in five seasons he has tallied 40 or more. Worth noting, Saad has a career shooting percentage of 11.9. In terms of league average, this is a pretty solid number. One usually associated with a very solid goal-scoring wing. Which, Brandon Saad happens to be.
Over the past three seasons, Saad’s offensive metrics rank in the league’s 82nd percentile. He is an offensive force that would excel next to someone like Jack Hughes. Given his limited role with Colorado, a large contract seems unlikely. Evolving-Hockey projects a four-year, $4,944,000 contract for the 28-year old. At this price, he would provide tremendous value for a Devils’ team that desperately needs a goal-scorer.
Ondrej Kase
Like Suter and former teammate Ritchie, Ondrej Kase was another surprising non-tender before the deadline a couple days ago. With the Anaheim Ducks, Kase looked like a top-six, point-producing wing in the making. He registered 20 goals in 2017-18 and was off to a hot start in 2018-19 (20 points in 30 games) before injury.
However, he was traded during the 2019-20 season and struggled in a season and a half with Boston. He is only 25-years old, so there still may be some potential there. Given the Devils need some scoring touch in the team’s bottom-six, Kase would fit right in. Also, it appears because of the struggles and non-tender Kase could be had at a very, very small price. There is however, some injury concern surrounding Kase.
Other Options: Mike Hoffman, Josh Leivo, Vinnie Hinostroza
What’s Next?
General manager Tom Fitzgerald has $31,545,001 in salary cap at his disposal. His team is also $10,245,001 from the salary cap floor. What does all this mean? Simple, the New Jersey Devils are likely to be busy when free agency opens at noon eastern time today.
As the above forward depth chart shows, and the defensive depth chart in our most recent piece illustrates, the Devils’ have holes in their lineup. There are several forward specific options they can choose to fix some of these gaps. Brandon Saad or Thomas Tatar would bring immediate stability to the top-six, Blake Coleman would bring a style of hockey the team desperately needs, and there are several other very intriguing options as outlined above.
Buckle up Devils’ fans, it should be a fun period. Stay tuned to our social medias for all updates pertaining to the free agent window.