After what was the best regular season in franchise history, the New Jersey Devils’ 2022-2023 season came to an end in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. General manager Tom Fitzgerald will have his work cut out for him to ensure the team replicates anything close to the success they had this season. Let’s face it, and even Fitzgerald acknowledged it himself, the Devils shattered their preseason expectations.
New Jersey’s main goal this offseason should be to set themselves up so they do not regress too much from their 112-point 2022-23 total. As mentioned above, expecting a season like that again, with who New Jersey is expected to lose, and the number of younger players entering into the fold, is unfair. More realistic expectations is a playoff team, rather than the third-most points in the NHL.
So, what will Fitzgerald and staff have to work with to help ensure as little regression as possible? Who are the Devils’ pending free agents? What draft picks are they slated to have?
Salary Cap Situation
The Devils will likely dish out two large extensions this offseason (Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier). Despite this, the team is still in a great spot as it relates to the salary cap. As of now, with the contracts coming off the books, New Jersey is projected to have $34,282,500 in space per CapFriendly.
This figure ranks third-most in the league. However, this only reflects 12 NHL-level players being under contract. Most of the other teams in the top echelon of cap space have anywhere from 15-to-18 players under contract.
The Devils certainly have the room. They will need to use a large chunk of that on internal free agents, namely of the restricted variety. Regardless, a terrific spot to be in.
Pending Free Agents
One of the first steps for any team in the offseason is to take stock of their own free agents. For the Devils, they have a total of 23 free agents. Of those, 13 are restricted free agents (RFA), nine are unrestricted free agents (UFA), and one is a 10.2(c) free agent.
For those unfamiliar:
- RFA: a player who is a free agent, without a contract, but still under team control. If the player does not receive a qualifying offer by June 25th at 5:00 pm ET, they immediately become a UFA.
- 10.2(c) Player: a player who is only eligible to negotiate and sign a contract with the club that holds their signing rights. They are ineligible to negotiate a contract (offer sheet) with any other club. They are also ineligible for arbitration. If the player does not receive a qualifying offer by June 25th at 5:00 pm ET, they immediately become a UFA.
- Arbitration Eligible: arbitration is a tool available to settle some contract disputes. The player and team each propose a salary for the coming season and argue their cases at a hearing. The arbitrator, a neutral third party, then sets the player’s salary.
Below is the list of the Devils’ free agents:
Restricted Free Agents: Jesper Bratt, (Arb.), Timo Meier (Arb.), Nathan Bastian (Arb.), Michael McLeod (Arb.), Jesper Boqvist (Arb.), Yegor Sharangovich (Arb.), Aarne Talvitie (Arb.), Reilly Walsh (Arb.), Zachary Hayes (Arb.), Mackenzie Blackwood (Arb.), Timur Ibragimov, Kevin Bahl, Jeremy Groleau
Note, “Arb.” designates that the player is arbitration eligible.
Unrestricted Free Agents: Erik Haula, Tomas Tatar, Miles Wood, Damon Severson, Ryan Graves, Jonathan Bernier, Brian Pinho, Jayce Hawryluk, Mason Geertsen
10.2(c) Free Agent: Zacharie Edmond
Draft Capital
This season marks only the third time since 2015 the Devils have not selected within the top 10. It is the first time since 2013 the team is without a first-round pick (as of now). Both due to the fact the Devils were a very good team this year and the organization traded a package of picks to the San Jose Sharks for Timo Meier.
For a first time in a while, the NHL Entry Draft is not the main focal point of the organization’s offseason. Here are the Devils’ picks over the next two drafts:
- 2023: 2nd Round, 4th Round, 5th Round, 6th Round, 7th Round
- 2024: 1st Round, 2nd Round*, 3rd Round, 5th Round, 5th Round (COL), 6th Round
- 2025: 1st Round, 2nd Round, 3rd Round, 4th Round, 5th Round, 6th Round, 7th Round
The Devils traded their 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick (conditional), and 2024 seventh-round pick to the Sharks in the Timo Meier trade, their 2023 third-round pick to the Penguins in the John Marino trade, and their 2024 fourth-round pick to the Canucks in the Curtis Lazar trade.
Note, the condition on the 2024 second-round pick is as followed: if the Devil reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2024, the pick becomes a 2024 first.
Organization Depth Chart
As it stands, not including UFAs, and including RFAs, the New Jersey Devils’ current organizational composition is as follows:
- Left Wings: Timo Meier*, Ondrej Palat, Yegor Sharangovich*, Nolan Foote, Brian Halonen, Josh Filmon
- Centers: Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Michael McLeod*, Jesper Boqvist*, Aarne Talvitie*,
- Right Wings: Jesper Bratt*, Dawson Mercer, Nathan Bastian*, Curtis Lazar, Alexander Holtz, Graeme Clarke, Tyce Thompson, Timur Ibragimov*, Chase Stillman
- Left Defenseman: Jonas Siegenthaler, Luke Hughes, Kevin Bahl*, Brendan Smith, Tyler Wotherspoon, Michael Vukojevic, Jeremy Groleau*, Zachary Hayes*, Topias Vilen, Daniil Misyul, Santeri Hatakka
- Right Defenseman: Dougie Hamilton, John Marino, Simon Nemec, Reilly Walsh*
- Goaltenders: Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, Mackenzie Blackwood*, Nico Daws, Tyler Brennan, Zacharie Emond*
Note, position designations per CapFriendly. Additionally, the “*” designates a current restricted free agent.
What’s Next?
Below you can find the important dates this upcoming offseason. Each of which follow the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights.
- 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final: Buy-out period begins
- June 28-29: NHL Entry Draft
- June 30: Buy-out period ends
- July 1: Free agency opens
Make sure to stay tuned to our social media pages all offseason as we will have all coverage associated with the New Jersey Devils.