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Devils' offseason questions: From Jacob Markström to forward options

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Devils' offseason questions: From Jacob Markström to forward options


The New Jersey Devils already answered their biggest question of the offseason, hiring Sheldon Keefe as their head coach. President of hockey operations Tom Fitzgerald, though, is far from done, especially after a disappointing 81-point season.

New Jersey has over $19 million in cap space with which to work, per CapFriendly. Some of that space will almost certainly go to restricted free agent Dawson Mercer, and Fitzgerald also has multiple potential free-agent departures to replace. Still, he’ll have the flexibility to add to a club that won a playoff series in 2023.

Let’s look at five major questions facing the organization heading into the offseason.


Will Fitzgerald make his Mark(ström) in the goalie market?

The Devils tried to go into 2022-23 with the combination of Vitek Vanecek, playoff hero Akira Schmid and Nico Daws. That went poorly: New Jersey finished with the sixth-worst save percentage in the league, and Fitzgerald dealt away Vanecek at the deadline. Schmid, 24, and Daws, 23, spent time in the AHL during the season. Neither was ready for the responsibility of a full-time NHL starter.

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New Jersey took its first steps to address its goaltending shortcomings at the 2024 trade deadline, acquiring Jake Allen from Montreal and Kaapo Kahkonen from San Jose. Kahkonen will likely walk in free agency, but Allen will be back for 2024-25. If all goes to plan for Fitzgerald, he’ll be the Devils’ No. 2: The Devils executive made clear he intends to go “big-game hunting” for a goaltender this summer.

Calgary’s Jacob Markström looks like the potential front-runner to fill the void in New Jersey. When he’s at his best, the 34-year-old is one of the top goalies in the league. He has two years left on his deal with a $6 million cap hit. Fitzgerald reportedly engaged in talks for Markström during the regular season, so it would make sense for those talks to pick up. Though he made clear there is no trade framework complete, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston said on his podcast, “I have to believe the Devils get this done.”

Nashville’s Juuse Saros and Boston’s Linus Ullmark could also make sense as “big-game” targets. Both have one year left on their deals, and Ullmark has a 15-team no-trade list.

The Devils also have to decide how much they’re willing to give up for a goaltender. That brings us to our next question.

What will New Jersey do with the No. 10 pick?

Fitzgerald told NHL.com that he’s open to trading the No. 10 pick for something significant. Perhaps that could be the centerpiece of a goalie trade.

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If New Jersey keeps the No. 10 pick, it has a chance to find a foundational piece. Recent successful No. 10 picks include Mikko Rantanen (2015) and Evan Bouchard (2018). Of course, it’s easier said than done to hit on a pick. Plenty of teams have swung and missed in recent years with selections in that range.

In a recent mock draft by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman and Max Bultman, Pronman picked London’s Sam Dickinson at No. 10.

“I love his role as a matchup defenseman who you can pair with Hughes or Nemec and let them run around making plays,” wrote Pronman, who also mentioned Oshawa’s Beckett Sennecke as someone who could be available in that range.

Who do the Devils target at forward?

New Jersey has holes to fill at forward, especially after moving Tyler Toffoli at the trade deadline. Toffoli would make sense on next year’s team — he had 33 goals last season, 26 of which were with New Jersey — but he wanted a longer-term deal than Fitzgerald felt comfortable giving out ahead of the deadline. That makes a reunion seem unlikely.

Targeting a top-six wing to replace Toffoli would make sense for Fitzgerald. Jake Guentzel is the highest-profile free agent wing on the market. He’ll be 30 at the start of next season, so there’s risk in giving him a long-term deal, especially if it’s around $8 million to $9 million annually. Viktor Arvidsson, Jake DeBrusk and Tyler Bertuzzi are among the others who could make sense as top-six options. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn recently put together a breakdown of the top wings on the market.

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New Jersey will have to add depth, too. Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney are pending unrestricted free agents, and the Devils have a hole left by Michael McLeod, who, along with defenseman Cal Foote, was charged with sexual assault in connection with a 2018 incident in London, Ont. Both players were granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team in January.

Could Fitzgerald look for a penalty-killing defenseman?

Brendan Smith, a pending free agent, finished second on the team in short-handed ice time last season. Colin Miller was dealt to Winnipeg at the deadline but still finished sixth in short-handed ice time.

Simon Nemec, who had an impressive rookie season, could see an increased penalty-killing role, and John Marino, Jonas Siegenthaler and Kevin Bahl will be back. But the front office could consider adding someone to help in short-handed situations.

What will Dawson Mercer’s next contract look like?

Mercer’s scoring numbers dipped in 2023-24, but he’s still a promising player. The 22-year-old has already played 246 games, 82 in each of his three NHL seasons, and is fifth in the 2020 draft class in points (131). How much he makes in restricted free agency will eat into the Devils’ cap space. With Mercer coming off a career-worst 33-point season, Evolving-Hockey projects him to get a two-year bridge deal worth $3.8 million annually.

(Photo of Timo Meier taking a shot on Jacob Markström: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

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Dan Levy’s new Netflix comedy ‘Big Mistakes’ was filmed at these New Jersey locations

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Dan Levy’s new Netflix comedy ‘Big Mistakes’ was filmed at these New Jersey locations


Filming Big Mistakes in New Jersey was no mistake at all.

The Netflix comedy series, which debuted earlier this month, has already hit the streaming service’s Global Top 10 English TV List, making it one of the most-watched shows out right now.

As per Netflix, the comedy series co-created, executive produced, written and starring Emmy winner Dan Levy, follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega), two deeply incapable siblings who are in over their heads when a misguided theft for their dying grandmother accidentally pulls them into the world of organized crime. Blackmailed into increasingly dangerous assignments, they clumsily fail upwards, sinking deeper into chaos they’re ill-equipped to handle. The dark comedy, which has only eight episodes, has a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes so far. 

RECOMMENDED: Where was ‘Beef’ season 2 filmed? Behind the locations of the dark Netflix comedy

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Set in the fictional New Jersey suburb of Glenview, the series was fittingly filmed primarily in numerous towns and cities in New Jersey, including Caldwell, Cranford, Franklin Lakes, Irvington, Jersey City, Union, Warren and Weehawken for a total of 40 filming locations. (The cartel storyline in Episode 7 was shot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where its coastline and architecture doubled as Miami’s waterfront, luxury estates and yacht life.)

“I’ve really enjoyed shooting in New Jersey,” location manager Mia Thompson said. “We have quite a number of recurring locations that have all just been wonderful—not only the home owners, but the business owners, the towns, the local police, the local fire departments, the town clerks. It’s been a really great experience.”

More than 300 cast and crew and 500 vendors took part in the production. Ortega, who plays Morgan, is actually a New Jersey native and was surprised to film in her backyard.

“It was surreal getting to film in my home state,” she said. “I grew up in New Jersey and was obsessed with film and television and never thought I’d be returning home for such a major project and moment in my life.”

The show filmed the scenes at Morelli’s Hardware, run by Nicky and Morgan’s mom (Laurie Metcalf), at Edison Millwork & Hardware, a more than 50-year-old, family-owned hardware store in Edison.

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Photograph: Spencer Pazer, courtesy Netflix | Big Mistakes filmed at a mom-and-pop hardware store in New Jersey

“It’s one of the few mom and pop hardware stores that are left anywhere, really, so it was really great to find this location that fits very perfectly with our story,” Thompson said.

The show was also filmed at Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Millburn—the backdrop for Nicky’s day job as a pastor and his living space. 

Big Mistakes filmed at a real church in New Jersey. Dan Levy is pictured behind the camera in his pastor costume
Photograph: Spencer Pazer, courtesy Netflix | Big Mistakes filmed at a real church in New Jersey

“We’ve utilized every inch of space of that church inside and out,” said Thompson. “They’ve enjoyed the experience just as much as we have.”

Other spots they filmed at include Deerfield School, Essex County Airport, Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Hatfield Swamp, Springfield Municipal Building and the Crystal Inn in Eatontown.

Big Mistakes on location at the inn
Photograph: Spencer Pazer, courtesy Netflix | Big Mistakes on location at the inn

“One thing about New Jersey is that it’s so diverse. The various neighborhoods offer different kinds of looks and aesthetics,” said Thompson. “You have everything that you could ask for.”

See Jersey in all eight episodes, streaming now on Netflix.



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ACLU featured at Bruce Springsteen No Kings show in New Jersey

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ACLU featured at Bruce Springsteen No Kings show in New Jersey


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There will be No Kings at the Monday, April 20 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show at the Prudential Center in Newark but the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey will be there.

The group will be the “featured organization” for the New Jersey stop of the band’s Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.

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“We’re honored to have the opportunity to work with New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen to advocate for the rights and freedoms that all people deserve,” said ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha in statement. “This moment requires all of us, and we are grateful to Bruce, who is using his platform to fight against authoritarianism and for our rights. We share a love for New Jersey and a desire to make the Garden State safer and freer for everyone who calls it home. Our team is thrilled to connect with everyone who shares our mission to protect and defend civil liberties, and who knows the power that art and music have to change the world.”

Springsteen said the American Dream is under attack by “our wannabe king and his rogue government” when he announced the tour on Feb. 17. Promotional posters for the tour features the phrase “No Kings,” a reflection of the national anti-President Donald Trump protests that have taken place in the last year.

The tour kickoff was March 31 at the Target Center in Minneapolis and it included 27 songs over three hours. The show also featured some direct talk from Springsteen on the state of the country. The setlist included the newly composed “Streets of Minneapolis,” written after the fatal shooting by federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti of Minneapolis in January.

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ACLU-NJ representatives will be at the Prudential Center to talk to concertgoers about its work. The American Civil Liberties Union previously released an ad with the Springsteen classic “Born in the U.S.A.” featured on the eve of the Supreme Court case where the ACLU is challenging the President Trump’s executive order attempting to overturn the current interpretation of 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to those born in the U.S. regardless of their parents’ legal status.

Visit www.aclu-nj.org for more info on the ACLU-NJ.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com



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NJ Lottery Pick-3, Pick-4, Cash 5, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Sunday, April 19

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The New Jersey Lottery offers multiple draw games for people looking to strike it rich.

Here’s a look at April 19, 2026, results for each game:

Pick-3

Midday: 8-7-3, Fireball: 9

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Evening: 5-0-8, Fireball: 0

Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick-4

Midday: 4-7-7-9, Fireball: 9

Evening: 5-9-7-8, Fireball: 0

Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Jersey Cash 5

20-25-35-38-45, Xtra: 35

Check Jersey Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Millionaire for Life

32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Quick Draw

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

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Cash Pop

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the New Jersey Lottery drawings held?

  • Pick-3: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
  • Pick-4: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
  • Jersey Cash 5: 10:57 p.m. daily.
  • Pick-6: 10:57 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Jersey Sr Breaking News Editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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