Devils Re-Sign Ben Steeves to a 1-Year Contract

Earlier today, the New Jersey Devils announced that they have re-signed forward Ben Steeves to a one-year, two-way contract. For 2026-27, he will receive $850,000 at the NHL level and $150,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level.

#NEWS: We’ve signed Ben Steeves to a one-year, two-way contract.

📰: https://t.co/D6fapSX0zj pic.twitter.com/FZploLumoF

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 6, 2026

He joined the Devils last week as part of the Jacob Markstrom trade, along with Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist. Ahead of the deal, the Florida Panthers did extend a qualifying offer to retain his rights as a restricted free agent (RFA). 

Steeves spent the last few seasons with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, tallying 75 points in 140 regular-season games and eight points in 21 playoff games. During his college career, he spent two seasons with the University of Minnesota Duluth. He went undrafted, then signed an entry-level contract with the Panthers. The deal featured a $950,000 cap hit and expired at the end of last season.

Steeves has yet to make his NHL debut and is expected to spend the majority of the season with the Utica Comets, but there’s a chance that he can impress the coaching staff and break onto the Devils’ fourth line. He could also become a depth player called up in the event of injury.

After re-signing Steeves and Jakub Malek, the Devils have $7.63 million remaining in cap space. So far this offseason, general manager Sunny Mehta has been making low-risk moves that continue to point the team in the right direction.

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