New Jersey Devils Offseason Checklist – Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

The NHL offseason is a very important time for teams to address key roster issues and acquire new talent through the draft or free agency. This offseason, in particular, will be important for the New Jersey Devils, and they must address many areas to get back to the playoffs. General manager Tom Fitzgerald and newly appointed head coach Sheldon Keefe have a lot on their plate to get their talented team back in shape this summer.

Devils Should Get Top-Level Goaltender

Landing a quality goaltender has been a priority for New Jersey since last season. This has been the most glaring hole for the Devils for years – they haven’t had a great goaltender since Cory Schneider. Over the past four seasons, at least 12 different pitchers have played in at least one game. Only two have played more than 80 games for the team – in 2021-22, seven different goaltenders started games – all due to acquisitions of veterans like Corey Crawford and Jonathan Bernier, sudden injuries, or lack of real talent.

At the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this week, Fitzgerald focused on the assets that will help his team now and in the future. He made it clear that he would like to get rid of the number 10 for the right price. Despite many talented players who can be found in the 10 – such as Berkley Catton, Konsta Helenius, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – the clear path of the team is the winning mode now, so it is easy to see why they would agree to move the selection. , and they need to find a way to increase the number of picks to fill a position of need: goaltender.

If the Devils want to get as close to the playoffs as they did last season, they need a better goalkeeper. Jake Allen, acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline, has shown great promise as an anchor who can serve as a solid 1B option or an excellent backup but is the only one who can fix the bigger picture of the goaltending problem. Trading for one of the talented pitchers like Juuse Saros or Linus Ullmark would provide much needed stability between the pipes and solidify the team as a contender.

Devils Must Release Team Depth

The Devils have the ability to compete with every elite, young talent they’ve drafted and acquired over the past few years. They already have star players up front and in defense to fill out their top six and top four pairings. However, another problem arose that hit the team harder than expected. Compared to the 2022-23 season, when the Devils returned to the playoffs, they didn’t have much of a supporting cast around their star talent.

The team has seen the departure of some key players in private, such as Damon Severson, Ryan Graves, Yegor Sharangovich, Tomáš Tatar, and Miles Wood. Those names may not jump off the page, but they played a key role in the depth positions on that season’s roster and left big holes when they left. Also this season, the Devils had to trade Colin Miller and Tyler Toffoli (who Sharangovich traded in the offseason) who both played a role in their short time with the team.

The Devils have nearly $19 million in cap space and six draft picks to work with this offseason. The team’s only key player to worry about is restricted free agent Dawson Mercer, so management can round out the roster with more depth. They need to fill key positions in the forward and back six and add a few defenders. Other notable players hitting free agency for the Devils to consider are Brady Skjej, William Carrier, and Warren Foegle. There are also plenty of players the Devils could explore in a trade, but that will come down to who is available in the offseason.

Devils Must Recover From Injury

This season, the Devils lost important games due to injuries. Most notable was the team’s leading defender, Dougie Hamilton, who suffered a pectoral muscle injury just 20 games into the season. This was a big blow. As a result, junior defenders Luka Hughes and Simon Nemec had to take on bigger roles earlier than expected.

Also, Timo Meier played through many injuries. On April 23, he underwent arthroscopic surgery, and throughout the season, he dealt with MCL problems and oblique injuries. The same thing happened to Jack Hughes, who on April 9, had season-ending shoulder surgery. Major injuries to both have impacted their scoring and made it difficult for the team as a whole to develop their offensive game.

It will be important for these three players to take as much time as they need this offseason to rejuvenate and get back in shape. While injuries cannot be predicted or completely prevented, staying healthy will make it easier for the team to start next season strong. Availability is the best skill, and the Devils will need that.

All things considered, the Devils have a lot to accomplish this offseason. This will be the most important season of that era in recent history, as it is now or never if they are to fulfill their promise to go fully into win-now mode. The front office will do everything in their power to fill out this roster and get them back into playoff contention. Finding a quality goalie, bolstering their depth, and recovering from injuries will be big steps back next season. The team as a whole has a lot of great building blocks to work on in a long but thorough rebuild. Their success in the 2022-23 season showed the potential of this team to be a serious contender for the Stanley Cup in the coming years.

Other Devils Offseason Articles:

Devils’ 2024 Offseason Trade Target: Forward

Devils’ 2024 Offseason Trade Target: Soldiers

3 Bottom-Six Free Agent Target for the Devils