In this series, Heavy Sports is looking at what every NHL team has done over the offseason. Next up is the New Jersey Devils. The Devils had a disappointing season last year as they missed out on a playoff spot after making the postseason in the prior campaign. This development led to a change at the helm of the club’s front office this summer as Sunny Mehta takes over as general manager, replacing the departed Tom Fitzgerald. This team looks to get back in the big dance next year led by this young talented core of players.
Who are New Jersey’s Additions?
Key additions: Jesper Boqvist, Declan Chisholm, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Anthony Mantha, David Rittich, Evan Rodrigues, Alex Steeves, Riley Tufte
The biggest addition of the offseason for New Jersey is forward Anthony Mantha. Mantha was one of the top remaining UFA’s left on the market before the Devils recently scooped him up. He amassed 33 goals and 31 assists for 64 points in 81 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season in what was a career year for him. He will likely get a chance to play on franchise player Jack Hughes’ wing, giving him a strong opportunity to repeat the strong form he showed with Pittsburgh. The team has also made a couple solid depth additions with Jesper Boqvist and Evan Rodrigues coming over from the Florida Panthers. David Rittich was also added in net after the loss of starter Jacob Markstrom to Florida. In terms of extensions, captain Nico Hischier received a five year $58.5 million deal after speculation that he could be moved this summer.
Who are New Jersey’s Subtractions?
Key subtractions: Dennis Cholowski, Paul Cotter, Angus Crookshank, Evgeny Dadonov, Brian Halonen, Zack MacEwen, Jacob Markstrom, Simon Nemec, Maxim Tsyplakov, Colton White
There are a few notable subtractions from this group. Markstrom replaces Sergei Bobrovsky in the Panthers crease; this has created uncertainty for New Jersey’s goaltending prospects next season. Defenseman Simon Nemec also moves on as he was dealt to the Calgary Flames. The former second overall draft pick struggled to fully assert himself on a crowded Devils blueline, headlined by Luke Hughes. He’ll get more runway to take that next step with Calgary. The rest of the losses for this team are mainly secondary pieces in the pipeline.
Overall, it is a question mark if this squad is good enough to break back into the postseason in what will once again be a loaded eastern conference next year. Playing in the Devils favor is the fact the Metropolitan division is typically considered weaker than the Atlantic. Scoring goals should not be an issue for this team. The biggest unknown is how the goaltending looks without Markstrom. The current Devils tandem consists of Jake Allen, David Rittich and Nico Daws. This is not exactly one of the most awe-inspiring goaltending units in the league. A healthy season from Jack Hughes would be big for a team that has been hampered with injuries in recent seasons.
All transactions are available via Puck Pedia.
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