In addition to the 10 unrestricted free agents the New Jersey Devils’ organization has, they also have 10 restricted free agents. This list contains a lot more familiar names to fans and all three restricted free agents with the big club played important roles for the team this past season. They also have seven restricted free agents who were predominantly AHL players for the organization this season.
New Jersey enters the offseason with roughly $11,875,000 in cap space according to PuckPedia. Although the team is unlikely to bring back many of their 10 unrestricted free agents, a number of their restricted free agents will be back with the team and they will have to comply with the salary cap, at the NHL level, to do so.
What Are Restricted Free Agents?
For those unfamiliar, unlike unrestricted free agents (UFA), restricted free agents (RFA) are still under team control despite no longer being under contract. Players become RFAs after the completion of their entry-level contract. A player will become a RFA at contract expiration until they reach either seven years of professional experience or turn 27 years old (as of June 30).
There are two main ways to re-sign a RFA. You can simply re-sign them to an extension or you can qualify them. Qualifying them guarantees the player a one-year deal at a slightly elevated cap hit compared to the previous season. It is also the way teams ensure that respective player keeps their RFA status. An organization can simply not qualify a player, which result in them becoming a UFA. Note, qualifying offers must be provided to the player by either the later of the Monday after the NHL Entry Draft or June 25.
Additionally, other teams do still have the opportunity to sign restricted free agents; this in the form of an offer sheet. RFAs who have had at least one NHL contract expire already are eligible to receive an offer sheet from the 31 other teams that do not control their rights. If an offer sheet is accepted, the team who controls the player’s rights have a chance to match that agreed upon contract. If not, the player will join the team who offered and signed them to an offer sheet and that team will then have to compensate the former player’s controlling team with draft picks based off how much the average annual salary of that deal is worth. That compensation formula can be found here.
Lastly, some RFAs are arbitration eligible. Arbitration is a third-party mediation when a team and player are unable to come to an agreement on a new contract. If a player meets certain experience criteria, they hold the right to elect arbitration. Arbitration can also be elected by the team. Arbitration can result in either a one or two year contract (usually the team’s decision, though, if the RFA only has one year left, a two-year deal cannot be chosen). Long story short, arbitration is a third-party mediator who assigns out a contract when a team and player cannot come to an agreement.
Note, if the arbitration amount is over a certain threshold, the team may opt to walk away resulting in the player becoming a UFA. The player-elected arbitration deadline is July 5 at 5:00 pm ET. The team-elected arbitration window is from July 5 and 5:00 pm to July 6 at 5:00 pm.
Note, most of the above information was obtained via PuckPedia.
NHL
Arseny Gritsyuk
Arseny Gritsyuk was sensational for the Devils in his rookie season. He finished the year with 13 goals, 18 assists, and 31 points across 68 games. Among NHL rookies to play at least 50 games, Gritsyuk ranked seven in points-per-game. His overall ranking in points was 13th among rookies and he had the sixth-most shots (149).
Further evidence of how strong he was can be seen by taking a look at the analytics. According to Evolving Hockey’s goals above replacement (GAR) metrics, Gritsyuk’s on-ice offensive impacts ranked in the 78th, his defensive in the 71st, and overall in the 78th. He also led the Devils in Corsi-for percentage and was fifth in expected goals-for percentage.
Long story short, it appears the Devils found themselves a very strong all-around hockey player in the 25-year-old Russian. The former fifth-round pick is due a new contract and the first thing new general manager Sunny Mehta should be doing is locking down Gritsyuk long term. There is no reason why he cannot become a perennial 45-plus point scorer while posting terrific defensive impacts to boot.
Projected Contract: Four years, $5,889.990.48 annually (long term) or Two years, $3,045,789.83 annually (short term)
Note, Gritsyuk is arbitration eligible.
Simon Nemec
Simon Nemec is quietly becoming the most polarizing player within the organization. After a scorching hot start where he scored six goals and had 15 points across 25 games, Nemec only posted 11 points over his last 43. He did so while posting overall lackluster possession metrics overall (18th-ranked Corsi-for percentage, 17th-ranked expected-goals for percentage among his Devils teammates this season).
Deeper analysis showed that hot start was aided by an unsustainably high 11.98 shooting percentage. When that shooting luck dried up, Nemec’s tangible point production stalled and the underlying metrics remained so-so despite the easier competition than some of his Devil peers.
With all that being said, it would be wise for general manager Sunny Mehta to try to capitalize on Nemec’s trade value that is likely the highest it’s been since he made his NHL debut. Nemec killed it at the Olympics for Slovakia and that scoring burst to begin the season is still fresh in everyone’s mind. If New Jersey can avoid paying Nemec a deal that is in excess of $8 million annually, plus receive back a young, controllable, and more established asset, they should do that.
Worst case, New Jersey holds onto Nemec and bridges him via a deal that likely checks in much lower than the steep reported price tag. However, all signs point to a trade making the most sense.
Projected Contract: Seven years, $8,060,650 annually (long term) or Two years, $4,473,300 annually (short term)
Paul Cotter
Unfortunately, in a contract season, Paul Cotter had arguably the worst season of his five-year NHL career everything considered. Cotter did score nine goals in a bottom-line role, and also helped aid the Devils to several shootout wins, however, his numbers across the board tanked.
After breaking out for 16 goals last season, that figure dropped to nine. His overall point output also dropped from 22 to 15. The 15 points is the lowest figure since his rookie season in 2021-22 where he only played seven games. Further, if you limit the data sample to a minimum of 65 games played, Cotter’s goals-for percentage ranks dead last in the entire NHL.
The on-ice impacts were also very poor as he ranked near the bottom of his teammates in possession metrics. Additionally, according to Evolving Hockey’s goals above replacements metrics, his overall on-ice impacts ranked in the 17th percentile.
Despite being under the team’s control next season, it would not be surprising to see Cotter moved in the offseason. The impacts and traditional statistics were both very poor despite ranking second on the team in hits (192) and his shootout successes. The two-plus million the team would likely have to spend to retain Cotter would be better used elsewhere.
Projected Contract: Three years, $2,325,440 annually
Note, Cotter is arbitration eligible.
AHL
Nico Daws
Who would have thought an AHL goaltender would be such a polarizing figure among a fanbase? Nico Daws finished his fifth season with the Utica Comets in 2025-26. He posted the second-worst save percentage of his AHL career in doing so (0.892 across 44 games). Daws now owns a career AHL save percentage of 0.899.
The 25-year-old has had an interesting carer arc. He got a very early taste of NHL action all the way back in the 2021-22 season. He was clearly not ready and struggled, posting a 0.893 save percentage and a -10.14 goals saved above expected. Daws did not play in the NHL in 2022-23, but has since played at least three games with New Jersey in every year since.
Daws’ second largest NHL sample came in the 2023-24 season where he played in 21 games. He posted a 0.894 save percentage and a -1.49 goals saved above expected. Since, he had played in nine NHL games posting a 0.924 save percentage and a 6.70 goals saved above expected.
It will be interesting to see how the Devils handle the 25-year-old. He has passed through waivers before, so the demand for his services does not appear to be there enough league-wide so the Devils can trade him. With a logjam of goalie prospects, having him sit in the AHL for another season does not make much sense. Could Daws be a non-tender candidate?
Projected Contract: One year, $892,500
Note, Daws is arbitration eligible.
Xavier Parent
Xavier Parent has forged himself a very nice professional career. The 25-year-old put up massive numbers after going udnrafted with Sherbrooke of the QMJHL. In 2021-2022, he posted 106 points (51 goals) across 65 games finishing fourth in the league in total scoring. As a result, he signed with the Devils’ organization as an undrafted free agent.
Parent played mainly in the ECHL in 2022-23, scoring at a point-per-game rate (51 points in 50 games). Since then, he has played in 195 AHL games with Utica posting 52 goals and 120 points. He got his first taste of NHL action, playing five games for New Jersey this season.
Parent, if qualified and retained by AHL general manager Braden Birch, would again likely factor into the team’s top-six in 2026-27.
Note, Parent is arbitration eligible.
Calen Addison
New Jersey brought in 26-year-old defenseman Calen Addison prior to the 2025-26 season. He led Utica defenseman in points this past season with 31 in 65 games. Despite not playing in the NHL this year, Addison has quite of bit experience having skated in 152 NHL games previously.
He is now a veteran of 204 AHL games scoring 125 points; a strong point-per-game average (0.61) for a defenseman. Addison was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He also played with Team Canada in the Spengler Cup in 2025-26.
With the defensive pipeline getting more crowded, moving on from Addison would make a lot of sense. Other veterans, such as Colton White, would make much more sense retaining.
Note, Addison is arbitration eligible.
Topias Vilén
The Devils drafted defenseman Topias Vilén back in the fifth-round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Vilén played in 127 Liiga (top professional league in Finland) before coming over to North America.
Since then, the 23-year-old has played in 173 AHL games posting 80 points. The two-way defenseman has posted figures of 29, 24, and 27 points, respectively, over the last three seasons. Vilén got a two-game run with New Jersey to end the 2025-26 season.
If qualified, he would factor in greatly to the Comets’ top-four next season.
Jakub Málek
After a very strong conclusion to his Liiga career, posting back-to-back save percentage of 0.915 and 0.910, respectively, in 2023-24 and 2024-25, Jakub Málek made his North American debut in 2025-26 for Utica. Málek got off to a very slow start culminating in a demotion to the ECHL, however, after returning to Utica he had a very nice ending to the season.
In all, he posted a 0.895 save percentage across 31 games for the Comets. Over his first five AHL games, prior to his ECHL assignment, he posted a 0.861 save percentage. However, over his last 26 games, after being called back up, he posted a 0.902 save percentage to end the season.
Despite Daws being a restricted free agent, Málek should enter the season as Utica’s starter in 2026-27. The 24-year-old has a legitimate chance to develop into a NHL contributor in the coming seasons.
Note, Málek is arbitration eligible.
Dylan Wendt
The Devils’ organization signed forward Dylan Wendt as an undrafted free agent from Western Michigan University during the 2023-24 season. Wendt had a terrific final season with the Broncos, scoring 44 points across 38 games.
Since becoming a professional, Wendt has played 36 games with Utica in the AHL and 73 games with Adirondack in the ECHL. He posted 21 points across 30 games for Adirondack this season. He only had three points in 19 games with the Comets in 2025-26.
Note, Wendt is arbitration eligible.
Tyler Brennan
The Devils drafted goaltender Tyler Brennan in the fourth-round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Brennan posted back-to-back seasons over save percentages below 0.900 in the WHL before debuting professionally in 2023-24.
Professionally, Brennan has only played at the ECHL level. After posting a 0.896 save percentage in 13 games during his rookie season, he posted a 0.878 mark in 29 games in 2024-25. He had his best professional season in 2025-26, posting a 0.898 mark across 28 games for a very strong Adirondack team.
Given his performances, it would not be surprising to see Brennan non-tendered this offseason.
Note, the contract projections above are courtesy of AFP Analytics. If a contract projection is not listed, that player is projected to make the league minimum.