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With the off-season yet to really begin, I thought now would be a good time to answer your New Jersey Devils questions with regards to what we could see from them in the coming weeks, months, and seasons.
Let's get to it.
If I were a betting man (I am, actually), I'd bet on Hall re-signing. The chances are certainly much better now than they were a few weeks ago. I think Hall likes the situation in New Jersey, and money obviously won't be an issue. It's all about him feeling he can have success and win games. The Devils need more talent to make that happen, and getting Jack Hughes is perhaps the best possible place to start. If they can bring in another quality player or two, and show Hall they're really committed to contending, I think he'll be quite willing to sign on the dotted line sooner than later.
Ty Smith is the obvious answer. The 2018 1st round pick has tallied 142 points in 126 games over the last two regular seasons with Spokane. He is an effortless skater, he can move or transport the puck, he's smart, positionally sound, and I don't think he has much else to learn at the WHL-level. As long as he holds his own in September, I expect him to be in the lineup opening night.
My honorable mention would be Jesper Boqvist. The 20-year-old just finished 2nd in the SHL in even-strength scoring and
not many players have enjoyed similar levels of success at such a young age. I believe he has an out if he were to make the Devils, and I don't think that's completely out of the question.
I won't count Jack Hughes because a) he's not officially a member of the Devils and; b) he's the ultimate lock. I'm not going to mention guys we saw last season either (Mikey McLeod, Nathan Bastian, etc.).
1. Ty Smith – high-end talent, NHL-ready, fills a position of need.
2. Jesper Boqvist – love the skating, love the puck skills, and he's shown he can produce against men in professional hockey.
3. Jeremy Davies – hit another level with Northeastern over the last couple years. Like Smith, he excels at skating and moving the puck. At 22, he's a little more physically mature.
They're going to have to cut bait with some of the fodder at the bottom. Of the three you asked about, Mirco Mueller is the one I'd be most inclined to keep. He is very limited, let's say, with the puck on his stick, but he is one of the best pure defenders on the team. His shot and chance suppression numbers were quietly excellent in 2018-19. With Damon Severson, Will Butcher, (likely) Smith, and who knows who else on the team, it'd be good to have some defensive-minded options around as well – especially with Andy Greene getting up there in age.
I doubt Erik Karlsson would sign with the Devils but I'd be making calls to find out. For all the talk about his demise, he has still managed 54 points in 60 games (playoffs included) while fighting through injuries in plenty of them. His underlying numbers also remain exceptional. The Sharks controlled 59.22% of the attempts, 58.88% of the expected goals, and 53.4% of the actual goals with Karlsson on the ice at 5v5. Evolving-Hockey.com had him worth the 3rd most Goals Above Replacement among defensemen, which is remarkable given how many games he played. Spending big in free agency is generally not a great idea but Karlsson is the type of player you pay up for.
I really like Jake Gardiner but I don't see a natural fit in New Jersey unless Ty Smith is played on the right side, which he can do, or someone is traded. Andy Greene is still hanging around, Will Butcher and Smith are both capable, or will be capable, of playing top-4 minutes in the near future, and Mirco Mueller is a solid depth guy.
As much as I like Boqvist, I wouldn't pencil him in on the 2nd line. That's asking a ton, and if he's not ready for that the offense would probably be subpar once again. I'd like – and expect – to see a top-6 winger added.
With the way things are currently shaping up, I'd stick Hall with Nico and give Hughes a quality scorer like Palmieri. Need to balance things out.
Karlsson and Panarin are probably out of the question. I think the Devils will have to target some names in the mid-tier – such as Gustav Nyquist. And I'd be fine with that. Nyquist, for example, is a versatile top-6 scorer who can help drive play and wouldn't command massive money, or a max-length contract. If he were to sign in New Jersey, they could trot out a top-6 like this:
Hall - Nico - Bratt
Nyquist - Hughes - Palmieri
Not bad! Quite good, in fact.
Maatta is fine but he has a somewhat concerning injury history, is not the fleetest of foot (not ideal for a Devils player), won't produce much offensively, and he wouldn't really add any elements the team is missing. They also don't really need LD if Ty Smith and/or Jeremy Davies ends up there.
Erik Gudbranson was surprisingly solid down the stretch for the Penguins but, otherwise, has played objectively terrible hockey for years. I want no part of that action.
Age and injuries have caught up with Cory Schneider (clearly). I don't think he'll ever be the guy he was a few years ago when he posted a .920SV% or better season after season. In saying that, he showed down the stretch he still has some juice in the tank. Top-10 is asking a lot but I think he can be a serviceable 1A ahead of MacKenzie Blackwood, which the Devils would probably be thrilled with given how bad things were from late 2017 to early 2019.
Andre Burakovsky strikes me as an obvious one. The Capitals are very tight to the cap and they seem ready to move on from him. His rate stats are solid, he can help drive play through the neutral zone, and I think he could benefit greatly from a change of scenery. The Devils have already done this dance in the past with the Caps, too.
I could see something happening with Tampa Bay. They're also in a financial bind and may want to shake things up after being swept in Round 1. Tyler Johnson and/or Yanni Gourde seem like the more obvious choices there.
I'd never say never but I think the Devils are done eating in order to land a prospect or pick to fill the cupboards. They've drafted a lot of prospects over the last couple years and stockpiled tons of picks. It's time to start cashing in some of those for players who can help now and moving forward.
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