General manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald knew he would need to enter free agency with an open mind after the New Jersey Devils were eliminated in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past April. Devils fans called on Fitzgerald to make changes in the postseason, particularly to the bottom-six offensive core. The third and fourth lines struggled tremendously throughout the 2024-25 run, failing to generate offensively and, as Fitzgerald put it at the end of season press conference, “We’ve got a lot of decisions to make on certain players, whether we bring guys back, trade players. We won’t be coming back with the same group, I can tell you that, because it wasn’t good enough.”
Just two years after their best regular season in franchise history, numerous changes have already been made in the two days that free agency has been open. As the offseason rapidly approached, and with more limited cap space than in recent years, speculation surrounded which players would be wearing a different jersey, who would re-sign, and who would be added to the team.
Departed Devils
On June 18, the Devils made their first major offseason move. Veteran player Erik Haula was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jeremy Hanzel and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Haula was a fan favorite, but struggled on the front end. This past season, he had 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) compared to his previous two seasons with New Jersey, where he tallied 35 and 41 points, respectively. He was originally acquired from the Boston Bruins in 2022, and his contract freed up $3.15 million in cap space.
Once free agency opened, the movements truly began.
The Los Angeles Kings signed unrestricted free agent (UFA) defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a three-year contract worth $4 million average annual value (AAV). Dumoulin was a tremendous pickup for the Devils in the postseason against the Carolina Hurricanes, averaging more than 30 minutes of ice time with the multiple injuries to the Devils’ backend.
Other departures included UFA forward Justin Dowling, who signed a two-year contract with the team’s Hudson River Rivals – the New York Rangers.
At the American Hockey League (AHL) level, forwards Nolan Foote and Sam Laberge signed with the Florida Panthers and San Jose Sharks. Goaltender Isaac Poulter also signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Devils. The organization also acquired restricted free agent (RFA) Thomas Bordeleau in exchange for forward Shane Bowers.
The Devils parted ways with Curtis Lazar, who signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers. Lazar joined the Devils in 2022 and had a great year during the 2023-24 season. However, after suffering a knee injury, the forward was no longer producing at the same level and did not receive a qualifying offer from the Devils.
New Additions to Jersey
Fitzgerald made it clear that he was looking for some power forwards to add depth to the score sheet. He started off strong on the first day of free agency, picking up UFA forward Connor Brown from the Oilers, signing him to a four-year, $3 million AAV contract. Brown is an excellent addition to the young Devils team, bringing veteran experience in the regular and postseason. Brown had 30 points this past season with Edmonton and put up nine points (five goals, four assists) in his most recent Stanley Cup appearance.
The other notable signing was acquiring Evgenii Dadonov from the Dallas Stars in a one-year, $1 million AAV deal. The 36-year-old had 78 points in his three seasons with the Stars, recording 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 80 games played last season. Dadonov carries Stanley Cup experience as well and is particularly strong on the power play.
The Devils also signed forwards Angus Crookshank and Juho Lammikko and defenseman Calen Addison to a contract at the AHL level, adding depth to the Utica Comets. Previously mentioned acquisitions include Hanzel and Bordeleau, who were acquired in separate trades. Bordeleau spent the last four years playing for the Sharks and their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Former roommate of Devils defenseman Luke Hughes at the University of Michigan, Bordeleau had 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) this past season, and has played in 44 career NHL games.
Also receiving a one-year entry-level contract (ELC) was Russian forward Arseniy Gritsyuk, who has spent the last four years playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The Devils selected Gritsyuk in the fifth round, 129th overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Devils Re-Signings
While there have been a lot of changes and movement to the Devils’ roster, some things remained the same.
After a considerable debate in the hockey world and online communities about the future of goaltending in New Jersey, particularly with Jake Allen, Fitzgerald decided to re-sign the UFA goaltender to a five-year contract worth $1.8 million AAV. Allen had an excellent season with New Jersey, serving as the second half of the goaltending tandem behind Jacob Markstrom. The 34-year-old had a .908 save percentage (SV%) and came up big during a lot of crucial moments for the team. The netminder expressed excitement to remain in New Jersey, telling media, “I just thought that this was the right fit. To be able to stay here with this group that we have, the direction we’re going.”
On July 2, Fitzgerald signed Cody Glass to a two-year contract worth $2.5 million AAV. Glass was an RFA and originally not expected to receive a qualifying offer, but management seemed to change their mind and offered Glass a contract. The center joined the Devils late last season, but had an immediate impact on the group. Glass scored a goal in his debut on March 9, and tallied five points in his first five games with the organization.
Related: Devils Are Addressing Depth Scoring in Free Agency
The Devils re-signed forward Marc McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract at the NHL and AHL levels. Also staying with the team is defenseman Dennis Cholowski on a one-year contract. Cholowski will likely start the season on the bottom pairing while Jonathan Kovacevic is expected to miss a period of time due to a knee injury.
Looking Ahead
There is one big-name player left to sign, and Fitzgerald made it clear that Luke Hughes will receive a long-term deal to stay in New Jersey. However, an issue remains in cap space, as the highly talented blue liner will take up a large portion of the remaining salary available.
Two big-name players are in conversation regarding the L. Hughes deal, Ondřej Palát and Dougie Hamilton. Both Palát and Hamilton have large contracts, and moving one of them would free up the necessary space to extend Hughes. Although both are impactful leaders for the group, Palát struggled throughout the season, having repeated lulls on the scoresheet, going weeks at a time without a point. As for Hamilton, the blue liner has had an impact in his role, but with the addition of Kovacevic, Brenden Dillon, Brett Pesce and Jonas Siegenthaler, a move on the backend could be possible to make room for the Hughes extension.
With the remaining money in cap space after Hughes re-signs, Fitzgerald could look to add a top-six winger to complete the offseason signings. As Nikolaj Ehlers signed a massive contract with the Hurricanes, taking him off the market, an addition of wingers Jack Roslovic, Victor Olofsson or Max Pacioretty would not be surprising.
