Corey Masisak of The Athletic: By the trade deadline, New Jersey Devils interim GM Tom Fitzgerald moved out veteran Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, Blake Coleman, Wayne Simmonds and Louis Domingue to create more room for the youngsters.
Pending UFA defenseman Dakota Mermis had a good final 10 games on their second pairing and could earn himself a one-way contract.
The Devils need to decide the fate of interim GM Fitzgerald and interim head coach Alain Nasreddine.
If Fitzgerald is retained as GM, he’s said he’d like to add players that are around the same ages as Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes – players that can grow with them.
They could go back with a MacKenzie Blackwood and Cory Schneider tandem, or they could buy out Schneider and find another goalie.
The Devils could use another top-four defenseman or two. Finding some top-six wingers is another area to look at. Adding a veteran winger and defenseman should be part of their offseason plan,
Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev will be unrestricted free agents after next season. If they don’t sign contract extensions, the Devils could look to move them.
Corey Masisak of The Athletic: (mailbag) Have believed for the while that Tom Fitzgerald is the favorite to be their GM next season. Wouldn’t expect a coaching decision until after they decide on the GM position.
Potential trade targets for the Devils could be Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak and Vince Dunn. The Tampa Bay Lightning and St. Louis Blues will feel a salary cap crunch and may need to move out some players.
The Devils could look to take advantage of some other teams that may need to move out some salary. Short-term trade targets could include Olli Maatta (Blackhawks), Niklas Hjalmarsson (Coyotes), Colin Miller (Sabres), and Jonas Brodin (Wild).
If looking at a free agent defenseman, they should either go all-in on someone that can make a difference, or go the patient route and look for bargains. Maybe they could get eventually get someone like Cody Ceci or Joel Edmundson at under a $1 million.
