On the Devils' overpaying for depth

Tom Fitzgerald improved the bottom-6 but could've done a better job finding value.

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.

---

By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

If there is one thing New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald set out to do and succeeded in, it was completely overhauling the team’s bottom six. 

New Jersey parted ways with all of Nathan Bastian, Tomas Tatar, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong, Justin Dowling, and Erik Haula. In their stead are Arseni Gritsyuk, Evgenii Dadonov, Connor Brown, Juho Lammikko, and Thomas Bordeleau. 

They also re-upped young center Cody Glass to a two-year, $2.5 million AAV contract.

Even if Dadonov plays in the top six, the presence of Stefan Noesen in the bottom six will be an upgrade over any of the names the Devils moved on from. 

As of right now, this is what the Devils’ bottom two lines should look like:

Arseniy Gritsyuk – Dawson Mercer – Connor Brown

Paul Cotter – Cody Glass – Stefan Noesen

On paper, the Devils’ bottom six suddenly went from their biggest weakness to a strength – something Fitzgerald has shown to this point as a consistent pattern within his moves over the years.

The problem with it, though, is that this upgrade came at the expense of too much cap space. 

Dadonov’s contract is a non-issue, taking up just $1 million of the cap for a potential 40-point producer. Lammikko and Bordeleau, both of whom project to be call-up options, are non-issues as well by virtue of their cap hits being at or below the $800,000 threshold. 

I would also argue that Noesen’s contract is a fair deal considering the utility he brings to the Devils’ power play.

There is a legitimate argument for him being one of the most impactful reasons as to why the Devils’ first power play unit was so dangerous throughout the season.

The issues, then, boil down largely to Brown and Glass, who eat up a combined $5.5 million annually.