The fast-moving NHL offseason is well underway. The NHL Entry Draft came and went, now, next up, the opening of free agency. Beginning at noon ET on Monday, free agents will be permitted to sign contracts with new teams. Despite some external adds made by general manager Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils already, there are still holes remaining on the roster. The Devils, according to CapFriendly, will have $19,026,103 in space to address the issues.
So, what are those holes that need addressing? Who are some potential options to fill those needs?
Current Depth Chart
Forwards
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Jack Hughes | Jesper Bratt | |
| Nico Hischier | Timo Meier | |
| Ondrej Palat | Erik Haula | Dawson Mercer |
| Nolan Foote | Curtis Lazar | Paul Cotter |
Analysis
The Devils certainly still have some work to do up front. The center group appears to be locked down, however, the team needs to add two wingers. You can always flip Timo Meier to the left side and Dawson Mercer into the top six on the right side. Regardless, one top-six winger on either side as well as a middle-six winger on the left side is a must. The team may also be better for adding another bottom-line option, some insurance, this in case Nolan Foote is unable to stay healthy or seize an every-night role.
Needs: Top-six winger (left or right), middle-six winger (left)
Defense
| Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | Dougie Hamilton |
| Luke Hughes | |
| Simon Nemec |
Analysis
With the trade of top-four, right-side defenseman John Marino, New Jersey has a hole on that side now. They also have the same situation on the left side. Both sides of their defense include an established veteran (Siegenthaler and Hamilton) and two rookies. To help compete the unit, New Jersey must add a couple defenseman, specifically one that is top-four caliber.
Needs: Left defense, Bottom four right defense
Goalie
| Starter | Backup |
| Jacob Markström | Jake Allen |
Analysis
When was the last time the Devils entered free agency with two established options set to be their starter and backup? New Jersey is poised to enter the season with one of the more formidable duos in the league costing them only $6.05 million.
Needs: None
Potential Free Agent Options
As mentioned, free agency opens up at noon ET on Monday and the Devils will have $19,026,103 in space, pending anymore trades, to address the needs identified above and organized below.
Summary of Needs:
- Top-six winger (left or right)
- Middle-six winger (left)
- Left defense
- Right defense (bottom four)
Wingers
Below are organized list of individuals who can fit either one of the winger needs analyzed above. They can give you top six minutes or settle nicely into a middle-six role.
| Player | Age | Statistics | Contract Projection |
| Jonathan Marchessault | 33 | 69 pts (82 gp) | 3 year, $6,306,666 |
| Teuvo Teräväinen | 29 | 53 pts (76 gp) | 4 year, $5,234,900 |
| Viktor Arvidsson | 31 | 15 pts (18 gp) | 3 year, $4,764,4667 |
| Anthony Mantha | 29 | 44 pts (74 gp) | 3 year, $4,769,600 |
| Anthony Duclair | 28 | 42 pts (73 gp) | 3 year, $4,327,400 |
| Jake DeBrusk | 27 | 40 pts (80 gp) | 5 year, $5,830,650 |
There are a plethora of strong options to help the Devils address their winger needs. Any of the above would be great fits. Marchessault has a plethora of playoff experience and terrific offensive on-ice impacts. Meanwhile, Teuvo Teräväinen and Anthony Mantha are both sneaky options, as each put up terrific overall on-ice impacts last season. Arvidsson and Duclair are both superb offensive-first options. Lastly, Jake DeBrusk would be your longer-term option.
If the Devils chose to go the depth route as well, in conjunction with one of the above top-six options, some names to keep an eye on are William Carrier, Danton Heinen, Jordan Martinook, Warren Foegele, and James van Riemsdyk. Each have exceptional on-ice impacts and would cost much less than the above mentioned forwards. Any would slot nicely in the team’s middle-six group.
Defense
Despite adding right-handed defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic on the eve of free agency, it would still do New Jersey well to add two defenseman, one on each side, that can play in the lineup on a nightly basis.
Of course, the rumor has been for some time, that the Devils are deeply interested in right-handed defenseman Brett Pesce. That would help complete the right side of the defensive core, with Hamilton, Pesce, Nemec, and the newly-acquired Kovacevic as depth; leaving one spot open on the left side.
Below are option, separated by side, that would be nice fits with the Devils.
Left Defense
| Player | Age | Games Played | Contract Projection |
| Brenden Dillon | 33 | 77 | 2 year, $2,873,200 |
| TJ Brodie | 34 | 78 | 2 year, $3.652,676 |
| Nikita Zadorov | 29 | 75 | 5 year, $5,316,666 |
| Ryan Suter | 39 | 82 | 1 year, $1,742,400 |
| Ian Cole | 35 | 78 | 1 year, $2,119,700 |
| Nate Schmidt | 32 | 63 | 2 year, $2,395,800 |
Most of the options on the left side consist of older, shorter-term defensive-first defenseman. Brodie has been a really solid defenseman for a while now, and has familiarity with new Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe. Brendan Dillon, whose size and play style fits what the Devils are looking for, is one of the players rumored that the Devils are reported to be heavily interested in.
Zadorov is the lone option on this list that would likely be a long-term solution. He certainly fits what the Devils are looking for; a bruising, towering presence. Cole and Super have both been in the league for years and are still putting up extremely strong on-ice defensive impacts.
Right Defense
| Player | Age | Games Played | Contract Projection |
| Brett Pesce | 29 | 70 | 5 year, $6,283,200 |
| Matt Roy | 29 | 81 | 5 year, $5,843,200 |
| Sean Walker | 29 | 81 | 3 year, $4,646,400 |
As mentioned above, the interest of the Devils in Pesce is reported to be extremely high. If that turns out not to work out, either of the other two on this list would be very solid options. Roy and Walker would be longer-term fixes as well.
Final Thoughts
Free agency is always an exciting time. Especially when you’re a fan of a team with assets at their disposal. As mentioned, general manger Tom Fitzgerald and staff will have nearly $20 million in cap space to work with. With that, surely the team will be active in plugging the holes identified and discussed above.
We will have all the coverage and continued analysis on our social media pages and website in the coming day. Make sure you follow along!