Taking stock of the New Jersey Devils' pending free agents

The Devils have 10 players on expiring contracts. Who stays, who goes?

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New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of housekeeping to do in the coming weeks.

While the Devils don’t have many high-profile names due for extensions, there are seven unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents to make decisions on before July 1.

Let’s comb through them and look at how each situation may play out.

RFA - Cody Glass

I don’t think Glass had a great playoffs but, by and large, he played very well after coming over from the Penguins.

From deadline day through the end of the regular season, he posted a 55.56 CF%, 53.90 xGF%, and +4 goal differential (9 GF, 5 GA) during 5v5 play.

He helped the team with exits and entries and did a lot of little things to help drive play and get the Devils situated in the offensive zone, which they desperately needed help with sans Jack Hughes.

Glass also provided much-needed juice offensively, producing 2.05 points per 60 minutes at 5v5. Nobody on the roster bested that output during his time with the team.

Glass has arbitration rights and carries a minimum qualifying offer of $2.5 million so he does have some leverage in negotiations. A 2-3 year extension in the ~$2.75 million range is the most likely outcome.

UFA - Tomas Tatar

Tatar is a well-liked player in the locker room, he works hard and, quite frankly, I think he played his role better than given credit for this season. Even so, I’d be surprised if he’s brought back.

There just isn’t a lot of meat on the bone left with his game. He doesn’t possess much speed, he’s not a threat off the rush, he doesn’t score, he doesn’t provide a physical presence, and at 34 his impacts are more likely to worsen than get better.

The bottom-6 needs a refresh and that means moving on.

UFA - Nathan Bastian