Grading the New Jersey Devils' 2023 off-season

Alex Chauvancy broke down all of Tom Fitzgerald's notable off-season moves in his latest.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

Barring something unforeseen, the New Jersey Devils' off-season is complete. While it wasn't as busy a summer for general manager Tom Fitzgerald as last year's, he still made a handful of moves to help his squad improve for the 2023-24 season. 

Let's grade each move as we gear up for training camp, which begins about three weeks from now. 

Devils acquire Toffoli

This was the Devils' marquee move of the summer. Tyler Toffoli is coming off the best season of his career, totaling 34 goals and 73 points in 82 games with the Calgary Flames. Going back the other way to Calgary was a 2023 third-round pick and Yegor Sharangovich. 

Toffoli is an ideal fit for the Devils' top-6. Even though he probably won't total 73 points again, he's a high-volume shooter who creates plenty of chances in the offensive zone. He may not be the best skater, but he can still create off the rush. 

The good news is the Devils won't ask him to do the heavy lifting in transition with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, so there shouldn't be too much concern about his skating. He'll also help a good Devils power play looking to take a step forward and become a top-10 unit in the league. 

Toffoli posted a career-high goals above replacement (GAR) of 21.1 and a career-high expected GAR of 26.3 last season. He is a prime regression candidate, especially when looking at his career GAR chart:

Even though Toffoli will probably come back to earth this season, he's still a good bet for 25-30 goals and ~60 points. While Sharangovich has shown goal-scoring ability in the past, the Devils didn't give up much to make this trade.

Toffoli has one year left on his contract but it comes at a valuable cap hit of $4.25 million. He will have plenty of pieces around him to help him be a top scorer and should fit in with what Lindy Ruff is looking for up front.

If all goes well, the Devils consider extending him down the road. 

Grade: A-

Devils acquire Miller