It’s been a busy and productive summer for the New Jersey Devils. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald made notable splashes by re-signing Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier and trading for 30-goal scorer Tyler Toffoli. Many fans tend to get caught up in the big transactions. However, it’s often the smaller, under-the-radar moves that pay dividends come the postseason. The Devils are firmly in win-now mode, so it will be interesting to revisit these moves next Spring and see if they resulted in a playoff run.
Trading for Colin Miller
It was the midst of a hectic first day of free agency when the Devils acquired Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars. Trading for a bottom-pair defenceman on an expiring contract typically doesn’t get fanbases rowdy. However, Miller could turn out to be an outstanding low-cost acquisition. He’s making a modest $1.85 million next season and fills a big hole on the right side of their defence core.
Colin Miller, traded to NJ, is a third-pair defensive defenceman. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/OPmBkg8Pdj
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2023
What Miller brings on the ice is a defensive-leaning two-way game that has a big shot from the point. He burst onto the scene with Vegas in 2017-18 and was a big part of their Stanley Cup run. For the Devils, he will primarily play on the bottom pair behind Dougie Hamilton and John Marino. It is yet to be seen who his partner will be, but I’d bet it will be one of Kevin Bahl, Luke Hughes, or Brendan Smith.
An underrated aspect of the Miller trade is its trickle-down effect on top prospect Simon Nemec. With the departure of Damon Severson, the Devils lacked experienced depth on the right side. With Luke Hughes playing full-time next season, it would be difficult to imagine Lindy Ruff wanting two rookie defensemen on a team trying to win a Stanley Cup. However, the Miller trade allows Nemec an extra year of seasoning in the AHL.
Not Signing an Overpriced Free Agent
Teams get caught up in the free-agent frenzy all the time, and the Devils have been no different in the past. However, one of their best moves this offseason was not making any. Players like Alex Killorn, Radko Gudas, JT Compher, and Joonas Korpisalo all got massive free-agent deals with new teams. The Devils went into July 1 armed with enough cap space to add any of those players. And while they certainly would have helped the team next season, it would also have massively hamstrung the team financially.
Instead, the Devils sat back, made a couple of minor deals, and let the rest of the league spend their money. Each of the past two seasons, the Devils gave out big free-agent deals to Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat. While they both are key contributors for the Devils moving forward, it was highly unlikely Tom Fitzgerald would hand out another large UFA contract. With most of the team’s core locked down long-term, the main goal in free agency moving forward is to supplement depth rather than add high-end, expensive pieces.
Signing Tomas Nosek
Speaking of adding depth, Tomas Nosek is just the type of bottom-six forward that can help you win a Stanley Cup. Signing a one-year deal worth $1 million, Nosek will come in and provide quality competition for a fourth-line role. Despite his offensive limitations, he brings a lot to the table for the Devils. Nosek is both fantastic in the face-off dot and an energetic penalty killer. He brings a level of physicality and energy left behind by the departure of Miles Woods.
#NEWS: We have signed forward Tomáš Nosek to a one-year, one-way deal.
📰: https://t.co/VQU7s3KMAJ pic.twitter.com/SUsTQcTGrN
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 19, 2023
Nosek also brings another veteran leader with playoff experience to the Devils. Over the past few off-seasons, Fitzgerald made it known he wants to surround his young core with high-character veterans that have played postseason hockey. Nosek has played in the playoffs the past six seasons and, like Colin Miller, was part of the 2017-18 Vegas team that made it to the Finals. He won’t put up any flashy box score numbers, but Nosek is the type of player that can win a big faceoff or block an important shot that may determine if the Devils win a Stanley Cup or not.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
