The New Jersey Devils have a very busy offseason on their hands. Many moves will be made, and some of them are already in the works.
With the NHL offseason underway, the New Jersey Devils will continue building upon their strong roster. General manager Tom Fitzgerald already completed a beneficial sign-and-trade, receiving a third-round draft pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Damon Severson who would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Next, he locked up Jesper Bratt for eight years with a contract worth $63 million.
Fitzgerald and his front office have a lot of other decisions to make this summer regarding players set to become restricted free agents or unrestricted free agents. Some conversations are already underway while other talks haven't yet begun. They'll also consider options from the free agent pool and the trade market based on the team's needs.
Let's take a look at the latest Devils offseason developments.
New Jersey Devils Rumors: Timo Meier eight-year deal looks likely
Tom Fitzgerald and Timo Meier's agent are communicating about a long-term deal for pending RFA. Meier expressed to Fitzgerald that he would like to stay in New Jersey for a long time. Fitzgerald told NHL.com that "the goal is to have Timo Meier in a Devils uniform for the next eight years." The Devils filed for arbitration with Meier, which buys some more time to keep negotiating prior to arbitration hearings. The Devils would like to lock the winger down long-term this offseason rather than waiting for him to become a UFA next summer.
Meier is an asset as a play-making top-six forward. He was traded to the Devils by the San Jose Sharks ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. Notably, Meier scored 40 goals and had 26 assists during the 2022-23 season. It was his first time reaching 40 goals in one season but his third time reaching the 30-goal threshold. His physical presence is an important element of the team.
Now that the Devils have Jesper Bratt locked up through 2030-31, the focus shifts to Meier as the next priority. New Jersey has a strong core group that features Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes. Meier is expected to join them for the long run as the Devils look to contend for the Stanley Cup.
New Jersey Devils Rumors: What to do with Mackenzie Blackwood
With how savvy Tom Fitzgerald is, there's a good chance he chooses a route with pending RFA Mackenzie Blackwood that would give the Devils something in return. There's been speculation that the goaltender won't receive a qualifying offer. His QO is worth $3.36 million, and he's eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2024.
Fitzgerald told NHL.com, "We have decisions to make on whether we qualify him, try to negotiate something lower, or whether we move him."
However, Fitzgerald also said on The Jeff Marek Show that he'd be comfortable with Blackwood as part of the goalie plan. It's possible this admission is meant to keep Blackwood's trade value up. It would benefit the Devils to figure out a trade.
Blackwood's days as a Devil are likely over. Following a disappointing season in 2021-22, he had another injury-riddled season with poor performances in 2022-23. He posted a .893 SV% during the regular season. Blackwood didn't appear in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at all. The Devils rolled with a 1-2 of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. When Vanecek struggled in the playoffs, head coach Lindy Ruff turned to young Schmid, who then proved he could handle the NHL playoff pressure.
Fitzgerald believes that Schmid could be the Devils' number 1 goalie of the future. With Schmid NHL-ready and Vanecek still reliable after a fantastic regular season, Blackwood is more than likely the odd man out. It remains to be seen if the Devils will look elsewhere for another goalie or if they will roll with Schmid and Vanecek, but it seems pretty clear that Blackwood will not be in New Jersey next season.
New Jersey Devils Rumors: Teams are interested in Yegor Sharangovich
The Devils might part with Yegor Sharangovich this offseason. As reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Devils have received calls about Sharangovich, who is one of their pending RFAs. Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts also noted that something is brewing. Sharangovich is now considered a good candidate to be traded this offseason.
2022-23 was a rather disappointing season for Sharangovich. After scoring 24 goals in 2021-22, he scored just 13 this past season. Although the 25-year-old moved down the Devils depth chart among a talented group of forwards, he was valuable on the penalty kill. Sharangovich only played three games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs out of the 12 games the Devils played, getting healthy scratched the other nine games. He earned no points in those three games.
With Sharangovich's place among the bottom-six forwards looking rather unclear, the Devils could choose to use him as a trade chip in the near future. Fitzgerald will keep fielding calls and could strike if the right opportunity crosses his desk. Sharangovich hopes to turn things around next year, but the chance to do so just might come with a different team.
New Jersey Devils Rumors: Devils want Dawson Mercer long-term
Following Dawson Mercer's incredible breakout year, Tom Fitzgerald would be wise to nail down an extension this offseason to avoid Mercer becoming an RFA when his entry-level contract expires next offseason.
The earliest Mercer can sign an extension is July 1, although it doesn't need to happen that soon. Fitzgerald recently expressed that while there's no rush, he definitely would like to explore a long-term contract with Mercer. He hasn't started a conversation yet, but it's coming at some point this summer.
At just 21 years old, Mercer has already shown he's capable of greatness. During the 2022-23 season, the versatile forward racked up a total of 56 points. He fell just shy of joining the 30-goal club with 27 goals during the regular season. He had an eight-game goal streak and notched his first career hat trick. Mercer played in all 82 games in both of his first two seasons.
With how young he still is, Mercer will continue to develop his play in the next few seasons. He's earned a spot as a top-six forward. Mercer has proven he's an asset to the team, and it would be ideal to lock him up for the future.
There's plenty more news to come during the Devils' busy offseason.
