​Ever since the New Jersey Devils missed out on Barrett Hayton when the Utah Mammoth chose to match their offer sheet, fans have been left wondering where the team will pivot next. Today, I’m not going to chase a blockbuster trade, even though there are a few third-line centers on less competitive teams I’d love to see the Devils pursue. Instead, I’ve scanned the remaining free agents to find players who fit a specific profile: they should have a positive analytical footprint, be above-average or strong forecheckers, and not command an inflated price. With that criteria in mind, here are several moves that could bolster the New Jersey Devils while preserving cap space for midseason adds, whether that means another scoring forward or a higher-profile goaltender than the team currently possesses.
In free agency, the loudest splash attracts the most attention, but many valuable players in the middle or bottom of the lineup aren’t flashy. Danton Heinen embodies this phenomenon well. Over the past three seasons, among the 261 forwards in the NHL who have logged 2,300 or more minutes, Heinen ranks 58th in goals-for percentage at 55.26 (105-85). He also sits 190th in offensive zone start percentage at 48.39, all while having played for four teams: Vancouver, Boston, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. It’s puzzling to me why he never sticks in one place. To me, Heinen represents exactly what a team asks for from a bottom-six winger: continued scoring when he’s on the ice, and a tendency to allow the opposition to score less than usual. According to HockeyViz, he delivers one of the best defensive impacts among heavily used forwards in the league. With the Devils’ current bottom six containing some uncertainties and the top six featuring a wing vacancy, Heinen could serve as a glue player capable of handling shutdown shifts alongside Nico Hischier or a defensive-minded third-line center, all while being statistically unlikely to hurt the Devils in any way. Heinen is also historically a strong forechecker, complementing the team’s evolving defensive approach and net-front presence, making him a natural fit for the Devils’ renewed emphasis under Sunny Mehta.
I’m grouping this as one move because I see it as a pivotal “money out, quality in” scenario. Throughout his career, I’ve appreciated watching Nick Bjugstad play, with his shoot-heavy approach generating bottom-six scoring on the right side. Yet, as he’s aged, that offensive bite has diminished, and he lacks the defensive or net-front game to compensate. Adam Henrique, meanwhile, has spent the last couple of seasons in a heavily defensive role with the Edmonton Oilers. What’s notable is that Henrique has shouldered the defensive duties of those minutes at the expense of his own goal-scoring. From Evolving-Hockey, the data suggest Henrique can be trusted in high-leverage defensive assignments—an appealing complement to Bjugstad’s profile if paired thoughtfully.