In what’s been a scorching hot summer, business has slowed down. That’s what usually happens in late July.

The off-season begins with a flurry of fireworks but then cools off dramatically. If you’re hoping for the weather to change, that’s another story. It’ll remain muggy. At least, the heat index isn’t approaching 100 like it did earlier. It’s been a scorching month.

While we find ways to stay cool, the hockey off-season is very quiet. When teams combined to spend over $2 billion on Canada Day, it was going to die down quickly. Now, we’re as close to a holiday freeze. Ices, anyone?

For the Devils, that meant overturning a roster that was the biggest disappointment of 2023-24. They went from 52 wins, 112 points, and the second round to 38 victories, 81 points, and no playoffs. The casualties included two coaches, two goalies, and three defensemen.

Tom Fitzgerald was very busy. He subtracted John Marino, Kevin Bahl, and Brendan Smith. Marino was a year removed from being a key part of the successful season they had in 2022-23. He wasn’t as consistent, which led to him being dealt to the Utah HC for 2024 second round pick Mikhail Yegorov and a 2025 second. Yegorov is the goalie of the future.

Fitzgerald then replaced Marino by signing Brett Pesce. A shutdown defenseman with the Hurricanes, the 29-year-old from Tarrytown, NY, will be counted on. He’ll likely be paired with Jonas Sieganthaler. Though it might be interesting to see what Keefe decides to do with a blue line that features youngsters Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. Adding physical veteran Brenden Dillon will make the Devils harder to play against.

Jacob Markstrom is the new number one goalie. He’ll look to rebound from a challenging year in Calgary. A former Vezina finalist, Markstrom should have better support in Jersey. Jake Allen is a solid number two.

Gone are 2022-23 tandem Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Schmid was packaged with Alexander Holtz to Vegas for Paul Cotter. Another gritty player who should improve the Devils’ bottom six.

With Fitzgerald also adding solid depth pieces in net-front presence, Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar, they should be more formidable. Kurtis MacDermid was also kept for three years. He’ll renew acquaintances with Rangers’ enforcer Matt Rempe, who took lessons from former Oiler Georges Laraque. That should make the Hudson rivalry more exciting.

The Devils will have both Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton healthy for the start of training camp in September. Injuries to both hurt them last season. Especially Hamilton, who was sorely missed on the back end. A full season for the ace defenseman would go a long way to pushing the Devils back into the postseason.

With the Rangers unable to make many changes, except for dumping Barclay Goodrow on waivers to the Sharks, you could make the argument that the Devils have closed the gap.

Unless you think adding Reilly Smith and Sam Carrick will make a difference for a team that won the Presidents’ Trophy and lost in six games to the Panthers, there isn’t much cause for excitement in the big city. Leaking information that they wanted to trade captain Jacob Trouba didn’t go over well. Both Trouba and teammates were upset with how that was handled. They reportedly didn’t like how Goodrow was treated, either. It’ll be interesting to see the dynamic in the locker room ahead.

Having re-signed Kaapo Kakko, Zac Jones, and Braden Schneider, Chris Drury must still reach an agreement with Ryan Lindgren. A year away from unrestricted free agency, the 26-year-old defenseman wants to remain a New York Ranger. The issue is term. With arbitration set for Aug. 2, both sides have over a week to get something done.

The Rangers qualified Lindgren for $3.6 million. The salary shouldn’t be an issue. It’ll come down to how many years. Four seems reasonable. We’ll see what happens.

The good news is that they still have a strong core. Featuring Russian dynamo Artemi Panarin, American defense stalwart Adam Fox, and pipe master Igor Shesterkin, they remain formidable. With Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, and K’Andre Miller, the Blueshirts should again challenge for first place in the division. They should have close company from their Hudson rivals.

The Devils boast a strong core that also includes captain Nico Hischier, along with the Hughes Brothers, Bratt, Nemec, and  unsigned restricted free agent Dawson Mercer. Quality additions, Markstrom, Pesce, Dillon, Noesen, and Cotter should make a difference. The improved depth has helped close the gap on the Rangers.

The Hudson rivalry will be even more exciting to watch. There are four big matchups set for 2024-25. Circle these dates:

Dec. 2 NJD vs. NYR 7 EST

Dec. 23 NYR vs. NJD 1 EST

Jan. 9 NJD vs. NYR 7 EST

Apr. 5 NYR vs. NJD 1 EST

BODY CHECKS

Martin Necas is staying put with the Hurricanes. After many trade rumors, including one that had him turning down the Sabres, he re-signed with the Canes for two years. The cap hit is $6.5 million. Fair value for a player of his capability. We’ll see if Necas gets more of an opportunity to play in the middle behind Sebastian Aho.

The Wild invested long-term on defenseman Brock Faber by extending him to an eight-year deal worth $68 million. The $8.5 million cap hit kicks in for 2025-26. His entry-level contract expires next year. Big money for the 21-year-old who finished a close runner-up behind Connor Bedard for the Calder Trophy. Faber came over from Los Angeles in the Kevin Fiala trade. One that has worked out well so far for both sides.

The Flyers kept leading scorer Travis Konecny by inking him to an eight-year, $70 million extension. That’s a cap hit of $8.5 million. Konecny has a year left on a contract that pays him a $5.5 million cap hit. He’ll be staying in Philly.

With the arrival of Matvei Michkov, things could be looking up for the Flyers. If he fulfills expectations, Michkov could be the Calder frontrunner. There’s considerable young talent on the roster. That includes Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale. Adding Michkov to the nucleus should only help.

Much will depend on unproven goalie tandem Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov. The Flyers missed out on the playoffs by four points last season. We’ll see if they can return to the postseason for the first time since 2019-20.

August is on deck.