The Devils may be staring at a roster squeeze. One look at the depth chart suggests why: “They have 15 players who have either spent real time playing an everyday role at the NHL level, or players who require waivers to be sent down.
Let’s take a rough look at the depth chart to get a feel for where things stand.” That’s the kind of number that can crowd a roster fast.
There’s also a sense that the offseason picture is still being shaped, even if the broad direction is clearer now. As one assessment put it, “While the offseason probably isn’t over yet, we’ve seen enough from Mehta to confirm that he would take a different approach to improving the Devils’ roster. Thankfully, there’s been a much-needed influx of skill and goal-scoring capability that should better suit the Devils’ core.”
Around the league, the Stars signed Jason Robertson to a one-year deal, and John Marino landed an eight-year deal.
The NHL is also taking over local broadcasts for four teams next season. According to the Associated Press, the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes will be among the clubs with game telecasts produced and distributed by the league, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and St.
Louis Blues. The report said NHL Productions will handle those local broadcasts when the season begins in late September.
And with expansion talk simmering, one broader question is back on the table: “Would another NHL expansion draft dilute the rest of the league too much? Is it even possible to build a competitive roster through that process in today’s NHL?
With the NHL in the exploratory phases of expanding to either Austin or Houston, those questions could actually get answered. Today, we’re going to test the waters to get an early gauge of what a 33rd team could realistically look like.”
In Other News...
Quinn Hughes Just Gave Devils Fans Another Reason To Dream
Quinn Hughes is still under contract for the next NHL season, but his long-term future remains unsettled, and that alone is enough to keep Devils fans watching every offseason breadcrumb. The speculation around him has only grown because he has been spending the summer in New Jersey and New York rather than Minnesota, with training camp about six weeks away and the clock starting to feel a lot louder for everyone involved.
For New Jersey, the intrigue is obvious: a player of Hughes caliber lingering in the region naturally invites dream scenarios, even if nothing official has been announced. The Wild still have time to sort out their end of the business, whether that means a new deal or another path entirely, but the longer this stretches into late summer, the more it starts to feel like one of those situations that could reshape the conversation around both teams before the season even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Just Lost The Trade Target Fans Wanted Most
The Devils were already scanning the market for ways to add more punch up front, and Jason Robertson had been the kind of high-end name that could have changed the conversation. Instead, his new one-year, $12 million deal in Dallas takes him out of the mix and leaves New Jersey looking at a thinner pool of options as it tries to round out a roster that still feels like it needs another difference-maker.
With that door closed, the pressure shifts to the next tier of possibilities and the Devils own lineup puzzle. New Jersey still has a clear need in its top six, and the remaining premium names are not exactly plentiful, which is why the discussion now turns to whether the club can land one more impact forward or has to pivot to a different kind of fit altogether. [Read more 🡒]