New Jersey Devils
Devils GM Names Prospects He’s Eyeing to Make NHL Push
Whether the Devils are done offseason shopping or not, Tom Fitzgerald names three prospects he expects to push for the NHL roster.
Whether the New Jersey Devils have more work to do externally or not this summer remains to be seen. General manager Tom Fitzgerald had a solid start to the offseason, adding a few depth scoring pieces, as well as bubble NHLers who can float between the American Hockey League and NHL, with a chance to break out and steal a varsity roster spot. However, Fitzgerald knows he also has a few prospects who may be ready to make the leap, and at his post-Free Agent Frenzy press conference, he named three players he’s eyeing to make a push for NHL minutes.
RELATED: Ballyhooed Sharks Forward Gets Fresh Start in New Jersey via Devils Trade
There’s an argument to be made that the Devils should still be scouring the market, whether via free agency or NHL trade, to find a third-line center, or top-six winger. As it stands, Dawson Mercer very well could be New Jersey’s third-line center on night one of the 2025-26 season. Cody Glass has an outside chance to be as well, however, he’d have to have a strong training camp to eclipse more than a fourth-line role.
At his year-end press conference, Fitzgerald was adamant that his focus was on depth scoring. Although he brought in some solid pieces in Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov, now more than ever is the time for a player in the Devils’ system to grab a hold of a bottom-six roster spot and steal minutes from someone in the regular season.
“We’re excited. I think we’re a faster team. I think we’ve added the skill,” Fitzgerald explained. “The excitement of watching (Arseni) Gritsyuk or (Lenni Hameenaho), or even a Shane Lachance come into camp and make it hard on us to send them down. They’re all different. They all have NHL upside.”
The one player Fitzgerald named that everyone is the most excited for is Arseni Gritsyuk. The Devils and their fans have been watching Gritsyuk closely over in the KHL for the last several years, watching him blossom into an impact forward who nearly scored at a point-per-game pace. He’s got real offensive skill that could slot somewhere in New Jersey’s middle-six should he adapt to the NHL game the way the Devils organization hopes he will.
In order to make that happen, Fitzgerald addressed both a depth scoring need on the roster, and brought in a locker room presence for Gritsyuk with the hopes to expedite the 24-year-old’s learning curve.
“Gritsyuk will be the one that we’re really excited to see when he comes over here,” Fitzgerald explained. “How can he adapt? He’ll be here mid-August to adapt. They tell me he’s got the upside of Dadonov at the same age, and it would be nice for Dadonov to mentor him.”
Dadonov is a perennial 20-goal scorer in the NHL and having the young Russian forward follow in his footsteps would be a net positive for the Devils.
It was certainly interesting to hear Fitzgerald name Lenni Hameenaho as one of the three forwards he thinks could push for NHL minutes. Hameenaho signed his entry-level contract as soon as the Devils’ 2025 postseason run came to an end.
The Finnish forward has done nothing but defy expectations ever since the Devils drafted him 58th overall in the second-round of the 2023 NHL draft. Last season, he led his club in Liiga, Ässät, with 20 goals in 58 games, and finished second in points with 51. Both impressive feats, as he’s six years younger than the average age of the Finnish squad. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, Hameenaho has continually been rostered on Finland’s Men’s World Championship and IIHF teams as one of, if not the youngest player on the roster. Finland knows they have a budding scorer in Hameenaho, and it appears the Devils know they do as well.
At the 2026 Olympics in Milan this winter, there’s a real chance Hameenaho plays for Sumoi.
The ears perked up most when Fitzgerald named Shane Lachance as a player he’s eyeing to push for NHL minutes. Lachance was acquired for facilitating the Trent Frederic trade to the Edmonton Oilers.
A former sixth round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Lachance carved out a respectable NCAA career, playing for Boston University for two seasons, scoring 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) in 80 games. The Devils forward served as Boston’s captain in the 2024-25 season on a team that rostered elite talents such as Cole Eiserman, Cole Hutson, and Tom Willander. He helped Boston reach the Frozen Four final last season and winning the 2025 Beanpot Championship.
In the Devils’ scope, what makes Lachance the most intriguing name of the three, other than being the unexpected name to drop, is his sheer size. Standing at 6-foot-5, 218-lbs, the Devils have a player who could be a real problem in their bottom-six.
He may never hit the ceiling that Kevin Hayes did in his NHL career, but Lachance is cut from a similar cloth and could serve as a quality center as a physical, net-front presence with solid hands.
Lachance got off to a good start in the early portions of his professional hockey career, scoring a goal and an assist in two games skating for the Utica Comets using his size at the net-front. Plenty of players in the NHL have made careers out of that skill set, and it could be Lachance’s bread and butter.
There’s a lot of time between now and September. It remains to be seen if Fitzgerald is done looking externally for forward depth. With a touch under $7 million in cap space, he still has Luke Hughes‘ contract to sort out. However, if the state of the Devils’ roster remains as is, following the aforementioned prospects will certainly be something to follow in their push for the NHL roster.
For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.
Follow us on 𝕏:
@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL
And on Threads:
