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[New Jersey Devils]

Ryker Lee: 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Another Scoring Winger from the USHL

Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images

Ryker Lee has shot up NHL Central Scouting’s rankings this year. Here’s why the shooting winger would be a steal in the second round.

It is another day, so we have another prospect profile for the 2025 NHL Draft season. Today, we will be profiling Ryker Lee, a college-bound wing.

Who is Ryker Lee?​

Ryker Lee was born on November 8, 2006, in Wilmette, Illinois. Growing up in Illinois until he was accepted to Shattuck-Saint Mary’s in Minnesota, Lee has marked himself as one of the best goal scorers in the 2025 NHL Draft. In his one and only full season in the USHL with the Madison Capitals, in which he was named Rookie of the Year, Lee posted 31 goals and 37 assists in 58 games, setting him up for the upcoming year, which he will spend with Michigan State University. He will also find himself facing off against his Madison Capitals teammate, Mason Moe, who is set to attend the University of Minnesota.

Elite Prospects

While Ryker Lee is a solid goal scorer for his age, he is not an especially big player. At 6’0” and 181 pounds, Lee could find himself falling in the Draft due to his average-at-best skating and lack of defensive reputation. For the New Jersey Devils, who are actively seeking offensive help both in the immediate future and in their prospect pipeline, they may have to overlook those qualities for the opportunity to select someone with Lee’s hands and skill with the puck.

Where is Lee Ranked?​

Lee is ranked in the first two rounds by most sources. Rankings are sourced through Elite Prospects.

• 28th by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters) (40th in mid-season)
• 23rd by Dobber Prospects and Smaht Scouting
• 30th by TSN — Button
• 34th by Elite Prospects
• 38th by Daily Faceoff and The Hockey News — Ferrari
• 39th by FCHockey
• 42nd by McKeen’s Hockey
• 43rd by The Hockey News — Kennedy
• 58th by Sportsnet — Bukala and TSN — McKenzie
• 59th by Recruit Scouting

What Others Say About Lee?​

For The Hockey Writers, Matthew Buhrmann wrote a glowing review of Lee’s offensive ability. Citing @RyanMaScouting’s tracking data impact card on Lee, which is a fan of Lee’s possession impact and power play ability, Burhmann put a lot of stock into Lee’s commitment to Michigan State, arguing that should give teams a reason to select him in the late first or early second round. He also writes,

He’s a little underrated in this draft because Canadian Hockey League (CHL) guys get most of the attention, but the USHL is a harder league to play in, especially defensively, where teams are more structured and tougher to break down. The fact that he put up the numbers he did in such a tight-checking league shows how well he can create and make plays in big moments.

Buhrmann is right that CHL guys usually get more attention than their USHL counterparts, but I would argue this has shifted rather strongly since Jack Hughes went first overall in 2019. I do agree with his assessment that some CHL games tend to be more wide-open. Moving on, though, Smaht Scouting ranked Lee 23rd in their Spring Draft Rankings. Dan Haurin wrote on Lee,

He has a distinctive dynamic element to his game, consistently manipulating defenders and opening up space for teammates and himself to create scoring chances. He’s also got a hard and accurate shot with a quick release that he’s willing to use both from out high and right around the crease in the offensive zone. He’s currently shooting nearly twice the USHL league average per 60, as well as generating nearly twice the xG/60.

While knocking his skating ability, Haurin indicates that Ryker Lee’s shooting, distribution skill, and offensive IQ combine to make him one of the most valuable pure offensive threats of the 2025 Draft. My worry, seeing the caveat of his skating ability from a few sources, is that Lee may struggle with the speed of the NHL game. This is especially true if he remains slightly on the smaller side.

A Little Video​

From Prospect Shifts, below is a full-game tape from one of Madison’s games against the Chicago Steel.

Immediately in this game, Lee’s slower style is on display, as he tries to force the puck intot he offensive zone through traffic and turns it over. Fortunately, Chicago was not quick to counter, and Madison ended up keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Just a minute later in the game, they were on the power play, and Lee was out there for the advantage. On the power play, Lee has two issues. The first is that he is positioned on his strong side, where he does not seem to move around quick enough. He will be handled roughly by NHL defenses in that position if he does not gain weight or improve his skating.

In the offensive zone, Lee seeks out shooting areas, and his teammates do a good job of getting him the puck. Back on the power play about four and a half minutes into the video, Lee again struggles to deal with penalty killers on his side, leading to hectic puck movement and a team turnover, which created a shorthanded chance that was gloved by Madison’s goaltender.

Defensively, Lee is a bit of a floater, but he is not terribly positioned. Like many skilled players, he is waiting for the opportunity to grab a loose puck and take it the other way, but he does not make much of an impact directly on puck carriers. This also seems to ring true for Lee’s forechecking, as he is not big enough to create turnovers on his own, but is well-positioned enough to make plays on the puck when he has help.

Something that Lee repeatedly does well is get into the right areas immediately after offensive zone faceoffs. He looks to get open for passes or to get into position to deflect shots from the point, not wasting any time in the process. Throughout the video, Lee’s offensive instincts and choices with the puck are strong. Past the mid-way point, Mason Moe makes a stand-up play at the blueline, creating a turnover with Lee streaking ahead. Lee gets the puck around center ice with Bobby Cowan on his left. Forcing the goalie to wait for his shot, Lee takes the puck deep into the offensive zone before dropping it, taking two defenders out of the play, and Lee picks up the assist on Cowan’s goal.

The highlight of the video starts at 14:25, when Lee shields the puck in the defensive zone to make a backhand pass to start a transition play. Mason Moe chases the puck down in the offensive zone and stretches a risky, but rewarding pass across to Lee. Lee’s shot is batted down and then chipped to the slot by Cowan, but Moe was unable to play it. Lee backhands the bouncing puck at the blueline, building a cycle in the offensive zone. After a couple passes, Lee gets the puck back and beats a sleeping defender, breaking down the goalie for a ridiculous goal.

On another power play in the third period, Lee shows off his legs and takes the offensive zone by himself after skating the puck through three zones, avoiding a neutral zone drop pass. After a faceoff, Mason Moe takes a crossing pass from Lee and surveys from his wall, but drops the puck back to the point. Colton Jamieson calmly slides it over to Lee on the right, who steps in, shoots, and scores his second goal of the game. He picked his spot by the blocker and hit it perfectly through the screen.

Lee makes one of the wildest passes of the game at 17:48 in the neutral zone, as he was hounded while skating back from the offensive zone to center ice. Lee backhands the puck between the two Steel forwards pressuring him, allowing Jamieson to dump back into the offensive zone. It was not an especially meaningful play, but one of those moves that make you go what did he just do? Ultimately, it created an offensive zone opportunity, but Lee was unable to pull off the chip shot goal off the goalie’s back. Lee did get his hat trick, eventually, on the empty net, as he was deprived of one chance on a bad icing call (that was apparently reversed and put at center ice) and got another, firing a laser on goal right off the bench with just over a minute left in the game.

It was a slow start, but by the end, you see why some people see Lee as a late first-round prospect. However, his size and lack of physicality may turn some teams off of drafting him, and teams in the mid-second round should be hoping for an offensive talent like this to fall. If you want to see more, see the highlight package below.

My Thoughts​

One of these days, one of these right-handed snipers wearing number 10 are going to make it big in the NHL. I see a lot of Daniel Sprong in Ryker Lee’s game, primarily in their approach and great offensive instincts. You don’t see a lot of instances of guys like Lee making the wrong play on the attack. He will miss the net sometimes because he is trying to pick and snipe corners, but he is driven to get the puck on goal, whether shots come off his stick or from his teammates. He is also apparently a very good passer, both from what scouts say about him and from what I see on video.

The big question will be whether Lee makes it to 50th overall. Of course, not everyone profiled here will be available by then, but some might. You don’t know which guy ranked at 90-100th might get picked in the early second round, or whatever. You don’t know who is ranked around 30th that might be available in the third round. Or maybe this will be the year that NHL GMs draft perfectly, without error. So if Ryker Lee ends up being that prospect that falls into the Devils’ lap, that would be great. He can replace the space that Alex Holtz occupied and never fully grew out of as a prospect, and he would not have the expectations associated with being a top-10 pick. Winning hockey teams will always need goal scorers, so I would mark Ryker Lee for the New Jersey Devils draft board. Maybe the Devils can even end up with Ryker Lee at 50 and Mason Moe later on.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of Ryker Lee? How do you think he compares to the others profiled here? Do you like his game? Do you think he has enough build to succeed in the NHL? What do you think of his shot? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ng-winger-from-the-ushl-sniper-michigan-state

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Sign Juho Lammikko: What This Indicates in Tom Fitzgerald’s Offseason Approach

Last in the NHL in 2022 with Vancouver, Lammikko has been with the ZSC Lions for three seasons in the Swiss National League. | Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

It’s not July, but Tom Fitzgerald is already reportedly at work in free agency.

Yesterday, PuckPedia announced that the New Jersey Devils signed Finnish forward Juho Lammikko to a one-year, one-way, $800,000 contract. In Lammikko’s last NHL season, he had seven goals and eight assists in 75 games as a fourth line center. That year, he won 51 percent of his faceoff draws, winning 354 and losing 340, though his career NHL faceoff percentage is 47.6% in 159 games. Listed at about 6’3” and 205 pounds by his Swiss National League team, the ZSC Lions, Lammikko adds considerable size to the Devils’ bottom six, and the Devils made the signing official today at 10 AM Eastern.

#NEWS: We’ve signed Juho Lammikko to a one-year, one-way deal.

: https://t.co/ScZe8MzoQz pic.twitter.com/CNMtif02hY

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 15, 2025​

Thankfully, Lammikko is not just a big body. In the 2021-22 season — the first year for public NHL EDGE tracking data — Lammikko:

• Had a 68th percentile top speed (22.52 MPH)
• Was in the 79th percentile in speed bursts over 18 MPH (525 total)
• Was in the 80th percentile in speed bursts over 20 MPH (119 total)
• Was in the 75th percentile in top shot speed (91.83 MPH)
• Was in the 60th percentile in shots between 70-80 MPH (26)

Per some looking around by CJ Turtoro, Lammikko would have ranked fourth on the 2021-22 New Jersey Devils in 18+ MPH speed bursts per 60 minutes (40.14), ranking just below Jack Hughes (40.55) and well above Jesper Bratt (35.42). He might not be the fastest burner on the ice, but he is capable of outskating and outworking many players in the league. Comparatively, Justin Dowling posted a below-average top speed and one of the weakest shots recorded on the team. On the other hand, Curtis Lazar was in the 90th percentile in top speed (23.14 MPH), but was somewhat reserved in what moments he chose to use his legs. While his shot was not as weak as Dowling’s, Lazar’s shot was also below league average in top speed (82.73). If you are looking for improved physical tools in the bottom six, Lammikko can provide that.

But what else does this signing show about Tom Fitzgerald’s approach to the 2025 NHL offseason?

A Willingness to Look Overseas

Last week, I wrote about looking for unsigned players who have been having good seasons in the AHL. This is the other half of that alternative approach to filling out the roster, though I had not yet had a chance to start looking at what European professionals should interest the Devils. Obviously, Fitzgerald has been at work here. Since Fitzgerald joined the organization under Ray Shero, the Devils have made a handful of these sorts of moves, though none have translated into much success. However, one of the names we mentioned on this blog last year — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — broke into the NHL in 2014 at age 29, going on to have a successful career as a fourth liner through the 2023-24 season. That said, Bellemare had similar production to Lammikko in 2024-25, with Bellemare scoring 10 goals and 18 assists in 34 games, compared to Lammikko’s 13 goals and 25 assists in 48 games. Unlike many players, Bellemare seemed to get better as he got older, being an integral defensive specialist on Tampa’s ill-fated three-peat attempt in 2022.

If Lammikko can go on to have a solid NHL career from age-29 and onwards, Fitzgerald will look very savvy for this move. However, it can be difficult to predict which European professional league players will acclimate well to the NHL and which will not. Before Bellemare came to the NHL, he never played a minute of North American hockey, and he turned out pretty good. Lammikko played five North American seasons from 2014 to 2019 before going back to the Liiga and KHL, returning in 2020-21 for the Florida Panthers before leaving again for Switzerland in 2022. For him, there should be no adjustment period.

Moving forward, I think Fitzgerald should continue trying to lure some of these overseas professionals back to the Americas. There are still plenty of players with NHL experience out there, including the Swiss National League. A look at the NL’s top scorers reveals familiar names such as Austin Czarnik (20 goals and 56 points in 49 games), Dominik Kubalik (27 goals and 49 points in 52 games), and Markus Granlund (21 goals and 47 points in 39 games). Some at the top of the league, like Julius Nattinen, were early-round draft picks but did not make the league. Some, like Sakari Manninen or Jesper Froden, were undrafted, had a good AHL season or two, but never got a real NHL shot. And who knows how hungry players who have been playing in Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, or Russia might be if they get an extended NHL chance?

Realizing the Need For Near-League Minimum Contracts​

Getting someone who has been out of the league, but still active for a few seasons, has multiple benefits. Fitzgerald did not have to outbid anyone for Lammikko, and I am not sure if he was even on other teams’ radars. But with a passable NHL season under his belt in recent years, getting Lammikko for just $25,000 above the league minimum salary is good business. If Lammikko somehow gets passed over for the roster in October, his contract will have no impact on the team’s cap situation, though he will still be paid the full amount in his bank account if he ends up in Utica.

With the team still needing to sign Luke Hughes and Cody Glass with only $11.24 million in cap space, we should presume more league-minimum contracts will be signed. Whether that means a returning veteran from last year or someone out there on the market, the Devils will not be able to make any financially-substantial external additions unless they shed serious salary. If no such moves are made, your October 2025 roster would likely be what you see on PuckPedia right now, with Hughes and Glass re-signing and Gritsyuk joining on his ELC deal.

Why Not a PTO?​

For some fans seeing the news last night or this morning, they might be wondering: why not sign Lammikko to a PTO? While European contract information can be difficult to come by, at least one Swiss news source, Blue News, reported last year that Lammikko’s extension with ZSC was signed through the 2027-28 season. The Lions have been active in their pursuit of bottom six NHLers, as they also signed Denis Malgin to a five-year contract in 2023, after Malgin had 11 goals and 6 assists in 42 games at 26 years old. I can imagine that ZSC, eager to push the boundaries of competitive Swiss hockey, has deep pockets for the National League and would be paying Lammikko more than enough for him to scoff at a PTO offer. There’s a reason he’s making his full salary whether or not he ends up making the NHL team. PTOs are great tools for finding necessary depth, but not always an option when there are teams — even if not in the NHL — who are willing to pay upfront.

Where the Devils Stand With Centers and Overall Depth​

With Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula, and Juho Lammikko under contract, the Devils currently have five options down the middle. Cody Glass, a restricted free agent, should be the sixth, though the team could move them if they deem him to be too pricey to retain for his role (I hope they come to an agreement). At the moment, I would mark the depth chart as such:

Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Haula-Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Mercer-Gritsyuk
Cotter-Lammikko-MacDermid

Signing Glass would allow the team to shift things around a bit more:

Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Bratt-Hughes-Mercer
Haula-Glass-Gritsyuk
Palat-Lammikko-Cotter

If you look at the above lineup, I would not blame you to think, that is not a contender after how they ended up this season. But it is still possible to create cap space to make more transformative acquisitions, and having two 6’3” bottom six centers is a good start for responding to the issues that plagued the team in 2024-25. But is this enough? I would have a hard time blaming Fitz if having six natural centers, with Haula and Mercer on wing, somehow proved too little for the team in 2025-26, though I would love it if he made one more proven addition in this area before the team takes the ice for the pre-season in September. For now, Fitzgerald is a bit ahead of the game, and he can focus on the big-picture moves over the next couple weeks.

Your Thoughts​

What did you think of the signing of Juho Lammikko? Do you think he will fit the team well? Will Keefe benefit from having a faster bottom six center in the mix? How do you think this impacts the team’s center situation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ffseason-approach-center-depth-zsc-lions-finn

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Haoxi “Simon” Wang: 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Size, Skill, and a Unique Hockey Journey

Haoxi Wang might just have the most interesting story out of all prospects in this year’s draft. Read on to find out why.

Today we look at perhaps the most unique prospect eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft: Haoxi “Simon” Wang. What makes his story so interesting, and what makes him an intriguing prospect in addition to that? Let’s dive in.

Who Is Haoxi Wang?​

Haoxi (pronounced How-she) “Simon” Wang was born on July 27, 2007. A native of Beijing, China, Wang is a hulking left-shot defenseman, listed at 6’6”, 209lbs according to his profile on Elite Prospects. As far as I can find, Simon is either a more western name that Wang wanted to go by once coming to North America, or a nickname given to him by others once he came here.

We have seen some NHLers over the years that have been born in non-traditional hockey markets, such as Taiwan, Brazil, and Italy to name a few. But for the most part these players spent only the first few years of their life (and sometimes not even that much) in those places before moving to more traditional hockey countries to train and develop. Wang is different in that he spent the first 12 years of his life in his native China. He did spend his junior/major junior years in Canada, but 12 years is far longer than most NHL prospects spend in places where hockey is not a major sport.

After coming up in Beijing, he moved to the Toronto area right before his teenage years. A friend he grew up playing hockey with had come to Canada previously, and this friend encouraged Wang to take the plunge as well. Wang and his family obliged, and he settled into arguably the biggest hockey hotbed in the world. His first taste of North American hockey came with the Toronto Titans of the Greater Ontario Hockey League in 2019, but even this took a unique turn for Wang. While it’s true that he joined the Titans program and trained with them for a while, he didn’t actually end up playing any games with them. Instead, he returned to China once the Covid-19 pandemic hit, played and trained there for a little while longer, and eventually returned to North America for the 2022-23 season where he joined the North York Rangers, also of the GTHL.

In his first legitimate game action in North America, Wang played 33 games with the Rangers’ U16 squad, putting up three goals and seven total points. The following season, Wang graduated to the Ontario Junior Hockey League level, where he played for the Brantford 99ers. In 28 games that season, Wang didn’t score a goal but did post seven assists.

This past season saw Wang truly ascend. Playing for yet another team, the King Rebellion of the OJHL, Wang notched four goals and 22 points in 38 games. After his 28 games with the Rebellion, Wang made the leap to the famed OHL, where he joined the Oshawa Generals. In 32 more games with the Generals, Wang put up two points, both assists. The numbers don’t jump off the page obviously, but it is impressive to see such a meteoric rise from a player who didn’t play hockey at a high level until his age-16 season.

Wang’s impressive rise was also enough to catch the attention of Boston University, as the Terriers offered Wang a spot in their program back in September of 2023. Wang accepted, and he will continue his hockey journey at the NCAA level this upcoming season under the guidance of former Devil Jay Pandolfo.

Where Is Wang Ranked?​

• 31st by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
• 34th by NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)
• 43rd by Daily Faceoff
• 44th by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman
• 44th by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler (Yes, both scouting experts at The Athletic have Wang ranked at 44th overall)
• 59th by Smaht Scouting
• 70th by McKeen’s Hockey
• 74th by TSN (Craig Button)
• Honorable Mention by DobberProspects (Their ranked list included 46 prospects, so consider this a ranking of roughly 50th overall)

What Others Are Saying About Wang​

Let’s start with Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, who did a longform profile of Wang back in December. If you have access to The Athletic, it’s a great look into Wang’s journey. Wheeler paints a picture of a kid with tons of natural talent, but who is still very raw as a prospect given his relatively late start as far as high-level training goes. The defining trait of his game is his size/skating combination, as Wang has impressed scouts with just how great of a skater he is for a player of his size. He also flashes plenty of skill, and while his hockey IQ needed a lot of work upon coming to Canada, Wang apparently has made great strides in this area as well.

This isn’t from Wheeler’s longer piece, but here is his blurb on Wang in his final draft rankings from a couple weeks ago:

Wang’s an extraordinarily mobile player for his size, with impressive skating technique through his inside and outside edges laterally and flowing mechanics going north or back to pucks. And while his handling still needs a little refinement, he’s got some skill, can play with fearless confidence (which I wanted him to show more of and skate more pucks in the OHL instead of deferring) and has the heavy shot you’d expect. There’s work to do to tighten his gaps, but there’s a lot to like. The skating component is clear but his reads are coming, his on-ice communication is really strong (he’s constantly talking to his partner), he has learned to play a more physical style and it just feels like once he learns the decision-making component on offense a little better (he’s got a real ability to join the rush and make plays) and gets stronger on his feet (he’s big and he can bowl guys over but he can get knocked around when they engage in contact) that there could be something really interesting there. He covers a lot of ground quickly and is cast in a mold that teams are excited about. He’s also a summer birthday and it feels like he’s still very, very early in his development curve. He’ll be an interesting bet on Day 2.

(Also, one amusing aside from Wheeler’s piece: You remember how one of the teams Wang played for after coming to North America was the Brantford 99ers? Well after his time with the team, Wang’s mother bought the franchise. She apparently has an impressive portfolio of rinks she owns back in China, which now includes an OJHL franchise in Canada).

Next let’s see what Thomas Gagne of Smaht Scouting had to say about Wang:

An absolute physical monster, Haoxi Wang becoming a legit NHL draft prospect who could very well be drafted in the first round is probably one of the most unique stories of the amateur scouting world in the past several years. The Beijing-born defenseman is 6’6 tall and skates like the wind. Not just in a straight line too, his pivots are clean, his balance is right, and he can use his edges to open angles, work give-and-go’s and activate from the blue line in the offensive zone, which he liked to do a lot in the OJHL and sometimes in the OHL too. The transition has been impressive between the two leagues for Wang. At first, he seemed a bit overwhelmed by the pace of play, but slowly he’s been getting more comfortable and despite the lack of production, the underlying numbers paint the picture that he’s been a very effective player for the Oshawa Generals. A long-term project that will need an NHL team actively supporting him in his development, due to how raw he still is, Wang could become an absolute outlier of a hockey player with his size, skating and willingness to play an offensive game.

Again, more praise for his unique size/skating combination, as well as his skill level, with a note that he is still very raw as a prospect.

Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff is pretty much in lockstep with everyone else:

The Boston University commit was dominant against OJHL competition with the King Rebellion, but he needed a bit more time to adjust to OHL action in Oshawa. But the one thing scouts can all agree on: there’s high upside here. He only started to play at a high level competitively a few years ago, and he’s learning how to use his 6-foot-6 frame to his advantage. The Beijing, China native can skate well and has good offensive instincts. Moving forward, reading plays on the rush will be something he needs to work on, but the raw talent is there. You just might need some patience.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Scouts are in agreement on what Wang is as a prospect.

A Little Video​

We turn once again to the YouTube channel Prospect Shifts. They’ve compiled a video of all of Wang’s shifts from his January 18, 2025 game against Brantford while playing for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Let’s take a look:

I find it very funny that the first thing we are greeted with in this video is the play-by-play broadcaster telling us that Wang was late coming onto the ice for his shift. Anyway...

Through his first few shifts, I do see flashes of what makes Wang an enticing prospect. You can tell how big he is even through this video, but despite his size, Wang is a very smooth and effective skater. He makes some strong passes early on, including a nice breakout pass, but lacks the touch to allow his teammates to settle his passes properly.

At about 2:10, Wang puts together a sequence that I am very impressed with. He wins a puck battle against multiple opponents, making a nice stick play on the opposing forward to take possession. He then tracks the puck down in the corner and makes a really nice outlet pass to his teammate, slipping the puck neatly to the open man. He can’t handle the pass and Brantford keeps possession, but I put this on Wang’s teammate way more than Wang. He then gets to the front of the net to cancel out the Brantford forward, and eventually Oshawa clears the zone.

His shift that begins at 4:30 is an eventful one. We see a lot of good things from Wang in the offensive zone, such as Wang stepping up on a loose puck to keep the play alive, Wang showing off some nice skill and edgework at the top of the zone to fire a shot at the net, and Wang intercepting a clearing attempt to keep the play alive once more. But then we see Wang attempt to play “hero ball” a little bit in his defensive zone, and it backfires. He tracks back to collect a dump-in but loses the puck while trying to make a play. He then does a good job to come up with a takeaway, but he coughs it right back up after getting too fancy with the puck on the breakout attempt. This leads to Brantford getting a quality look at the net, but Oshawa keeps the puck out. Very high-risk/high-reward stuff from Wang.

At about 6:25, Brantford transitions the puck into Oshawa’s zone, with Wang defending. It’s a small play, but I like Wang staying focused on his assignment and not getting caught puck-watching. This allows him to cancel out his man when the puck comes to them near the side of the net, even though Wang was not facing where the puck came from. It’s not like this was just blind luck either, Wang took a quick look over his shoulder at where the play was headed and anticipated that he would need to pick up his man.

Around 7:40, we see more hero ball from Wang. He tries to use his big frame and skill to make a fancy breakout play as opposed to just playing the puck hard around. This time it worked out, though it almost cost Wang.

At 8:25, we get another flash of high-level play. Wang skates the puck out, and shows off impressive vision and skill to slip a deceptive and effective pass between two forecheckers right to the tape of a teammate, setting up a nice zone entry for Oshawa. Nothing comes of the play at first, but Wang then receives a pass in the neutral zone, makes a terrific move to evade a defender and gain the zone, then hooks a good pass to his right to set up a possession.

Around 10:30, we again see Wang basically turn his back on the play to engage with an opposing forward in front of the net. Your mileage may vary on whether this is good or bad, but at the very least it’s nice to see Wang show a commitment to physical defense in his own zone.

At 11:25, Wang covers a lot of ground to erase a rush chance for Brantford. This was impressive to me considering Wang was on the opposite side of the ice and had to hurry over to the weak side to cover for his partner who stepped up in the neutral zone. Wang gets to the puck carrier in plenty of time to block the shot with a nice poke check. He then cancels his man out effectively, allowing Oshawa to easily exit the zone.

An Opinion​

Haoxi “Simon” Wang very much reminds me of New Jersey’s 2024 first-round pick, Anton Silayev. A huge, left-shot defenseman that shows off remarkable skating ability for a player his size, and who flashes high-level skill and occasionally strong hockey IQ while still being raw in a lot of ways? Yeah, the similarities are eerie.

Silayev was much more polished in the runup to his draft than Wang is though, hence why Silayev went 10th overall (and even that was a little surprising considering a lot of draft experts had him ranked in the top five) while Wang will most likely be a day two pick. Silayev was also looked at as more of a defensive blueliner with decent offense, while Wang is the opposite as an offensive blueliner with decent defense.

Comparisons to Silayev aside, I really like Wang as a project pick. Keep in mind, Wang got a very late start to his hockey career, so there is most likely way more untapped potential with him than almost every other prospect in this draft. This means he will probably need more time to develop than usual, but he has way more room to grow than most prospects. And considering how impressive he looks already, it’s hard not to dream of what Wang can be at his ceiling.

There are risks with selecting Wang of course. First of all, it’s no guarantee he does properly develop. Perhaps his hockey IQ never grows, perhaps his offensive game never fully blossoms, perhaps he never learns to fully utilize his large frame. These are all worthwhile concerns. And for the Devils specifically, do they really want to use more draft capital on a defenseman when their system is filled to the brim with blueliners? Shouldn’t they be targeting forwards, and more specifically centers, instead?

While I would agree that in a perfect world, New Jersey should be restocking their forward pipeline as opposed to adding another project defenseman, Wang’s potential might just be too great to pass up. In fact there’s a good chance Wang might not even be available when the New Jersey Devils make their first selection in this draft, which as of this writing is slated to be 50th overall.

In the end, while I understand the risk, I would be in favor of taking Wang in the second round. In my opinion, draft picks outside of the first round are best spent taking swings on high upside as opposed to low ceiling/high floor players. Wang is firmly in the former camp, and if he does reach his potential, the rewards would be astronomical. If Wang even comes close to his ceiling, can you imagine a left side that features Luke Hughes, Anton Silayev, and Wang? Even if a logjam is created if a certain defenseman that currently plays in British Columbia makes his way to the Garden State, I’m sure someone can play on their offhand and create probably the most talented blueline in the league. Or at the very least, the Devils will have a premium trade chip to use so they can acquire whatever they need. I know New Jersey needs more offense in their system, but that doesn’t necessarily have to come from their forwards. If they can generate more offense from the blueline than any other team in the league, that’s a huge advantage that could potentially lead them to a Cup. Wang has the potential to be an elite offensive defenseman.

And let’s go back to Scott Wheeler’s profile of Wang once more, as there is one passage in there that gives me a lot of hope that Wang will develop well as opposed to flaming out. In this excerpt, “Walters” refers to John Walters, and “Valliquette” refers to Brett Valliquette. They are Wang’s advisor and Walters’ consultant respectively:

After returning (to North America) at 14, (Wang) and Valliquette began renting ice and skating at the local NTR rink at 7 a.m. before school every Tuesday and Thursday. Over the last couple of years, Valliquette has taught him to “understand the offensive game and all of these fakes and little techniques.”

In that last season of minor hockey with the Rangers in 2022-23, Walter’s dad, Joe, began driving him to his games and giving him tips. Wang said his hockey IQ began to take shape in those car rides.

It seems as though the biggest thing that might hold Wang back from reaching his ceiling is his hockey IQ, since all the other physical tools are there. But clearly he’s proven that he’s willing to put in the work to get better in this regard. And if simple car rides can lead to Wang developing a much stronger hockey IQ, imagine what some time at BU and, eventually, the minor leagues of pro hockey can do.

I really like Wang as a prospect. I would be in favor of taking him with any of New Jersey’s picks in this upcoming draft.

Your Take​

What do you think of Haoxi “Simon” Wang? Does his incredible potential intrigue you more than the concern over how raw he is? Where would you be comfortable taking him? Would you rather avoid adding another defenseman to the pipeline? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...rofile-size-skill-and-a-unique-hockey-journey

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: In Case You Missed It Edition

A picture of Yegorov. Why not? | Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After draft previews and a few weeks absence, some news may have slipped through the cracks. This post summarizes what may have been missed.

As the draft nears, we look at some news we may have missed.

Around the Pool:​

• First, the confirmation we’ve been waiting for:

Both Zakhar Bardakov and Arseniy Gritsyuk are leaving SKA.

The pair will continue their respective careers in North America.

We would like to thank them for their efforts with our club in Saint Petersburg! Good luck!#hcSKA pic.twitter.com/uSpwtlOD1O

— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) June 11, 2025​

I’m still stung by the salt of losing Bardakov, but we shall see how he fares in Colorado. Gritsyuk should be a welcomed addition to the Devils lineup next season.

• Congratulations to center Matyas Melovsky for earning some hardware as the best defensive forward in the QMJHL last season. Melovsky signed an AHL contract with the Utica Comets this offseason. A defensive-minded center with a scoring touch and physical presence, he certainly has the mold of a player who could become a valued addition to the bottom of the Devils lineup one day. It will be interesting to see how he develops.

#GoldenPucks

Guy-Carbonneau Trophy, Matyas Melovsky, @DrakkarBAC:

Despite constantly being used against opposing top lines, the QMJHL's 7th-highest scorer still finished the season with a +40 differential, in addition to winning 59.1% (7th) of his 1,444 face-offs (4th). pic.twitter.com/pZ4fw6ib5x

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 9, 2025​

• To no one’s surprise, Anton Silayev will spend another season developing in the KHL, but the timeline from Daniel Rebain is encouraging.

As I suspected. One more year in the KHL for Anton Silayev before he signs his three year ELC with New Jersey in the Spring of 2026. ✍

— Daniel Rebain (@pvtmcbain) June 3, 2025​

• Daniel Rebain also tweeted (x’ed?) this post about the the KHL players who may be heading to the Devils camp. The note on Karpovich is particular interesting. Injuries limited Karpovich to 25 games this year, only four of which were in the KHL with an average ice time of 5:04 minutes.

I would also expect Daniil Karpovich ('23, 6th Rd) and maybe even Artyom Barabosha ('22, 7th Rd) to make the trip over for Dev camp.

Daniil Orlov could make the trip for a second stright year, but with his new deal with Spartek idk.

Karpovich is also on potential ELC watch.

— Daniel Rebain (@pvtmcbain) June 3, 2025​

• After a rough season, there will be a shifting of the guard in the Utica Comets coaching staff as contracts are not renewed. Replacements TBD.
• Adirondack Thunder Assistant Coach Mike Bergin had some kind words for winger prospect Josh Filmon.

“For his first pro season, I thought it went well,” Bergin said. “He came in, and it is tough to adjust to the pro level, especially when you are still eligible to play juniors, as Josh was last year. He came in, and you could see the vision, his shot, and just the way he carries himself day-to-day, that he is going to be a great pro.” — The Hockey News

• After an injury that was thought to possibly end his hockey career and derailed most of his season, Kasper Pikkarainen has signed with TPS of the Liiga. It cannot be understated how big this will be for the young winger’s development. We wish him the best of the luck and healthier times.

Kasper Pikkarainen nähdään tulevalla kaudella jälleen TPS:n paidassa - hänen aiemmin solmittu sopimuksensa jatkuu kauden 2026–2027 loppuun asti

Uutena Kasper Pikkaraisen kummiyrityksenä kaudella 2025–2026 toimii Roster! #HCTPS #Turku #Liiga pic.twitter.com/rBMlp3RKwE

— HC TPS (@HCTPS) May 7, 2025​

• Dobber prospects posted this interesting update on winger Cole Brown, who it appears will suit up for Notre Dame next season. The Devils are headed into uncharted territory with the prospect, but may possibly still keep his rights. Time will tell.

His status with the New Jersey Devils is pending a league and NHLPA resolution on player expiry rights that commit to the NCAA after their junior careers. Mark Henry

Your Take​

Post your thoughts below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...prospect-update-in-case-you-missed-it-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Trade Erik Haula to Nashville Predators

Haula, always good to the kids, has had a lot of fans in New Jersey. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Less than two weeks away from free agency, the New Jersey Devils clear a little cap space by moving Haula to Nashville.

Today marks the end of Erik Haula’s time with the New Jersey Devils, for now. The team has announced that they have traded Haula to the Nashville Predators for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 Draft and Jeremy Hanzel, a defenseman who spent much of his first full professional season in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators. As the Devils noted in their release, they now have seven picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Since being acquired on the morning of July 13, 2022, Erik Haula has been an impactful supporting player for the New Jersey Devils. In his first season with the team, Haula scored 41 points in the regular season and six points in the playoffs, helping the Devils defeat the New York Rangers in the first round after the team set a franchise record for standing points in a season. Simply being a part of this team marked Haula down in the annals of Devils history. In the process, he also made sure to give everyone one of the group’s more memorable goal celebration in one of the team’s momentous victories against New York:

Since that wonderful first step into playoff contention for these Devils, things have not been as great for the team, and Haula has had his share of struggles as well. In the 2023-24 season, Haula was a bit more lucky with his shot, but the team took a step backwards. Signed to a fresh three-year, $9.45 million contract, this regression was not pinned on Haula, but the team needed a strong 2024-25 season from everyone on the roster. In the second year of his deal, Haula only had 11 goals and 10 assists in 69 games, while moved largely off center down the stretch. This may have, in part, made Fitzgerald more likely to trade Haula. Having a bottom six center on an affordable contract would not be the end of the world, cap-wise, but the team had been using him more as a wing. I think it makes some sense to make this trade if they did not plan to put Haula back at center on the third line or at wing on the second line to take faceoffs for Jack Hughes. With $3.15 million in cap space cleared for the next season, they might be able to look for an upgrade on one of those lines if they continue to shed salary:

The #NJDevils now have $14,394,167 in cap space after clearing Haula’s $3.15M.

Talks with Jake Allen and Daniel Sprong are expected soon, if not already to see where both sides are at. https://t.co/5EIqfeGnRD

— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) June 18, 2025​

One of the reasons I was not extremely eager to move Haula is that his contract is affordable. If he just got back to scoring around 15 goals, it would be more or less fair value, or better, depending on his defensive impact. Now with over $14 million in cap space, the team still cannot really do all that much after Luke Hughes signs his extension. They still likely have to move at least one of Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, or Dougie Hamilton to make a big addition at forward. Jared recently laid out the case for thinking about moving Hamilton, but I am not big on the idea. I also wrote about why the team should not shop Dawson Mercer this offseason. In there, I tried to somewhat defend Haula, while acknowledging he would probably be among the first to be moved for cap space, by comparing the Devils’ supporting cast with their contracts and production laid out:

Ondrej Palat: $6Mx2 remaining; 15 goals, 13 assists in 2024-25 ($315,789 per primary point)

Dawson Mercer: $4Mx2 remaining: 19 goals, 17 assists in 2024-25 ($129,032 per primary point)

Erik Haula: $3.15Mx1 remaining: 11 goals, 10 assists in 2024-25 ($185,294 per primary point)

Stefan Noesen: $2.75Mx2 remaining: 22 goals, 19 assists in 2024-25 ($74,324 per primary point[!!!])

I later compared Haula and Palat directly:

I would love to see Palat and Haula turn it around, but at their age, it is not historically likely. Not a lot of players rekindle their old levels of production at 34 years old. Though, to be fair to Haula, he did not get nearly as much secondary assist luck as Palat. Haula had seven primary assists to Palat’s four, while Palat had nine secondary assists to Haula’s three. With eight fewer games played, his season was truly much more palatable than Palat’s. I just don’t expect 40 points from him again.

While Haula did underperform his contract to some extent in the 2024-25 season, he did not do so nearly as much as Ondrej Palat. I recognize that Palat was great in the playoffs at helping Nico Hischier operate, but he still did not get on the scoresheet that much. Since trading Haula represents a pretty limited boost to the team’s cap space, I thought there may have been bigger fish to fry. Considering that he had so few secondary assists this year and probably got unlucky in that regard when you look at his stats, Haula was still mostly staying afloat for the amount the team was paying him. That said, it is not necessarily a bad decision to move on: it just depends on what they do with that extra money.

Jeremy Hanzel should not factor into the 2025-26 season at all. While I will reserve more judgement for the Top 25 Under 25 later this summer, my first impression is that I would be surprised if he ever factored into the operation of the New Jersey Devils as an NHL club. Having another draft pick is a nice thing for Fitzgerald to have in his pocket though, whether he flips in a trade or tries to find a diamond in the rough with it.

Therefore, we will not be able to judge this move in a vacuum. If Tom Fitzgerald does not invest this money into moves that can help the Devils’ middle six compete and create goals, I might end up disappointed, and just wanting Haula back. But if this is just the first of a string of moves that results in a big contributor joining the team, I am likely to look on this trade positively. This is the business side of it: the Devils need to trade someone to make additions.

I will always like Erik Haula, though. He made a lot of fans, some of whom have posted some great tributes, like this one from the Traveling Haulas. But at least the Traveling Haulas will not need to add a new jersey to the mix, as Haula played with Nashville in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Now, perhaps, Haula can get a taste of real life in Nashville, and not the pandemic version of it, while he reunites with Andrew Brunette, who was a part of the 2022-23 coaching staff that Haula worked so well under.

When Haula first signed that extension in 2023, the Devils posted a big feature titled “Haula is Home.” In that piece, Haula touched on how much movement he has done throughout his career since Vegas pulled him from Minnesota in their expansion draft, and that it was good to finally have a place to settle down. For him, I wish that he could have gotten to finish his contract in New Jersey. When he said he didn’t want to play for another team, I believed him. He mixed well with his teammates on a personal level and provided a lot of what they needed on the ice. If anything, it feels like he is departing with unfinished business, and I would mark him as an early 2026 free agency target, assuming he doesn’t extend in Nashville.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of the Haula trade? Do you think he will have a bounce back season? What was your favorite memory of Erik Haula? What is next for the team? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...tors-brunette-fitzgerald-draft-pick-cap-space

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Maybe the New Jersey Devils Will Make the Necessary Moves This Summer

Next player to move please. | Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images

After last off-season and this past trade deadline, concern arose that maybe the New Jersey Devils were moving in the wrong direction. After yesterday's trade, maybe they're back on track.

Just when you think New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has lost his touch, he goes out and does something to give you hope. After an okay 2024 off-season and a disappointing 2025 trade deadline, things seemed to be moving in the wrong direction for the Devils. I wrote previously about how the team couldn't afford to over-correct away from their identity again and that maybe Fitzgerald shouldn't be the one to fix the team. With yesterday's trade however, maybe he still has some tricks up his sleeve.

Moving Erik Haula to Nashville may not be popular but it was a good trade. He was a good locker room guy, and he was one of the better Devils in the 2023 playoffs. Unfortunately, all sports are a "what have you done for me lately" business and Haula's 2024-25 was miserable outside of his faceoff percentage. Not only does moving on from him give the Devils the the start of a path to reshape their Bottom Six, it also helps with the salary cap to do so. Fitzgerald did not have to retain on him and even got a fourth round pick alongside a long shot defense prospect.

If the team wasn't afraid to make this move, then maybe this summer will bring the overhaul fans crave. Even with now just over $14 million in cap space according to Puckpedia, there's quite a bit to get done. Factor in that a good chunk of that might go to Luke Hughes' new contact, and there's still moves to make to truly bolster the depth. The top option would, of course, be finding a taker for Ondrej Palat. As long as that move makes sense from a cost standpoint (meaning the Devils don't have to part with a ton of assets to make it happen) the Devils would be adding to their overall success by subtracting a player who is slowing down and omg productive when stapled to top talents.

Jared wrote last week about the Devils potentially moving on from Dougie Hamilton as well. Unlike Haula and Palat, Hamilton I think still has some value to the Devils and if he were still on the roster I wouldn't be upset. At the same time $9 million is a lot of cap for a guy who is no longer factoring into the team's long-term plans. With Johnny Kovacevic set to miss the start of the season though, moving Hamilton might need to wait a bit. If the team does decide to move him, again it would show that willingness by Fitzgerald to what is necessary.

Realistically, that's what all of this boils down to: making the moves that are needed for the betterment of the team. That also means not re-signing pretty much every Devils forward set to enter unrestricted free agency. Maybe Daniel Spring gets one more shot but Nate Bastian, Justin Dowling and (sadly because he seemed like a good locker room guy) Curtis Lazar shouldn't be coming back. Each of the above moves in isolation has had varying levels of discussion here at AAtJ, but now we're entering the time of year where the difficult decisions actually need to be made. The draft is just over a week away and free agency will follow shortly after. If the Devils intend to at least partly remodel their roster in free agency, moves will have to be made before the end of the month.

Maybe more moves are coming this week. Maybe a deal materializes at the draft. Perhaps something gets done between the draft and free agency if original plans fall through. The Haula trade brings hope that Tom Fitzgerald is willing to make the difficult decisions necessary to improve this roster this summer. This is supposed to be the window for this Devils core to be competing, not flaming out early in the playoffs or missing them entirely. If they can't comfortably qualify and make some noise in 2025-26 then maybe there will be different changes (read: general manager changes) made next summer.

What are your thoughts on the Devils front office making the needed moves: will Haula be the only trade? Do you see Palat and/or Hamilton being dealt? Would not re-signing the UFA forwards be enough evidence for you that the club is moving in a different direction? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...-moves-this-summer-haula-palat-tom-fitzgerald

 

[New Jersey Devils]

DitD & Open Post - 6/20/25: Farewell Edition

Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake (53) and New Jersey Devils left wing Erik Haula (56) battle during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 6/20/25

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Erik Haula gets shipped to Nashville:

#NEWS: We've acquired Nashville’s own fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and defenseman Jeremy Hanzel in exchange for forward Erik Haula.

: https://t.co/vDqRNXK3Ov pic.twitter.com/siDwyIKv18

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 18, 2025​

Not surprisingly, the Devils appear to be poking around in the goaltending market:

#Canucks

Recap of Frank Seravalli's interview with Halford & Brough. https://t.co/IqJ2zqncOy pic.twitter.com/OTH8mv3rY8

— Canucks News Summaries (@VCanucksNews) June 18, 2025​

Hockey Links​

Dallas making moves:

Dallas Dutchy ain't leavin'

We have signed Matt Duchene to a 4-year contract extension through the 2028-2029 season.

MORE: https://t.co/iSHP8opLBS@shift4 | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/jaHSLyiNlr

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 19, 2025​

The #SeaKraken have acquired forward Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars in exchange
for Dallas’ 2025 4th-round pick (previously acquired by the Kraken) and Seattle’s 2026 3rd-round pick pic.twitter.com/50WX5lmxkK

— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) June 19, 2025​

Ryan Donato gets a deal:

FOUR MORE YEARS OF RYAN DONATO

➡︎ https://t.co/dmJ0ENjlc0 pic.twitter.com/cScsQdCZJo

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 18, 2025​

What’s next for Connor? “McDavid has only the 2025-26 season remaining on his existing contract. He is eligible to sign an extension in Edmonton as soon as July 1, but that doesn’t require a decision on his next deal to be made this summer. Choosing to wait, though, would invite speculation and heavy scrutiny, especially if a new McDavid contract isn’t in place by the time Oilers training camp opens in September.” [The Athletic ($)]

Has Evander Kane played himself out of Edmonton? “The 33-year-old had a decent-enough post-season, posting six goals and 12 points in 21 playoff games. That’s an improvement on his 2024 playoff production of four goals and eight points in 20 games, when he played through an injury. The problem, though, is Kane’s discipline.” [The Hockey News]

Who’s going to get bought out? [The Athletic ($)] [The Hockey News]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2025/6/20/24452541/devils-in-the-details-6-20-25-farewell-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Solutions To the Devils Problems Aren’t Sitting Out There in Free Agency

Can Fitzgerald bring in the pieces that Keefe needs to get this team to the next level? | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

The Devils don’t have a lot of money to spend in free agency, and even if they did, they’d be better off exploring the trade market instead of paying UFA prices in a rising cap environment.

The New Jersey Devils simultaneously accomplished a lot and little in 2024-25.

There were certainly positives, as core players such as Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt had strong individual seasons. Luke Hughes took another big step in his development and will likely be the Devils #1 defenseman sooner rather than later, unless the Devils swing a trade for his older brother. The team got good goaltending, which is a welcome change, and they were overall solid defensively thanks to the additions they made on the blueline last summer. And the team managed to clear the very low bar of getting back to the playoffs, which they did thanks to a strong start to the campaign.

The problem is that as the season went on, the team’s flaws got exposed. Guys like Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen who got off to hot starts cooled off in the second half, drying up the secondary offense in the process. The team never really had a quality 3C or 4C all season long and the bottom six suffered as a whole. Key players like Dawson Mercer and Simon Nemec took a step back in their respective developments, while Timo Meier was frustratingly inconsistent until he heated up in March. The team struggled to string together winning streaks of longer than a few games, and that was before they lost Jack Hughes to a season ending shoulder injury in early March. Add in a few more key injuries on the blueline once the playoffs actually started, and Carolina made relatively short work of the Devils in five games.

I wouldn’t call this past season a failure though, despite the team’s play post-Christmas break. A failure is what we saw the previous season when everything that could go wrong did go wrong and they missed the playoffs. I highlighted all of those when I wrote this very article one season ago. This past season wasn’t THAT. With that said, I wouldn’t exactly throw a parade over what the Devils did this year either. Just getting to the playoffs should be the bare minimum for this group at this point. They accomplished that, so they get some credit for doing that, but there’s still plenty of work to do going forward.

The 2024-25 season is in the books for the Devils, and has been for some time. With trade season, buyout season, the draft, and free agency all coming quickly over the next few weeks, this is a busy time for GM Tom Fitzgerald as he tries to find the right pieces to help this group take that next step.

The Devils have just over $11.2M to spend in free agency, but with a key RFA in Luke Hughes who needs a new deal and a bottom six that needs to be revamped, that money will dry up fairly quickly and that’s before we start talking about making legitimate upgrades to the forward group. Sure, they can do some things to create more space like get rid of some of the dead weight on the roster. But even if you subtract, you still need to add to replace what you’re losing. Even with the most optimistic, rose-colored glasses projections for guys like Arseni Gritsyuk and what they might do on a league-minimum salary, you need a little more than that.

I do think there is a path though for Tom Fitzgerald to jettison the dead weight, add to the forward group, and build a roster that should fare better in 2025-26. But it is a tight needle to thread.

Tom Fitzgerald Might Have Already Tipped His Hand in Regards to Bargain Bin Hunting​

Chris touched on this when he did the write up on the Juho Lammikko signing but it bears repeating. If the Devils are going to add any significant talent towards the top of the roster, they need more minimum salary (or close to it) players at the bottom of the lineup to counterbalance that. Lammikko is certainly part of that discussion.

I don’t know how Lammikko will fare in his return to the NHL after three seasons of playing overseas, but I do find it interesting he’s agreeing to what is essentially a minimum salary two and a half weeks before UFA opens and in a rising cap environment. UFA prices can get out of hand quickly and the Devils aren’t in a position to even go upwards of $2M to sign a fourth line type if they’re serious about making improvements elsewhere in the lineup. I use that $2M number as an example, as that is what some notable fourth liners like Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund got on July 1 last year. I’m not suggesting the Devils are being cheap, rather, I bring it up to illustrate how cutthroat they probably need to be with the back end of their roster and how they need to get creative in order to find players that fit the current cap structure. Paying the Nate Bastians of the world $1.35M and Tomas Tatar $1.8M are luxuries the Devils can’t afford anymore, hence, outside the box signings like Lammikko. Juho Lammikko might turn out to be not much of a fit at all, but for a one-year deal, its tough to say its a bad deal even if it doesn’t pan out.

I would consider the Devils to have seven viable candidates to be on the 2025 Opening Night roster who all make under $1M AAV. Lammikko, Paul Cotter, Seamus Casey, Simon Nemec, Nico Daws, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Lenni Hameenaho.

I don’t know if the Devils are in a position to ship out any middling contracts and adding more minimum salary players to the mix without hurting the team in the process. Just to use Stefan Noesen as an example, you’re probably not trading him for a draft pick and then getting the same level of production or better from an external UFA making under $1M. But it’s something to keep in mind with where the Devils currently are with their salary cap situation. It’s also yet another reason I wouldn’t expect them to go crazy in UFA, and that’s IF they find takers for Erik Haula or Ondrej Palat via trade this summer.

Next week, I’ll touch on some potential bargain bin options that might make sense for the Devils, but keep in mind that there will be some level of disappointment in the Devils having to shop for those types of options on the clearance rack when the better, higher-end options are the ones who will go early off the boards in free agency.

Regardless, The Answers For the Devils Probably Aren’t Sitting Out There In Free Agency​

Its fun to daydream about Nikolaj Ehlers or Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand or Mitch Marner and what they might be able to do in a Devils sweater.

The problem with daydreams is that eventually, you have to wake up and snap back to reality.

The Devils aren’t in a position to make Marner an offer that he might actually accept, and that’s assuming one thinks putting all of your eggs in the Mitch Marner basket is a good idea in the first place. I do know that if I had bottomless resources and my goal was to add the player who gives me the best chance to win a playoff hockey game, I’m going with Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand 10 times out of 10 over Marner. Why? Because I’ve seen them deliver in that spot, time and time again. This line of thinking probably also goes for some of the higher end RFAs available (example, J.J. Peterka), as well as any pricey veterans on other teams who might be available via trade (example, Jason Robertson).

The Devils have already handed out their share of $7M+ contracts the last few years....five of them, in fact. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton all make salaries north of $7M AAV per season. If they hand out a sixth, its probably going to be for Luke Hughes and rightly so.

While that isn’t a problem in and of itself.....paying your star players what they’re worth isn’t a problem....it does make things tighter elsewhere and it does exacerbate why giving Ondrej Palat $6M AAV wasn’t a great move. And we are probably at the point now where that Palat $6M salary is another ‘luxury’ preventing the Devils from doing other things that they’d like to do. At least, until they find a way to clear that number from their books.

Yes, the Devils might be able to find a couple bargains in UFA to fill out the roster and replace some of what they lost in speed and skill these last few years. But generally speaking, they’ve already spent their money on external guys the last few years between Hamilton, Palat, Brenden Dillon, Brett Pesce, and Stefan Noesen. They’re not really in a position to do it again, and certainly not to the level of the top UFAs that will hit the open market. Its why I keep saying that instead of paying top of market rate for THE Sam Bennett, they’re better off trying to find THE NEXT Sam Bennett via trade. Instead of paying for Ehlers, find the next Carter Verhaeghe before he blows up into one of the top scoring wingers in the league.

Obviously, this is all easier said and done, but in the case of Bennett and Verhaeghe, its a big part of the reason why a team like Florida is back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions and the Devils are not. They were able to find those players to supplement their core and get huge contributions from them at a discounted price.

For 2025: Short Term > Long Term (For the Most Part)​

The salary cap ceiling is expected to rise to upwards of $113.5M by 2027-28 and perhaps even more beyond that in future years.

The Devils have already positioned themselves where, with the exception of captain Nico Hischier, most of their deals for their supporting cast are set to expire after the 2026-27 season. Yet, most of their core pieces will still be in the middle of their long-term deals, particularly Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, and Jesper Bratt. One would assume Luke Hughes as well, if the Devils sign him long-term this summer.

I say that to say that with a weak UFA class overall and limited resources anyways, the Devils would be better off exploring short-term deals that align with the rest of the short-term deals that expire after the 2026-27 season. Instead of handing Brock Boeser a silly contract and locking him in until 2030 or beyond, they’re better off taking a stab on someone like Vlad Tarasenko via trade and hoping he is closer to his 2023-24 form than he was last year in Detroit. Instead of living in fantasy land and hoping for Ehlers, see if you can pry Alex Tuch out of Buffalo with a year left on a team-friendly deal. Instead of giving a 37-year-old Brad Marchand multiple years on a new contract at his peak value, take advantage of Dallas’s cap crunch and swing a deal for Mason Marchment.

The core of this Devils team is already in place, so I’m less concerned about giving term to the supporting cast right now, especially when the Devils will need that space in the future to resign Hischier. Going year-to-year with shorter term deals are better now instead of getting locked in for 3, 4, or 5 years for players and limiting your flexibility down the road to retool or adjust later. Sure, you risk “losing the player for nothing” if he walks as a UFA in a year, but when the tradeoff is gaining that cap space to replace said player, those are the types of moves the Devils should be making.

Why The Devils Should Prioritize 3C Over a Top Six Winger​

The Devils got a first-hand lesson on how fortunate they are to even have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, two legitimate Top Six centers, to build around in the first place this past season.

Finding a quality center is hard. And when you need to go pay for one in season, they’re not gonna be cheap. Case in point, go look at what the Avalanche gave up for Brock Nelson as a rental. And no, it doesn’t make it better that Colorado ultimately re-signed Nelson to a multi-year deal because there was no guarantee of that happening when they made the deal to acquire him.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago when I profiled the UFA centers and it bears repeating. It is not a coincidence or an accident that the teams that go deep in the playoffs every year are deep down the middle. Teams that have a legitimate 3C like Florida does with Anton Lundell. Or Dallas with Wyatt Johnston. Or Carolina with Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Tampa didn’t start winning Stanley Cups until they had that depth down the middle. Neither did Vegas. Colorado hasn’t gotten back to the Cup Final in part because they STILL haven’t replaced what Nazem Kadri brought to the table. St. Louis had Brayden Schenn, Ryan O’Reilly, and Tyler Bozak down the middle when they won the Cup. There are countless examples of this.

The backbone of championship-caliber rosters begins with your depth down the middle, and until the Devils find a better solution for their 3C and 4C, they’ll be facing an uphill battle when it comes to taking that next step.

The Devils might’ve thought they had a potential solution in Erik Haula at 3C but he had a dreadful season in 2024-25 and may or may not be at a point in his career where he’s more of a wing than a center. At least, that’s what his usage suggested this season. They gave far too many opportunities to the Justin Dowlings of the world out of necessity, and they had too many guys like Curtis Lazar who weren’t up to the part this season. Cody Glass was a solid in-season addition, and he has a good mix of size and speed where he might be a good 4C option. But he’s also another example of how expensive finding a quality center actually is. A future 3rd round pick, a lottery ticket in Max Graham, and a failed former first round pick in Chase Stillman is actually a lot to pay for a player with Glass’s resume and level of production, or lack thereof. Keep in mind, Glass is a former first round bust who is on his 4th NHL team at the age of 26. That’s not to say he can’t play well or carve out a role at the NHL level, but even THAT guy went for a Top 100 pick and two magic bean prospects.

I don’t think the Devils will be able to solve their 3C issue in UFA, but I do think they need to turn over every stone in the trade market to get a more legitimate option at 3C than what they had last season. Building a deeper, better lineup starts there, and you can’t expect your bottom six wingers to do a whole lot of anything if they’re playing with AHL-caliber centers like Dowling and Lazar. It’s for this reason I would prioritize a 3C over a Top Six winger. To be clear, I’m not saying scoring wingers aren’t important. But history has told us time and time again you can find those guys on the trade market at the deadline. There will always be rental options on the wing. And I’m willing to bet that prices won’t be as astronomical as they were this past deadline and more in line with the last few years where deals like this happened on the regular. Especially as teams begin to strip things down to improve their odds for Gavin McKenna in 2026.

The Devils should try again on Ryan O’Reilly. They should see if the Kings want to shed Phillip Danault’s $5.5M salary so they can chase Mitch Marner. Maybe Detroit makes JT Compher or Andrew Copp available with the emergence of Marco Kasper. Maybe the new Islanders GM makes J.G. Pageau available. Or Vegas finally makes William Karlsson or Nic Roy available. Maybe you offer sheet Mavrik Bourque knowing Dallas’s cap situation is tight. I dont know where the Devils turn to for an upgrade at 3C, but they should leave no stone unturned in the process. It’s too important to just assume Cody Glass will be good enough or hope that Erik Haula bounces back or pretend once again that a guy who isn’t a center in Curtis Lazar is indeed a center.

If I’m Fitzgerald and I have limited dollars to work with, that’s where I’m starting my heavy lifting this summer.

How Can The Devils Stretch Every Last Dollar Available To Them?​

Let’s put on our fantasy GM hat and get to work, thanks to PuckPedia’s PuckGM mode.

The Devils currently have a hair over $11.2M in available cap space thanks in part to their latest signing, Juho Lammikko, which was announced over the weekend. Lets increase that to $15.54M right off the bat by burying Kurtis MacDermid in Utica and shipping Erik Haula out via a cap dump trade. Since Haula can only block trades to six teams, let’s send him to a place he’s familiar with and probably won’t be one of those six teams.....Haula to Minnesota for a 2026 5th round pick.

We still need a little more operating room though, which means we really need to find a taker for Ondrej Palat. Palat has a 10-team trade list, and he has a $6M AAV, so its a limited market. One potential fit though? How about a trade sending him back to Anaheim, reuniting him with a few familiar faces from his Tampa days....most notably one-time Lightning assistant GM and current Ducks GM Pat Verbeek? Devils trade Palat to the Lightning for a 2027 7th round pick.

That increases our available cap space to $21,544,167 to fill six spots on the NHL roster.

I think you start with the money earmarked for a Luke Hughes extension, and while you could argue that if Luke takes a bridge, it gives you even more room to operate this summer, I’m going to stand by my previous statement when I did the Hughes RFA profile that the short-term benefits of a bridge aren’t worth the tradeoff long-term. If I can get Hughes signed to a max-term deal now, I will, and I think the Brock Faber deal is the comp of which to base a deal off of. Devils sign Luke Hughes to a 8-year, $8.6M AAV deal.

Next, I’m penciling in Arseni Gritsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho in for NHL roster spots, which I am reluctant to do since we haven’t gotten to training camp yet. But the Devils will need a few minimum salary players to fill out the roster, and I doubt there’s any outcome where Gritsyuk doesn’t make the team out of camp. I’m a little less bullish on Hameenaho being ready to jump right into the NHL at his age and contribute, but when considering some of his traits as a prospect (ability to get to the net, hockey sense, compete level), I do think its possible he shows enough in camp and the preseason to earn a spot, even if its as an energy fourth liner type to start out. Even if he’s on the occasional shuttle to and from Utica, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

Those moves would leave $11,069,167 to fill four spots on the NHL roster.

Addressing 3C first, while it’s a bigger AAV than I’d like to commit to, the guy I’d be targeting, if available, is Phillip Danault.

Why Danault? He’s an elite defensive center who is good for 45-50 points every season. He had 43 points this past season despite a career worst shooting year at 6.6%, so I’d gamble on that rebounding closer to his career norms. He can play in all situations, which is ideal for me as I’d like to take a few of those defensive responsibilities off of Nico Hischier’s plate and give the Devils another option for certain situational hockey moments that pop up in game....such as protecting late leads.

Danault, who has 2 years left on his deal at $5.5M AAV, can block trades to ten teams, so there’s a decent chance NJ wouldn’t be on his list. Would they move him though? That is something I’m less certain of. Anze Kopitar is a franchise icon who isn’t going anywhere, and neither is former #2 overall pick Quinton Byfield. They do have a big body center in Samuel Helenius who might be ready for a larger role. But the Kings in general strike me as a team that probably could stand to make a splash in UFA this summer under new GM Ken Holland after they failed to once again get past Edmonton in a playoff series. They’re not short on cap space as they have $21.7M available, but perhaps they look to add a little more by shipping out a veteran like Danault.

The one “yeah, but” for me in regards to Danault is a reasonable compensation package. I don’t think that the deadline trade for Brock Nelson is a direct comparable since that was a rental trade at the deadline, and while part of LA’s motivation for maybe moving Danault would be to dump salary, I don’t view this as a straight cap dump either. The Scott Laughton trade might be a reasonable comp in terms of stylistic players, but he’s also on a cheaper contract and the Flyers retained 50%. I’ll propose the Devils trade the Edmonton 2025 2nd round pick and a conditional 2027 2nd round pick that can become a first if the Devils reach the Stanley Cup Final for Danault. And since that $5.5M is a bit much, finding a third party to eat a portion of the Danault deal would help with the cap moving forward. How about the Devils paying the Sabres the Dallas 2026 4th to retain $1.5M AAV, knocking Danault’s cap hit down to $4M.

That would leave the Devils with $7,069,167 to add a Top Six winger and a 4th line center. Fortunately, the Stars happen to have a big body top six wing theoretically available in Mason Marchment who is typically good for .67 PPG over the last four seasons. Marchment would be well worth the 2026 2nd round pick. All that leaves is the 4C spot, which we can take care of with $1.6M AAV for one year of Cody Glass.

CREDIT: PuckPedia’s PuckGM

Now, is any of this perfect? No, other than its a cap compliant roster by just under $1M for next season that should be better than the one the Devils trotted out for most of the second half of last season.. Maybe the Ducks don’t want Palat after making the Chris Kreider trade and the Devils have to find another trade partner. If they can’t move Palat, they’re probably not doing much of anything to improve the roster other than tinkering around the edges anyways. Maybe the Devils have to retain to move him elsewhere, or take on someone else’s bad contract, or they have to.....gulp....buy him out. Maybe the Kings want to hold on to Danault and the Devils have to look elsewhere for a 3C. Maybe the Wild don’t want Haula. Maybe the right combination is Reilly and Tarasenko instead of what I just wrote. Or they swing a deal for Ross Colton or Nic Roy someone else in that $4M-ish AAV range.

That doesn’t matter much though at this moment, as the point of this is to illustrate which players need to be on their way out and what type of players the Devils might be able to get to replace them. But it also more or less confirms what I wrote earlier about not being able to be players on the top UFAs that will hit the market. Obviously, Sam Bennett would be an ideal fit at 3C, but the Devils don’t have $8M to spend on him and that $8M number is probably overly conservative considering he just won a Conn Smythe as Florida’s MVP for the postseason. They don’t have $7M to spend a year on an Ehlers or Boeser or Marchand.

This also doesn’t touch the defense at all (which is more or less set for next year anyways) and operates under the assumption that Nico Daws is the backup next season. Your mileage may vary on whether or not Daws will be up to the task and if the Devils will need to add a veteran goaltender at some point to replace Jake Allen, who I think probably walks as a UFA.

There is a path to building a better, more well-rounded team without dipping into UFA. It requires a little creativity. But it can be done.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...oblems-arent-sitting-out-there-in-free-agency