Offseason Review: New Jersey Devils

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils are still in the process of rebuilding their roster into a playoff contender, with their last post-season appearance being way back in 2018. The team is stacked with young potential but is still missing those key pieces to fill out their roster and make them truly competitive. GM Tom Fitzgerald has been slowly chipping away at this problem, allowing his young prospects time to grow into their games as pro NHL players while also bringing in some talent to surround them with. The Devils have most of their core in place, it's just a matter of filling in the blanks. Let's see how they did this summer.

Free Agency:

The biggest name heading to New Jersey this summer was one of the top names available when free agency opened: Dougie Hamilton. The Devils will be Hamilton's fourth team, having previously played for Boston, Calgary, and Carolina. Hamilton is one of the top offensive DMen in the NHL, consistently scoring above 10+ goals and 40+ points since the 2014-2015 season. He's also extremely durable, having only missed one extended stretch due to injury in his entire career. While his defensive game isn't exactly exceptional, he more than makes up for it with his point totals, and with a good partner on his left side can easily play a #1 role on any team he likes. Hamilton signed with the Devils for 7 years, which will more than double his longest tenure with any team.

After Hamilton, the Devils signed goaltender Jonathan Bernier for two years, who was originally included in the trade that sent Alex Nedeljkovic from Carolina to Detroit. Bernier will play backup to the current starter in New Jersey, Mackenzie Blackwood. The Devils then went out and acquired Tomas Tatar from the free-agent market, signing him to a two-year deal. They also made a trade with Colorado, bringing in Ryan Graves in exchange for Mikhail Maltsev and a 2nd-round pick. They then traded Nick Merkley to San Jose in exchange for Christian Jaros. The Devils also signed forwards Chase DeLeo, Joe Gambardella, Brian Flynn, and Robbie Russo to one-year, two-way deals.

After that, the Devils mostly focused on keeping who was already there. They re-signed forwards Nathan Bastian, Yegor Sharangovich, and Janne Kuokkanen on two-year deals, and Marian Studenic on a one-year two-way contract, as well as defencemen Colin White for one year and Jonas Seigenthaler for two. 

Grade: A-; Every signing made here should result in making the team better. They kept the pieces that they consider most important to the team's future and brought in some top-level NHLers to fill out the roster. The Devils pushed themselves one step closer to playoff contention with these signings.

Draft:

New Jersey had two picks in the first round of this year's draft, having received one from the Islanders in exchange for Kyle Palmieri. With their first pick, 4th overall, the Devils drafted Luke Hughes. Luke plays a similar style to his older brother Quinn, that being fast skating and quick puck movement, although he is a good 4 inches taller. Hughes uses his solid fundamentals to amplify his movement and draw in defenders and is always looking for ways to set up his teammates and create space for them to work. This pick unites him with his brother Jack, collecting two of the three Hughes boys in New Jersey.

With their second pick in the 1st round, 27th overall, New Jersey selected Chase Stillman. The brother of Blackhawks defenceman Riley Stillman, Chase is a 6'1" RW whose game is built around work ethic. He doesn't care what role he plays, or who he plays with, Stillman will do whatever it takes to win the game for his team. A "jack-of-all-trades", he will hit, score, make plays, and defend to the best of his abilities, and he never takes a shift off.

In the 3rd round, 68th overall, the Devils picked Samu Salminen, a 6'3" Finnish centreman. Salminen reads the flow of the game very well and excels at finding and making use of open ice. His one-touch finishing is on point, although he is happy to play the set-up man as well. Salminen was the captain of Finland's U18 World Junior team, and scored 7 goals and 9 points in 7 games at last year's tournament. He may end up being a steal out of the 3rd round. Lastly, in the 4th round at 100th overall, the Devils drafted Jakub Malek, a Czech goaltender in his second year of draft eligibility. Malek showed the level of play he can achieve in the Czech2 playoffs with VHK Vsetin, playing in 7 games and posting a 1.92 GAA and .927sv% despite his team going 3-4 in that span. His regular season and international numbers don't jump off the page, but this seven-game stretch shows he has the ability to play at a high level when it matters most.

Grade: A-; Drafting Luke Hughes to play with his brother Jack was a nice touch, but the fact is that Luke projects to be an elite-level defenceman regardless of his family ties. Stillman is a workhorse, and Salminen is a high-scoring forward who may be a 3rd-round steal. Malek needs some seasoning, but it's hard to know what you have when drafting a 19-year old goalie. All of these picks show that New Jersey is getting ready to push for a playoff spot, and while they may not get there this year, they can't be far off.

Overall grade: A-; It's hard not to like what New Jersey has done this summer. Adding Dougie Hamilton will rejuvenate their defence, as will Ryan Graves, while Tatar will bring speed and scoring to their young forward group. Bernier is a solid backup for Blackwood, and the team kept their young players while adding a few more exciting pieces out of the draft. All arrows up for the Devils as their rebuild looks on the verge of coming to an end.

What do you think about the offseason in Jersey?

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports