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.

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.

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.

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)