Entering the off-season, new Devils team president and general manager Sunny Mehta had his work cut out for him. Looking to revamp a roster that missed the postseason, Mehta has done a good job managing the salary cap by making subtracting players to create necessary space to help improve the team.

After trading defenseman Simon Nemec to the Flames on Jun. 23, he turned that into a good haul by acquiring a pair of conditional first round picks in 2027 and 2028. In addition, he moved down two spots in the second round of the NHL Draft to select highly thought of Finnish prospect Matias Vanhanen and Lavr Gashilov (fourth round) in a deal with the Blackhawks, who selected Ryan Roobroeck.

Instead of dangling the number 12 pick, Mehta held onto it and grabbed Swedish center Alexander Command. A two-way center who is compared to Devils captain Nico Hischier. Despite many pundits who hoped to see him make a big splash similar to what the bitter rival Rangers did by acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev (2026 first and third, 2028 conditional first), Mehta wisely didn’t sacrifice any picks. Instead, he addressed a need by selecting seven players to restock a bare Devils system.

Sunny finds a taker for Markstrom

Even better, he was able to find a sucker team willing to take Jacob Markstrom’s contract. As it turned out, the Panthers took a flier on Markstrom by acquiring the former Devils goalie along with Angus Crookshank in exchange for Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves on Jun. 30. Most astonishing is that Mehta didn’t have to attach a pick to dump Markstrom, who’s signed for the next two years with a $6 million cap hit.

The Devils Army desperately wanted to get rid of Markstrom. They would’ve taken anything for the 36-year-old Swede who was never the same following an injury that sidelined him for a stretch during 2024-25. His lateral movement was noticeably worse afterward. He’d frequently get caught out of position on rebounds due to still being down. Frustration boiled over when former GM Tom Fitzgerald extended him last October. The only saving grace was that he didn’t give Markstrom any trade protection. More than anything, that helped Mehta move on from a goalie who needed a change of scenery. We’ll see if the Panthers can fix him.

From a Devils’ vantage point, they added two solid depth forwards to solidify their bottom six. Rodrigues remains a good checking player with strong possession numbers. Obviously, playing for the two-time Stanley Cup champs helped in that measure. He was a 56.8 CF over three seasons for the Panthers.

Aside from being an asset at even strength, the 32-year-old veteran has produced five straight seasons of double digit goals and 30 or more points. A high character player who gets his nose dirty, Rodrigues can be moved up and down the lineup while playing both power play and penalty kill. His contract that pays him $3.075 million expires in 2027.

For the second time in his career, Boqvist is a Devil. The former 2017 second round pick has carved a role as a fourth liner in the NHL. The most goals he had came in 2024-25 when he scored a dozen with the Panthers. Ironically, his 23 points matched a career-high achieved in his first stint with the Devils. Following putting up 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 2022-23, he wasn’t qualified. He signed with the Bruins. After finishing 2023-24 strong, the Panthers signed him. He contributed two goals and three assists in 13 games to their repeat.

Coming off a down year in which he only managed four goals and nine assists in 73 contests, Boqvist gets a second chance in New Jersey. With a $1.5 million AAV that expires in 2027, he’ll compete with Nick Bjugstad and Stefan Noesen for ice time. Keep an eye on Lenni Hameenaho. Only 21, the 2023 second round pick tallied two goals and six assists for eight points in 33 games as a rookie. Hameenaho might not start next season with the Devils. But if the vets struggle early on, he’ll likely be the first call-up.

Offer Sheet to Barrett Hayton matched by Mammoth

In a very calculated move, Mehta signed Mammoth center Barrett Hayton to a one year offer sheet worth $4.775 million on July 1. After having their offer of a second round pick rejected by Utah at the draft, the Devils tried to upgrade at center by signing Hayton to a one-year deal.

The signing gave the Mammoth seven days to make a decision on Hayton. They could either match or walk away and accept the second round compensation. When the move was made, it looked like Mehta would get his checking pivot to further bolster a roster that hasn’t been known for its grit and character. Something the 26-year-old center has provided since being taken fifth overall by the former Arizona Coyotes in 2018.

He hasn’t always stayed healthy, but Hayton is a strong two-way center known for being able to generate offense despite being used more in his end. He posted a 53.9 CF despite starting 54 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone last season. He also won 52.6 percent of faceoffs.

With time running out, the Mammoth finally decided to match the offer sheet on July 8. Despite adding former Ranger Vincent Trocheck to Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz down the middle, Utah wanted to keep Hayton. Interestingly, they also signed Kevin Stenlund for more center depth. The Mammoth believe they can contend in a strong division that includes the Avalanche, Stars, and Wild. Utah was eliminated by Vegas in the first round last spring.

Due to NHL rules, Hayton can not be traded during the season. That guarantees that he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Even though he didn’t wind up with Hayton, Mehta certainly opened some eyes with the offer sheet. It proved that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to improve the Devils.

Devils Add Rittich to Goalie Carousel

Instead of going for a big fish, like the Maple Leafs did by landing former Panther Sergei Bobrovsky, Mehta decided to sign veteran David Rittich for one year at $1 million. He’ll likely be the backup behind incumbent Jake Allen to start the season.

The 33-year-old Rittich isn’t coming off a good year. However, he won 14 games and posted a 2.76 goals-against-average with a .894 save percentage with the Islanders. He went 2-0-0 versus the Rangers with a shutout. Ironically, he owns the Devils’ most hated rival, boasting a perfect 5-0-0 record with a 1.00 GAA (5 GA on 136 shots) and .963 save percentage. With the full schedule released on Thursday, it’s a good bet that Rittich will get a couple of starts against his favorite opponent in December. The Hudson rivals meet three times over 15 days between Dec. 7-22.

If for some reason he struggles like he did down the stretch for the Islanders, it finally could be time for Nico Daws. Now 25, the 2020 third round pick has patiently been waiting for an opportunity with the big club. Since getting into 46 combined games in 2021-22 and 2023-24, Daws has only appeared in nine NHL games over the past two seasons. That included winning three of four starts while posting a 1.60 GAA and .939 save percentage in 2024-25. He went 2-1-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .908 save percentage in 2025-26.

The goalie from Munich has spent most of his time playing in Utica of the American Hockey League the last two years. Despite being on bad teams, Daws put up decent numbers in the AHL He was re-signed to a two-year, one-way deal for $1.1 million AAV. That means he isn’t waivers eligible. If they place him on unconditional waivers, the Devils could risk losing him.

With a combined $3.9 million spent on all three goalies, the Devils could start next season with a three-goalie rotation. The Sabres did it with some success last season by keeping Colten Ellis on the roster with Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Allen will be the number one goalie for the Devils. He has plenty of experience and had 21 quality starts out of 37 last season. On a team that was defensively challenged, he posted a 2.74 GAA and .903 save percentage. With 12 sets of back-to-backs, having three goalies should come in handy.

Mantha Bolsters Scoring Depth

With more room created due to off-loading Nemec and Markstrom, Mehta gave himself enough space to bolster the scoring depth by signing Anthony Mantha on Wednesday, July 15. He agreed to a two-year deal for a $4.75 million AAV.

Coming off his best year that saw him set personal bests in goals (33), assists (31), and points (64), Mantha benefited from playing with Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh. The Penguins shocked many observers by making the postseason. A big part of that was due to what Mantha contributed along with Malkin and Egor Chinakhov. They comprised the Pens’ best line at even strength. Of the 64 points he tallied, 51 were at even strength. He also had seven power-play goals.

When healthy, the 31-year-old is good at finishing around the net. Four times in his career, Mantha has scored 20 or more goals. More of an offensive player than defensive one, how Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe uses him will be crucial to how he performs. Despite being listed at six-foot-five, 240 pounds, he isn’t known for being overly physical. It’s all about production and health for Mantha, who missed most of 2024-25 with a torn right ACL.

He made the most of a prove it deal with the Pens. However, they were unwilling to re-sign him for three years. Instead, the Pens pivoted to Andrei Kuzmenko for a similar one-year deal for $5 million.

One of the big reasons they let Mantha go was due to a poor playoff showing. He disappeared in a six-game first round loss to the Flyers. Mantha finished with only an assist and a minus-5 rating. If there is some cause for concern, he’s never scored a goal in the postseason. He’s got seven assists and a minus-9 in 20 career playoff games.

For the Devils, it’s all about getting back there first. Adding Mantha should help solidify their top nine. If he plays with either Jack Hughes or Hischier, that could prove beneficial.

So much of the Devils’ success depends on their 1-2 punch. Along with Jesper Bratt, they remain the big scorers on the roster. Having better depth thanks to adding Mantha and Rodrigues to a nucleus that includes Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Connor Brown should make them better.

Mehta made sure to get key restricted free agent Arseny Gritsyuk done quickly by re-signing him for three years, $3.25 million AAV on Jun. 30.

A promising forward who came over from the Kontinental Hockey League and registered 13 goals with 18 assists for 31 points in 66 games, Gritsyuk is recovering from shoulder surgery. Like Mantha, he’s a top nine forward who can move up and down the lineup. If he can come back healthy, the skating and skill make him a good candidate to move up into a top six role.

A Better Plan for Success

Most importantly, Mehta didn’t spend to the top of the expanded salary cap. Instead, he’s left $3.85 million in space. Something that should come in handy if he feels the need to make another move, which is a better plan for success.

Considering where they are in terms of the roster, the Devils look pretty set. They have 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goalies. That includes Dougie Hamilton, who’s staying put in New Jersey after a very uneven 2025-26 due to an unnecessary distraction created by Fitzgerald. At the present, Hamilton remains the Devils’ number one defenseman with Luke Hughes right behind.

The top four on the blue line consists of Hamilton, Hughes, Brett Pesce, and Jonas Siegenthaler. All are capable of logging 20 minutes. Hamilton and Hughes will be counted on for supplying offense at five-on-five and on the power play. Pesce and Siegenthaler are defensive defensemen who each will see a lot of time at even strength and on the penalty kill.

Brenden Dillon and Jonathan Kovacevic should be the third pair. Dillon is entering the final year of his contract. He has a $4 million cap hit with a 10-team no trade list. Kovacevic has a $4 million AAV with full trade protection in 2026-27 before the remaining three years become a modified 10-team no trade list.

The only other move Mehta made was inking Declan Chisholm for one year, $1.6 million. Chisholm is a 26-year-old left-handed defenseman with 125 career games. He appeared in 25 contests for the Capitals last season, putting up a goal with six assists while averaging 13:44 of ice time. Chisholm will serve as the seventh defenseman.

The Devils also have Seamus Casey in their system. An offensive defenseman who put up four goals and four assists in 2024-25, he only appeared in two games last season. The 2022 second round pick spent his second pro season with Utica where he had a goal and 18 assists for 19 points. He has an accurate right shot that can beat netminders. However, Casey is still very young.

2024 first round pick Anton Silayev was signed to an entry-level contract. The 20-year-old Silayev will come over from the KHL and start in Utica.

At the very least, Fitzgerald left Mehta with a couple of promising defense prospects who could become part of the Devils’ future on the back end. He also selected Mikhail Yegorov in the second round of 2024 after acquiring that pick from the Mammoth in exchange for John Marino. Yegorov will enter his junior year with Boston University. He’s considered the future in net for the red and black.

With Mehta able to add Amadeus Lombardi and Etienne Morin in the system, Utica should be improved. It’s important to have players ready to be called up in case of injuries. Something that’s become all too common in today’s NHL. With the league adding two more games for an 84-game schedule, boasting more depth matters.

Regardless of what happens next season, the Devils are in better shape moving forward. Something that should reinvigorate a disenchanted fan base.