Best of the Rest: Devils Free Agent Options if Necessary

The New Jersey Devils were one of the more active teams in the trade and free agency market this summer.

General Manager Tom Fitzgerald spent a good amount of resources, especially in free agency, rebuilding the Devils bottom-six and defense. Acquiring a guy like Paul Cotter to add an element of speed and tenacity to the lower half of the Devils lineup was paramount, even if it came at a hefty cost.

The savvy trade for defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic gives the Devils a cheap and young, yet experienced right-handed defenseman who can kill penalties and move pucks.

The Devils continued to stay active on July 1st. One of the worst kept secrets was made official when they signed defenseman Brett Pesce to a six-year deal, heavily fortifying the right side of the defense.

Soon after, Brendon Dillon came in on a three-year deal and added even more experience and defensive prowess to a blue line that was continuously gashed for goals last season.

Upfront, Fitzgerald brought back two familiar names by signing Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar to fill out the middle six. Both players have the versatility to play up and down the lineup, on the power play, and even contribute on the penalty kill if needed.

After all the action, the roster looks to be in a good place. Fitzgerald even admitted to being all but done in the free agency market at his most recent press conference. He left the door open for possibly adding down the road, but it didn’t sound like anything was imminent.

A few weeks later, the Devils have remained quiet. They have just over $4.9 million in cap space with a Dawson Mercer extension still to be done, as well as more minor contracts to Nolan Foote, Santeri Hatakka, and Nico Daws.

But what if Fitzgerald decides to dip his toe back into the free agent waters?

The roster looks pretty complete. The goaltending looks settled after acquiring Jacob Markstrom. The defense is much more equipped to take on the full 82 games plus playoffs after free agency and trade acquisitions. And the Devils lack any cap space to make a significant addition to the forward core. If they want to add a player, it’ll have to be someone who can play a depth, fourth-line role.

Luckily, at this point in free agency, there are still plenty of available players who fit that role. The top nine is set, and Curtis Lazar and Cotter are penciled into the fourth line. That leaves one spot open for Nathan Bastian, Kurtis MacDermid, and any of the young AHL bodies to fight over. But there are few NHL veterans who could be had on the cheap who can push to fill that final spot as well.

If Fitzgerald wants to add players who know what it takes to win a cup, then he should take a look at a trio of Florida Panthers still available. Centers Nick Cousins and Steven Lorentz both played gritty, in-your-face hockey in fourth-line roles for Florida. Both are limited offensively but have center/winger capability that the Devils need. If they want slightly more scoring punch, Kyle Okposo showed in his older age his game can translate to lower down the lineup after scoring 22 points this season.

A perfect “buy low” candidate still out there is former San Jose Sharks winger Kevin Labanc. He had a poor year on an abysmal Sharks team, but in the past has proven to be a decent lower-in-the-lineup producer of offense. He’s not the fleetest of foot, but he does have multiple 30+ point seasons and can be a goal scoring option on a fourth line.

Similarly to Labanc, if the Devils wanted to add another player with some scoring prowess, then Dominik Kubalik could be another guy to look at. A poor season in Detroit shouldn’t take away from the fact that he had four straight 32+ point seasons, including a 30-goal season, and has been a reliable middle-six scorer in the past. He doesn’t offer much of the defensive side of the puck, but if some combo of Lazar, Cotter, or Noesen is forechecking, getting to loose pucks, and winning board battles, having a player like Kubalik to finish his chances would add a different dynamic to the bottom-six.

Finally, if the Devils wanted to bring in an old-school fourth liner, then they could do no worse than Matt Martin. Adding Martin would be a little redundant since MacDermid exists, but with Rempe waiting for a fight across the Hudson, having two of the NHL’s top fighters would force teams to be a little afraid to take liberties against Devils players. Little to no offense, little to no defense, just big hits and fisticuffs from Martin.

Chances are Fitzgerald stands pat for a while. Contracts for Mercer, Foote, Hatakka, and Daws should come in sometime soon and will eat up most of the remaining cap space. All of these players mentioned could even be around long enough to earn a PTO once training camp rolls around. Now that the Devils are a contending team and facing a cap crunch, bringing in guys like this on the cheap in free agency to fill depth roles is how Fitzgerald can maximize their potential, especially for the 2024-25 season.

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now and like our Facebook page.

Follow us on 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10

And on Threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL