The New Jersey Devils have already spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster, the bench, and even the front office. Seven forwards are in the mix, Barrett Hayton still sits on a pending offer sheet, and the coaching staff has been stripped down to just Brad Shaw from Sheldon Keefe’s original group after Jeremy Colliton, Dave Rogalski, and Sergei Brylin moved on. The front office looks different too, with Sunny Mehta replacing Tom Fitzgerald as GM and Chuck Fletcher, Dan MacKinnon, and Meghan Duggan also out of their previous roles.
Amid all that turnover, one move is starting to draw real attention: the Devils’ acquisition of Amadeus Lombardi.
Mehta was the first player move of note in his new role, bringing in the former Detroit Red Wings prospect. Lombardi may have the most New Jersey name imaginable, but the more important part is that he arrives with a real opportunity to carve out a place for himself.
The undersized center has been producing at a near point-per-game pace with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, and he has yet to get a true NHL chance. New Jersey appears ready to see what he can do. If Hayton eventually joins the club, Lombardi would be part of a forward group that also includes Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist.
On Monday’s final 32 Thoughts of the season, Elliotte Friedman singled Lombardi out as someone worth watching.
"There was another interesting (move) the Devils did. His name is Amadeus Lombardi.
This one got flagged for me... And, you know, I'm always interested when a guy like Sunny Mehta trades for a player like this.
"
Friedman also noted that Lombardi had a contract situation with the Red Wings, which helped lead to the trade. New Jersey then signed him to a two-year deal, with the second year being a one-way contract. That matters: a two-way deal pays different salaries depending on whether a player is in the NHL or AHL, while a one-way deal pays the NHL salary either way.
For the Devils, the appeal is obvious. Lombardi brings offense to a position where depth can be hard to find, and he has a track record that suggests he can score. He topped 100 points in his final OHL season and has found success at every level he’s played.
There are still questions, of course. Lombardi struggled in the preseason last year, finishing with zero points in three games and only three shots. But New Jersey seems willing to bet on growth, and Friedman’s mention only adds to the sense that this is a move worth monitoring.
The Devils may have found a player with real upside - now the wait begins to see whether Lombardi can turn that production into NHL impact.
In Other News...
Devils Pipeline Shakeup Just Cost Utica A Notable Young Piece
The Utica Comets have spent the offseason in motion, and the latest round of changes has only sharpened the sense that New Jersey is treating its AHL pipeline with real urgency. Devils general manager Sunny Mehta has made it clear the organization wants Utica to matter in a bigger way, with player development and the affiliates day-to-day success folded into the same planning process as the NHL club.
That shift has come with some notable turnover, including departures that change the look of the Comets roster heading toward 2025-26. Angus Crookshank is among the names moving out, and the ripple effect is already being felt in Utica as the team resets around a new mix of signings and trades before the Comets return to the Adirondack Bank Center for their Oct. 10 home opener in 2026-27. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Are Quietly Redrawing Uticas Depth Chart This Summer
Uticas summer reset has been easy to miss from a distance, but the Comets have spent the early weeks of the offseason quietly remaking the roster around the edges. Under GM Braden Birch, the Devils AHL affiliate has already seen some notable departures and a fresh wave of additions, with the kind of turnover that can change the look of a depth chart long before training camp opens.
The most interesting part for New Jersey is how many of the new faces are arriving with a chance to matter quickly. Utica has brought in a mix of proven AHL scorers, reclamation projects and depth signings, while also keeping several familiar pieces in place on new deals. The result is a roster that feels less settled than it did a few weeks ago, and the next question is which of these moves are simply about filling out the Comets, and which ones are aimed at creating a real path upward for Devils prospects. [Read more 🡒]