The Devils’ roster picture for 2026-27 is already taking shape, even if free agency is about to throw everything into the blender.
This is the first pass at what New Jersey could look like next season, and it comes with a big asterisk: plenty can still change before the dust settles. But based on where things stand now, the Devils already have the bones of a lineup that looks pretty familiar in a lot of places.
Up front, the top six is largely intact. Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Connor Brown are projected to stay together on the first line after what the source describes as a strong 2025-26 run.
Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer would form the second unit, with Mercer’s move up the lineup tied to injuries that pushed him into that spot last season. He performed well there, and the big question is whether he can hold onto that role when the new season opens.
The lower half of the forward group is where things get a little murkier. Arseni Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Evan Rodrigues are projected on the third line.
Gritsyuk had been playing in the top six, but he just had surgery to repair an upper-body injury, and the expectation is that Sheldon Keefe may want to keep his minutes in check so he doesn’t aggravate it again. Rodrigues, who came over from the Florida Panthers in the Jacob Markstrom trade, gives New Jersey another player who has worked in a top-line role before, so he could also slide into a different spot depending on how the mix develops.
The fourth line projection has Jesper Boqvist, Nick Bjugstad, and Stefan Noesen. Boqvist was also part of the Markstrom deal and is back after spending four seasons with the Devils earlier in his career. All three bring veteran experience, but how that group actually fits together is something that will have to be sorted out in training camp.
The Devils also have pending unrestricted free agents in Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, and Paul Cotter, so even this forward group could still change before the season starts. For now, the team has a framework in place, but the exact line combinations remain fluid.
On defense, the structure looks even steadier. Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton are projected together, with Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce as the next pair, followed by Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic.
Dennis Cholowski is the pending UFA on the blue line. Even after the Devils traded Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames, they still have six defensemen signed for 2026-27, and the pairings don’t appear to be moving much from last season.
Health is the big concern here, especially after all the injuries that forced the team to shuffle and rest players throughout 2025-26. The Devils don’t have a seventh NHL-ready defenseman waiting in the wings, so staying healthy matters a lot.
In goal, the situation is less settled. With Markstrom now gone to the Panthers, Jake Allen is currently lined up to be the starter.
He played 37 games last season and finished 17-17-2. He brings plenty of NHL experience and is just three games short of 500 for his career, but the source makes clear that whether management sees him as a true No. 1 is still an open question.
Nico Daws looks like the next man up as the backup. He played in three games last season and went 2-1-0, and he now has 55 NHL games on his résumé. Daws is a restricted free agent, but he did receive a qualifying offer from the Devils, which adds another layer to a goaltending situation that already feels unsettled.
And there may still be another move coming. With Markstrom heading to Florida and the Panthers adding Akira Schmid the day before, Sergei Bobrovsky is set to reach free agency. The question hanging over New Jersey is whether that opens the door for a pursuit, or whether the Devils are comfortable moving ahead with Allen and Daws.
General manager Sunny Mehta has only just taken over, but he’s already been active in shaping the roster for 2026-27. There’s still a lot of offseason left, but this is where the Devils stand for now.
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