James Nichols
Sunny Mehta faces major decisions this summer as he decides on five key New Jersey Devils pending free agents — including one massive maybe.
Priority No.1 for Mehta should be to lock up Nico Hischier as soon as he’s eligible However, he’s got a year left on his deal. It wouldn’t be smart to let it linger, but there is time.
Entering a critical offseason, the Devils absolutely have to get it right. With the emergences of a few younger players, suddenly they have key contracts to figure out that are pending free agents.
The list of Devils free agents at the NHL level is short.
The headliners are Arseny Gritsyuk and Simon Nemec. Then, it’s Evgenii Dadonov, Paul Cotter, Zack MacEwen, and Dennis Cholowski.
On the bubble NHL roster, Nico Daws is another candidate to consider.
Over a week into his tenure as Devils GM, Mehta’s got plenty of decisions to make as his work begins.
Arseny Gritsyuk – Lock Him Up
This one is obvious, right? Gritsyuk was one of the bright spots in a disappointing Devils season.
The Russian winger was as advertised and more, bringing speed, skill, and a nose for the net that the Devils’ bottom-six has often lacked.
In his first full NHL campaign, he showed chemistry with various linemates—namely Cody Glass and Connor Brown—and proved he can contribute at both ends.
He fits the modern NHL—but more specifically, Devils forward archetype: fast, skilled, and responsible. He’s not the biggest at 6-feet tall, but he plays bigger than his size.
We projected Gritsyuk will sign a bridge contract with a bargain cap hit. A short-term deal makes some sense, but it could walk him right into unrestricted free agency.
Mehta’s analytics background should love Gritsyuk’s underlying numbers which prove he’s a bubble top-six forward and perhaps a core piece. Lock Gritsyuk up long-term at a bargain between $6-7 million and reap the. rewards.
Get it done, and get it done quick.
Paul Cotter – Bet on the Bounce Back
If Cotter’s hands and brain ever sync up…
The Devils should be looking to be a harder to play against next season. Subtracting Cotter from that equation is a step back from doing so.
Cotter delivers physicality and forechecking while making puck carriers look over their shoulder while he’s on the ice.
His hits were down in 2025-26 from 245 the season prior to 192. However, who didn’t have an off-year in New Jersey?
Bet on Cotter to get back on track—at least physically—in 2026-27. He’s got wheels to burn which fits the mold of New Jersey, and the Devils certainly need his toughness.
Cotter also proved to be one of the NHLs best in the shootout, which goes back to the thought on whether his hands and brain will sync. He has the ability to chip in more on offense than your average bottom-six grinder. And there’s an outside chance he pops on the scoresheet one of these days.
Regardless, having his combination of speed, grit, and skill in the bottom-six is crucial for New Jersey moving forward.
The best part about it is you don’t have to overcommit. Cotter shouldn’t cost any more than $2-$3 million on a two-to-three year contract, keeping costs low on the fourth line in the rising cap era.
Affordable grit like Cotter’s is tough to replace.
Zack MacEwen – Low-Risk, High-Reward
MacEwen is essentually early access to a free agent. The Devils traded for him earlier in the season, getting themselves out of the Kurtis MacDermid contract.
Unfortunately, injuries completely derailed MacEwen’s season.
Yet, in his two-game sample, MacEwen proved to be a good fit in the Devils’ lineup. He has wheels to keep up with New Jersey’s high pace, he recorded one of the hardest shots in the NHL this season among forwards at 99 MPH (ranked fourth highest in the NHL), and certainly knows how to bring the boom.
MacEwen is a cheaper—and frankly more skilled version of MacDermid who could effectively make the Devils’ fourth line a fast and feared with Cotter.
A one-year, league-minimum deal seems like a no-brainer.
Nico Daws (RFA, Age 22) – The Necessary Safety Net
It might be tough to convince Nico Daws to stay unless he sees he has an opportunity. But it sure is tough to look past the success he has when he pulls a Devils sweater over his head.
The plan was for Daws to become part of New Jersey’s goaltending tandem when he signed a two-year bridge extension in 2024.
However, Jake Allen played his way to a new five-year contract which kept him as Jacob Markstrom‘s 1B.
The problem is that Markstrom’s 2025-26 was as bad as it could get and his new two-year extension has yet to kick in.
However, over the last two seasons in VERY small samples, Daws has been superb. In nine games, he’s accrued a .925 SV% and 2.02 GAA, which includes a shutout against the Minnesota Wild earlier this season.
Daws was always projected to be an NHL starter and certainly has the tools to be one. It’s just a matter of if there’s any room for him to work in New Jersey. He’s got nothing left to prove on the mediocre Utica Comets.
The Maybe: Simon Nemec — Keep or Trade?
This feels like an offseason where the elephants in the room will be addressed.
Nemec has shown promising two-way tools and right-shot upside, but inconsistencies in the defensive zone and looming pay raise on his next contract have fueled trade speculation.
And no, Tom Fitzgerald is no longer the GM, so perhaps it’s a moot point. But, Nemec’s name is always in trade rumors.
Should the Devils sign him to an extension? Maybe, it depends where they land on term and dollars.
However, could he retrieve the Devils the top-six scorer they’ve been seeking? That was the idea at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
The other elephant in the room is Dougie Hamilton. Can Mehta mend that relationship? At that point, a decision will have to be made. The Devils cannot afford all three of Hamilton, Nemec, and Luke Hughes.
As of late April, Nemec remains a high-ceiling asset—but one the Devils could realistically move for an upgrade in the top-six.
