The Ducks’ cap squeeze could hand the Devils a real opening, and Troy Terry looks like the kind of winger worth chasing.
Anaheim is staring at a messy financial situation after matching Leo Carlsson’s $18 million AAV offer sheet. The Ducks have a little more than $9 million in cap space left, and they still need to get Cutter Gauthier signed to a long-term extension. That deal is expected to come in well north of $13 million per season, with David Pagnotta reporting the early belief was that Gauthier would land at $15 million a year.
That leaves ex-Devil Pat Verbeek with a tough task: clearing at least six million per season. Chris Kreider and Alex Killorn have already surfaced as possible cap casualties, but neither veteran jumps off the page. Kreider is making $6.5 million this season, Killorn $6.25 million, and both are coming off years that have dulled their appeal.
Terry, though, is a different conversation.
The 28-year-old winger just posted 57 points in 61 regular-season games, then added three goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games. Nineteen of those 57 points were goals, which means he fell short of 20 for the first time in five years. Still, he already has a 37-goal season on his résumé, and that came during the first year he was given top-six minutes.
The numbers underneath the surface are strong, too. In 2025-26, according to HockeyStats, Terry ranked in the 94th percentile in even-strength offensive wins above replacement and the 70th percentile in even-strength defensive WAR. His microstats also point to a player who does damage in a lot of different ways, especially when the game opens up.
He landed in the 86th, 84th, and 84th percentiles in zone entries, rush shots, and rush assists, which is a pretty clear sign that he can be a transition weapon. In the offensive zone, he grades above average in shot assists, scoring chances, and forecheck involvement. Put it together and you get a winger who can contribute in a bunch of different areas and has backed it up with steady 5-on-5 production.
That profile should matter for the Devils, who still need a legitimate top-six winger to slot next to Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Terry isn’t huge, and he isn’t physical, but he wins his minutes and has put up strong numbers on an Anaheim team that has often struggled outside of 2025-26.
There’s also a buy-low angle here. Terry would ease most, if not all, of Anaheim’s cap issues for 2026-27, and he’s expected to miss the first couple of months of the season after undergoing the same hip surgery Nikita Kucherov had years ago.
New Jersey can survive that early stretch with its current depth, and Terry would be the best winger to have played with Jack and Jesper to this point. It’s the kind of move that makes too much sense, and Sunny Mehta should be looking into it.
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