Entering the offseason, the New Jersey Devils’ needs seemed clear – head coach, goalie, snarl, and middle-six winger, roughly in that order. General manager Tom Fitzgerald has filled the first two needs by hiring Sheldon Keefe and trading for Jacob Markstrom. Now he heads into a four-day span that will include the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency with assets and cap space to spend, reportedly seeking a top-six forward, a bottom-six forward, a top-four defenseman, and a bottom-pair defenseman. The only surprise on that list is the organizational belief that it needs to acquire a top-four defenseman. Fortunately, there are several available options.
Defense Does Win Championships
As the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights demonstrated the last two seasons, superior defensive play is the backbone of a Stanley Cup champion. In the 2022-23 season, the Devils excelled on defense, relying on a mixture of veterans who thrived in Lindy Ruff’s system. This season, the defense never got on track. The losses of Damon Severson and Ryan Graves were not adequately addressed. It was too much to overcome when the group was beset by injuries to Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Colin Miller. The one silver lining is that the injuries and vacancies allowed rookies Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec to log considerable ice time in all three phases. The rookies endured growing pains throughout the season, but each flashed evidence of the brilliant potential their careers hold.
The Devils need to find a way to bolster their defense. With the trade of Kevin Bahl in the Markstrom deal and the re-signing of Nick DeSimone, they now have six defensemen for seven spots. Four of the six are right-shot defensemen. Hamilton is an elite offensive defenseman who should be anchored on the right side of the top pair and quarterbacking the first power play unit. In John Marino’s first season in New Jersey, he was used in the middle pair, often teamed with Graves as the Devils’ shutdown unit. He announced his arrival as the team’s premier matchup defenseman in a game against the reigning champion Colorado Avalanche. A point-less Marino was named the game’s third star after leading the team in time-on-ice and holding Nathan MacKinnon’s line without a goal.
Related: Devils Can Maximize Assets by Trading Back in the Draft
Unfortunately for the Devils, Marino’s play regressed in 2023-24. He was put in a very difficult position in a lineup usually composed of three rookie defensemen without a regular partner. In just 11 more games, he was on the ice for 48 more goals against than the season before. Marino had difficulty defending his net front and was too often on the wrong side of opponents, and his failure to box out or stick check led directly to goals. Fitzgerald spoke of players needing to use the off-season to get stronger. Conventional wisdom believed those comments were aimed at Dawson Mercer and Luke Hughes, but Marino may have also been a focus.
The left side of the Devils’ defense is more defined, though incomplete. Despite his struggles last season, Siegenthaler was a stellar defensive partner with Hamilton when both were healthy, and there is reason to believe he can have a bounce-back year on Hamilton’s left side. Over the last two seasons among pairs that played at least 100 games together, the Siegenthaler/Hamilton pair ranks sixth in the NHL in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) and eighth in actual goals for percentage (GF%). The pair have earned a chance to try to regain their excellent form.
The remaining pair are arguably the two best defensemen in the NHL for their ages. Hughes and Nemec were picked in the top four and possess elite, two-way defenseman skills. With the experience they gained this season and their natural talent, the Devils are well-positioned for the next decade. The more difficult decision is where they fit in the short term and who the ideal partners are to unlock their potential.
Forming a Cohesive Defense Corps
When Fitzgerald said that his forward group was too similar and vanilla, he could have also been talking about his defensemen. The Devils lack a big, physical shutdown defender, and the need is even more glaring with Bahl’s departure. If the season started today, the pairs would likely be Siegenthaler/Hamilton, Hughes/Marino, and Santeri Hatakka/Nemec, with DeSimone as the depth defenseman.
The Devils need to find partners to bring out Hughes and Nemec’s strengths and minimize the pair’s inexperience. They also desperately need a top-notch penalty killer. The simplest move would be to add a third-pair, left-side defenseman in free agency like Brenden Dillon, Dmitry Kulikov, or Joel Edmundson, or try to make a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for Brayden McNabb. As recently as last week, this seemed to be the strategy as the Devils were linked to Dillon and others. Then, the team could use him either with Nemec for balance or to pair with Marino as a shutdown line. In a pinch, Dillon or McNabb could also fill in alongside Hamilton.
This strategy of adding a veteran with a physical presence is not the road Fitzgerald wants to go down. Reports last week that the team was calling around seeking a top-four defenseman were buttressed by additional reporting that the Devils were likely to be in the mix to sign Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce once free agency opened. The Devils have since been linked to Colorado defenseman Sean Walker and others. The smoke around Pesce seems valid as it has been reported widely. It is not surprising that the Devils are seeking to upgrade their top four, but that they are seeking to do it with a right-shot defenseman despite having four already under contract. To fit a top-four defenseman in their lineup there would have to be a corresponding move.
If the team decides to acquire a right-shot defenseman, it has only two choices: move the acquisition or Marino to their off-hand side or make a trade to open up a spot. Hughes, Nemec, and Hamilton are untouchable so a trade would involve either Siegenthaler or Marino. Marino is likely the odd man out if the new acquisition is a right-shot defenseman. Marino likely has more value than Siegenthaler and could bring back players to fill other needs.
Quality Defensemen Are Available
Whether the Devils go to the market to sign a free-agent defenseman or try to acquire one via trade, talent is available to fill their needs in the top four. Here is a look at four potential acquisitions the Devils could target who would improve their top four and not tie up too much of their salary cap.
Shea Theodore – 28 Years Old – Remaining Contract: 1 Year x $5.2 Million
Fitzgerald’s first call should be to the Golden Knights. The team’s vaunted cap gymnastics have finally caught up to the defending champions. The team sealed Shea Theodore’s fate when it acquired and extended Noah Hanifin at the trade deadline. With Hanifin now in Vegas for eight more years, the team cannot afford to keep Theodore. This will be an offseason rife with difficult decisions for the Golden Knights, and jettisoning a valuable member of their Cup championship team won’t be easy, but it is necessary.
Theodore’s talent is undeniable. He is a legitimate two-way, top-pair defenseman. The biggest concern is his health, as he has missed significant time in the past two seasons, but at 28 and with a longer offseason to get healthy, this concern can be ameliorated. With only one year left on his deal, the Devils could treat him as a rental and a mentor for Hughes and Nemec and see if both parties can find common ground as the season progresses. He averages 50 points coupled with 97 blocks per 82 games for his career. His play in the postseason should be one of the main considerations for New Jersey. Only eight years into his career, he has already played in 114 playoff games, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time, contributing 68 points, and playing to a staggering plus-25. If the price is right, and it would likely be futures, the Devils should jump at the chance to add Theodore.
Jakob Chychrun – 26 Years Old – Remaining Contract: 1 Year x $4.6 Million
Like Theodore, Jakob Chychrun is a two-way, top-pair-level defenseman who demonstrated that he can remain healthy and produce this season. The Ottawa Senators have a logjam on the left side of their defense, with Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson on long-term deals, eating up a total of $16.5 million per season. Given those numbers and the need to sign other players and give new head coach Travis Green a better roster, Chychrun is expendable.
Pairing Chychrun with Hamilton would form one of the most dynamic pairings in the entire NHL. Chychrun brings more physicality than he is often credited with. He averages 99 hits and 130 blocks per 82 games and leverages his elite skating to intercept routes and maintain gap control. His offensive capabilities are not in question, and he could contribute to the power play if needed. The Senators need a right-shot defenseman, and Green has a good sense of what players he likes in the Devils’ system.
Matt Roy – 29 Years Old – Projected Contract: 5 Years x $5.8 Million
The Los Angeles Kings seem to be doing all they can to keep Matt Roy on their roster, but time is running out. The good-skating, two-way defender would be a perfect third defenseman for many teams. The fit may not exist in New Jersey right now, with Nemec and Marino on the roster, but he is a player to keep an eye on should the Devils make other moves that open a spot on the right side. With the need to sign Luke Hughes and Nemec in the next three years to longer-term, more lucrative contracts, the prospect of committing to almost $30 million over five years is daunting for New Jersey. Still, it could be offset by the rising cap and moving Marino. Nevertheless, a 29-year-old player who averages 24 points, 139 hits, and 148 blocks per 82 games and is a career plus-106 should be considered if the Devils want to supplement their top four. (Contract projection courtesy of @AFPAnalytics)
Brett Pesce – 29 Years Old – Projected Contract: 5 Years x $6.2 million
In a surprise to many, the Devils have been directly linked to Pesce. The top-four, right-shot defenseman appears to be one of New Jersey’s primary free-agent targets. Pesce is the quintessential second-pair defenseman and could be the perfect foil for Hughes as he grows. He is an impressive two-way defender who provides some secondary offense while controlling his net front and zone entries. Pesce is most known as a matchup defender who plays a simple game in his own end while coming over the boards shift after shift against the opponent’s best forwards. Pesce is also an excellent shot blocker and a premier penalty killer. Should the Devils want to invest, he could be an integral part of their contention window.
The Devils do not need to add a top-four defenseman to their corps, but should they want to do so, multiple options are available. The priority should be finding defensemen with snarl, but that does not have to be mutually exclusive. Regardless of which path Fitzgerald travels, it is sure to be an interesting week.
