It’s well-known that the Devils are looking to upgrade between the pipes this summer. However, as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link), that’s hardly the only thing on their wish list. In addition to searching for a starting goalie, Seravalli relays that New Jersey is also looking for a top-six forward, a bottom-six forward, a top-four defenseman, and a bottom-four blueliner. That’s a particularly long wish list and is one that they’ll be hard-pressed to fit within their remaining cap room. Per CapFriendly, they have a little under $20MM in space to work with but a fair-sized chunk of that will go to pending RFA Dawson Mercer. Accordingly, while GM Tom Fitzgerald is hoping to add that many pieces this summer, he might have to settle for a bit less unless there’s a cost-cutting move coming somewhere.
Devils Rumors
Markstrom Appears To Be Devils Top Choice
- Staying in Calgary, Pagnotta indicates that the Flames and New Jersey Devils are working hard towards a Jacob Markstrom trade. The two sides were nearly in agreement on a trade that would send Markstrom to New Jersey at the trade deadline, but the deal collapsed in the final stages. Although Markstrom remains the ideal candidate for the Devils, there will be other options available this summer if Calgary’s asking price exceeds expectations.
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Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils
Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Devils.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Dawson Mercer – For many players and the team, the 2023-24 NHL season for New Jersey paled compared to the prior year. Caught up in this negative trend, Mercer saw a seven-goal and 16-assist dropoff compared to the season he put together in 2022-23. However, under the tutelage of head coach Sheldon Keefe, Mercer should be relied upon quite heavily as a secondary scorer in the lineup. The front office may opt for a bridge deal with Mercer to save cap room for outside additions this summer, given that the team is bogged down with lengthy contracts to star players.
G Nico Daws – In one of the most dramatic goalie carousels of the 2023-24 season, the Devils used five different netminders this past year, with Daws finishing second in games played. In 20 starts, Daws compiled a record of 9-11-0 while posting a .894 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average. Daws did not fare much better in the American Hockey League, as he posted a similar SV% of .890 with the Utica Comets. Hoping to revamp their goaltending up and down the organization this summer, Daws may find himself on the open market if New Jersey does not tender him a qualifying offer.
G Akira Schmid – Posting almost identical stats to Daws this past season, Schmid started in 15 games for the Devils. Carrying a record of 5-9-1 in those 15 starts with a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA, Schmid did not perform adequately enough to keep New Jersey above water. In a similar fashion to Daws, Schmid produced nearly the same in Utica, which makes him a non-tender candidate heading into the offseason.
Other RFAs: F Nolan Foote, D Callan Foote, F Michael McLeod, D Santeri Hatakka
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Kaapo Kahkonen – Brought in at the trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks for a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs, Kahkonen’s solid play for New Jersey failed to move the needle in any meaningful way. After the trade, Kahkonen started in six games for the Devils, posting a 1-4-0 record while earning an exceptional .923 SV% and 2.51 goals-against average. Despite Kahkonen’s strong numbers, New Jersey will likely opt to retain Jake Allen as the backup for next season, while looking outside the organization for a legitimate starting goaltender. Even though his total production from the 2023-24 season was largely depressed during his time with the Sharks, Kahkonen should be able to land a backup gig this summer.
D Brendan Smith – Over the past two years, Smith has been a valuable veteran on New Jersey’s blue line. In one of his best offensive seasons since his time with the Detroit Red Wings, Smith posted five goals and 15 points over 63 games for the Devils this season. Unfortunately for Smith, with New Jersey graduating defensive prospects such as Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, his time in the Garden State will likely end. Staying on the East Coast for much of his career, Smith should land a deal as a depth defenseman for another team in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.
Other UFAs: F Tomas Nosek, F Chris Tierney, D Nick DeSimone, F Kyle Criscuolo, D Tyler Wotherspoon, G Keith Kinkaid
Projected Cap Space
Now that the cap ceiling for the 2024-25 NHL season has officially been set at $88MM, this puts the Devils with just over $19MM to work with this summer. With little of those dollars needing to be spent on retaining internal players this summer, New Jersey should have plenty of flexibility to acquire a top-level netminder. Over the past few weeks, the Devils have been connected to Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, and Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.
Although the Devils are looking to acquire top-level talent to return to contention next year, they must be mindful of upcoming extension candidates. On July 1st, L. Hughes will be eligible for a contract extension, meaning New Jersey must factor in a potential long-term deal in their offseason planning.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Colliton Put In Charge Of Forwards, Powerplay
- Recently named as an associate coach for the New Jersey Devils, Jeremy Colliton’s primary responsibilities have already been made public. Shortly after the hiring was made official, team reporter for the Devils, Amanda Stein, shared that Colliton will oversee the team’s forwards and powerplay. During his tenure as head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the team finished 22nd and 23rd in the AHL in powerplay percentage under Colliton. However, with the Devils boasting some of the best top-end talent, the team’s powerplay should still be an efficient part of the organization.
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Devils Name Jeremy Colliton Associate Coach
June 11: The Devils have named Colliton as their associate coach in a team announcement Tuesday, directly replacing Green. No other changes are coming to their on-ice coaching staff this offseason.
June 7: Keep an eye on former Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton to join the Devils’ bench in an assistant capacity this offseason, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
Colliton, 39, was fired as Chicago’s head coach in November 2021 after they began the 2021-22 campaign with a 1-9-2 record. He remained out of work for the remainder of the season but later joined the Canucks, serving as the head coach of their minor-league affiliate in Abbotsford for the last two seasons.
With his contract up this summer, though, it’s unlikely he’s returning to Vancouver. He’s also been viewed as an outside contender for the Sharks’ head coaching vacancy, the last one remaining in the league. However, San Jose appears close to a decision, and he’s not the leading candidate.
In New Jersey, Colliton would join a new-look coaching staff led by Sheldon Keefe, who quickly found a new home after being let go by the Maple Leafs. He’d fill the vacancy left by Travis Green, who was promoted to serve as interim head coach after Lindy Ruff’s midseason firing and left this offseason to become head coach of the Senators.
Across parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, Colliton had an 87-92-26 record (.488 points percentage). They made the playoffs once in his tenure, winning their 2020 Qualifying Round series against the Oilers before falling to the Golden Knights in first-round action.
Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark Are Devils’ Top Goalie Targets
The Devils’ pursuit of a bonafide starting goaltender has been a dominant storyline for months and remains one of the few certainties of the summer. While there are more than a handful of qualified names on the trade block, the Flames’ Jacob Markström and the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark are the two likeliest names that New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald would swing a deal for, sources told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Tuesday.
Fitzgerald also confirmed to reporters yesterday that he would make the Devils’ 2024 first-round pick, 10th overall, available in trade talks. In what’s viewed as a deep class of high-end talent, that pick could very well be enough to pry Markström or Ullmark away from their respective teams, although a low-to-medium-value asset may also be required.
The other big fish on the goalie trade market, 2022 Vezina Trophy nominee Juuse Saros, doesn’t appear likely. He’s only been connected to the Devils sparingly in recent weeks and wasn’t mentioned at all as an option for New Jersey in LeBrun’s reporting yesterday.
Markström and Ullmark are the elder statesmen of the group, but as such, could cost less to acquire than the sub-30 Saros. Ullmark finds himself in the conversation after throwing up a .924 SV% average over three seasons with the Bruins, but he’s only started more than half his team’s games in a season once. That was Boston’s record-setting 2022-23 campaign when he won the Vezina Trophy after recording a 40-6-1 record, .938 SV% and 1.89 GAA.
Markström’s numbers have been more inconsistent over the past few seasons, but he has a much longer track record of being a true starter. The 34-year-old Swede has started more than half his team’s games in each of the last seven years and is two years removed from a league-leading nine shutouts that helped him earn his only career Vezina nomination in 2022.
He’s coming off a verifiably above-average season, too, posting a .905 SV% and stopping 13.7 goals above expected (MoneyPuck) despite a .500 record. The other advantage is his contract – he’s got two seasons left at a $6MM cap hit compared to Ullmark, who’s only signed through next season.
Markström isn’t the higher-ceiling option, but he may be the safer one. He carries a full no-move clause, but multiple reports indicated he waived it for a move to New Jersey before this season’s trade deadline that ultimately fell through. LeBrun confirmed that notion yesterday.
New Jersey Devils Willing To Trade First-Round Pick
After hiring Sheldon Keefe to take over head coaching duties for the New Jersey Devils, the General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald is now moving on to the next item on his docket for the offseason. Earlier today, Josh Gold-Smith of TheScore reported that Fitzgerald is entertaining moving on from the team’s 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to acquire a top-tier goaltender.
Speaking with Mike G. Morreale of the NHL on Monday, Fitzgerald was quoted, “If we feel it helps us now and in the foreseeable future, then, yes, I’m listening. I haven’t gotten anything yet, but the more I talk to teams, I say ’Listen, I’m open to moving No. 10, but it’s going to have to be something (significant)“. If the Devils do end up trading the 10th overall pick it should be a high enough return to acquire the likes of Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, Juuse Saros from the Nashville Predators, or Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, assuming the Devils can sign one of the latter two to an extension this summer.
Specifically in New Jersey, there is precedent from the organization in trading a top-10 pick for an established goaltender. After making it to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, the Devils cratered in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, earning the ninth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. To soften the blow of the eventual departure of franchise legend Martin Brodeur, New Jersey traded the ninth overall pick (which would be used to select Bo Horvat) to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Cory Schneider.
Although the Devils only made the playoffs once during Schneider’s seven-year run in the Garden State, the team acquired a 26-year goaltender coming off a .927 save percentage over 30 games in the prior year for a top-10 selection. Factoring in trades for goaltenders over the last several years, the 10th overall pick should satisfy the desired return for all three goaltenders listed.
Afternoon Notes: Lisowsky, Islanders, Carle
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t expected to sign 2022 seventh-round pick Brandon Lisowsky to his entry-level contract, shares Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Lisowsky is one of 47 prospects with rights set to expire this Saturday unless their NHL club signs them to an entry-level deal.
Lisowsky recently ended his OHL career, after spending the last four seasons with the Saskatoon Blades. He recorded 226 points across his 227 games with the club, ranking him sixth in team scoring since 2000. That includes the career-high 42 goals and 80 points he managed in 68 games this season. He was helped along a tremendous Saskatoon offense that also led undrafted free agent Trevor Wong to a 101-point season and Anaheim Ducks prospect Yegor Sidorov to an 88-point year in as many games. Lisowsky was also joined by fellow Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten, who managed 38 points in 36 games of his own.
Lisowsky joined Wong as the ace up Saskatoon’s sleeve all season long. Both players have blazing speed and an ability to make slick puck moves at top seed. But they each struggled with physicality throughout their juniors career, each standing at a lean 5-foot-9. That kept many scouts skeptical, even despite their highly creative and productive offense. The pair will now enter free agency together, looking to market teams on their ability to outpace competition.
Other notes from around the league:
- The New York Islanders have hired Sergei Naumovs as the goalie coach for the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Previous Bridgeport goalie coach Chris Terreri has joined the NHL staff as ‘Director of Goaltending Development and Scouting’, while Piero Greco will remain the NHL goalie coach, shares Andrew Gross of The Athletic (Twitter link). This shakeup in the Islanders goaltending room follows Mitch Korn’s – the team’s previous ’Director of Goaltending’ – departure for the Nashville Predators. Naumovs has served as the goalie coach of the KHL’s CSKA Moscow since 2018, coaching Ilya Sorokin before his move to the NHL. He most recently coached Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who posted a .914 save percentage in 44 KHL games last season. He’ll rejoin his previous star goalie in the Islanders organization – likely overseeing Henrik Tikkanen as Bridgeport’s starter next season.
- Acclaimed Denver University head coach David Carle shared with Meghan Angley of The DNVR that he did formally talk to one NHL team about a coaching role, though it wasn’t the New Jersey Devils (Twitter link). Carle took over Denver’s head coaching role in 2018 and has since crafted a collegiate legend, winning the league championship in two of the last three seasons, while posting a combined 94-28-4 record over that span. Carle most notably crafted a dominant defense, featuring Colorado Avalanche prospect Sean Behrens, Detroit Red Wings prospect Shai Buium, and top 2024 NHL Draft defender Zeev Buium. He’s been speculated for many NHL coaching roles, including interest from the Devils. But Carle is set on returning to Denver next season, where he’ll look to make another strong push, following multiple notable transfers this off-season.
Devils Interviewed David Carle, Jay Pandolfo For Coaching Vacancy
Before the New Jersey Devils officially hired Sheldon Keefe as their next head coach, the organization looked into some rookie options. Earlier today, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reported that New Jersey had also interviewed David Carle of the University of Denver and Jay Pandolfo of Boston University.
Given this report, it is more than likely the Devils were looking for coaches who have excelled with young talents, no matter the amount of previous NHL coaching experience. Both coaches have collegiate and international experience leading some of the best programs in the United States.
Devils Interviewed Ryan Warsofsky For Head Coach Role Before Hiring Sheldon Keefe
- Before they hired Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach, the Devils interviewed Sharks assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky for the role, relays NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky. Warsofsky has now interviewed for a pair of head coaching vacancies this offseason, also receiving an interview from San Jose. Warsofsky has only been an NHL assistant for the last two seasons but does have head coaching experience with ECHL South Carolina and AHL Chicago.