As the calendar flips to the final month of 2023 without NHL games, it is a great time to answer questions submitted by The Hockey Writers readers. As always, these are real questions asked of the author on Twitter.
Nothing To Be Concerned Re: Bahl, Right? Just Curious Why It’s Not Done – @Nicovertime
As you are certainly aware by now, Kevin Bahl recently signed a two-year extension to remain in New Jersey. Earlier in the summer Bahl’s camp indicated that there was no concern in getting a deal done, but that they understood that general manager Tom Fitzgerald and his team had a lot on their plate. Of all the free agents the New Jersey Devils had, he was the one that had the least urgency to get done as he could not file for arbitration and was under team control. This is the simplest and most likely explanation for the delay. I would encourage you to check out Bahl’s media availability to announce the signing. He spoke at length about the role he envisions for himself moving forward and what areas of his game he has worked on, and how to use his behemoth stature to his advantage.
Tom [Fitzgerald] Has Said That Tiffoli Was Acquired With the Long Term in Mind and That He Will Let NJ Sell Itself. How Do the Devils Fit Him in Long Term if the Cap Doesn’t Go Up Significantly? – @NotRosetti25
Fitzgerald has taken the wait-and-see approach with all of his players, especially ones he acquired either through free agency (Timo Meier) or trade (Jonas Siegenthaler). He has repeatedly said that he believes the potential future success of the team combined with the quality of life in North Jersey sells itself without him having to do a full-court press to re-sign players. It has worked so far with several players and I would expect the same plan to be deployed with Tyler Toffoli.
In terms of cap space, all reports seem to indicate that there is an expectation that the cap will rise by approximately $5 million next season as the escrow that has been holding up the cap increases will be paid off early this season. As for signing Toffoli long-term, it probably depends on how you define long-term and at what cost. As of now, the Devils have a projected $21.6 million in cap space for next season with 14 players under contract. If Fitzgerald were to get him to sign a three or four-year deal around the $4.25 million he is currently making, it should not prevent them from conducting other business. The one unknown is how he will perform this season and will a player like Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote, or Graeme Clarke push their way into the top six and decrease his long-term value to the team.
The salary cap health of the team long-term is tremendous. With that $21.6 million the only player that will likely cost more than $2 million to re-sign is Dawson Mercer and even he is not arbitration eligible. Other than Toffoli, the only other unrestricted free agents, Colin Miller, Tomas Nosek, and Brendan Smith wouldn’t be difficult to retain at a reasonable price or they will be replaced from within with the likes of Simon Nemec, Topias Vilen, Seamus Casey, and Chase Stillman pushing for roster spots.
Every Year Fans Keep Hearing “The Cap is Going Up, the Cap is Going Up”. Well Why Isn’t It? – @Devlzfan
Many people continue to ask this question and the simple answer is, it likely will but not until the 2024-25 season. The players still owe on the escrow that was accumulated when revenues were flat during the pandemic pause but the players continued to have their salaries paid. Accordingly, the cap stayed at $81.5 million for three straight years then has increased $1 million a year the last two. Rather than force the players to pay back the debt all at once it has been paid off over time with the initial projection being it would be completed during the 2024-25 season. Due to the jump in revenues, the NHL is about a year ahead of schedule and it should be fully paid off by this coming season. With the escrow debt about to be retired, the cap is eligible to increase up to five percent for next season and the current prediction is a jump of approximately $4-5 million.
How Deep Do You Expect the Devils To Go With the Current Goaltending Tandem in the Playoffs Next Season? – @Wakes3019
The Devils are widely considered one of the main contenders for the Stanley Cup this season. The only known concern heading into 2023-24 is the inexperience at the goaltending position. Last season, Vitek Vanecek played so poorly that he looked like a man completely bereft of confidence after the Game 4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He did not see the ice after that game and some fans were even clamoring for Mackenzie Blackwood to leave the scratch suite and enter the crease. Rookie Akira Schmid was a revelation in goal in the first round victory over the New York Rangers, outplaying Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin and shutting out New York in Games 5 and 7. He then met a much harsher fate against Carolina in Round 2.
The question facing Fitzgerald and his staff as they enter the season is, are they willing to risk a year of the primes of Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton on whether Vanecek can turn around his postseason play or that Schmid arrives ahead of schedule and becomes the elite goaltender he showed flashes of against New York? The scariest part is that the answer will remain unknown until the playoffs as regular-season success is not a perfect predictor of postseason success. Staying with the current tandem is a huge risk to take and it is the reason why they have reportedly been in on Connor Hellebuyck and others. Should a deal be able to get done where the Devils can add an elite goaltender, even as a rental, they should push their chips to the center and go all-in. After all, tomorrow is never promised.
When Will We Re-Sign Lindy? – @ChrisGBrown
Lindy Ruff is and will be the head coach of the Devils for the 2023-24 season, that much is clear. I reached out to the Devils for comment on the contract status of Ruff and whether it would be addressed by the team prior to the start of training camp. They responded indicating that nothing has changed since Fitzgerald’s postseason and draft press conferences and that Ruff will be the head coach. Notably, when he was hired the terms of the contract were not disclosed so this is not anything new for the team.
Is Nemec Ready? – @GregKfromNJ
It depends on what you mean by ready. He was lights out in the second half of the Utica Comets season and was impactful in the playoffs. He is still 19 and has only played one year of North American hockey but has excelled at every level and in every competition. The main question is whether the team can live with a third of their starters on defense being rookies after they lost Damon Severson and Ryan Graves. Throw in Bahl’s youth and inexperience and that would make for a steep learning curve. It is most likely that absent forcing his way onto the team through his play in training camp, Nemec will begin the year in Utica but will be in the mix in the NHL come the home stretch.
Who Is the Sleeper in the Devils System? Why Can’t Schmid Be the #1 From the Start? – @fsem86
It would depend on how you define the word sleeper, but of the later-round draft picks, Topias Vilen and Josh Filmon both have a chance to be impactful at the NHL level in the next two to three years. Vilen is a prototypical puck-moving defenseman with NHL size who excelled in the Finnish Liiga last season and has now come to play in North America and said that his goal is to be known as the steal of his draft class. Filmon scored 47 goals last season in the Western Hockey League for the Swift Current Broncos and has stood out during development camp each of the last two seasons.
Related: The Devils’ Best Goalie Option is Juuse Saros
Schmid will get every chance to prove himself in camp this season, but asking a young goalie two years removed from the United States Hockey League who has only played in 24 regular season games in his career to be the starter for a team in the running for the Cup is a lot to ask. Some think he would be better off starting in Utica to allow himself to get full-time starting minutes and build up his stamina in the day-to-day grind, others say his playoff success has earned him a spot in the NHL. With him still being waivers exempt, the Devils have several options on how to deploy him, and much still depends on whether Fitzgerald is done making moves. The other consideration is, how much can you expect of a rookie goaltender playing behind a new defense core that includes several young players?
Do You Think Fitz Is Done Making Moves, or Does He Have More Up His Sleeve? @Donnaaa
With the recent signing of Tomas Nosek, it is difficult to see where the Devils have room to add anyone else as they are already at the limit of 23 contracts. Therefore, any trade would likely have to include a roster player which, right now, seems unlikely. It would not be shocking to see Fitzgerald sign a few players to professional tryout (PTO) contracts before training camp but beyond that, it appears the “Gone Fishing” sign has been hung at the Prudential Center.
The only move left to make would be trading for an elite goaltender or signing a cheap backup to allow Schmid to get more seasoning in Utica. As the summer drags on, these options seem less and less likely and perhaps the Devils see how Vanecek rebounds from the postseason and if needed, take a run at a goalie come the trade deadline.
What Are the Effects of a Goalie Being Traded to a New Franchise at the Deadline, in Comparison to a Timo Meier Who Didn’t Thrive Immediately? Both Mentally and Tactically…. Is It Better To Do [It] Now Versus at the Deadline for the Sake of Locking In? – @WetsideCricker7
I’m not aware of specific data to back this up, but it is easy to see why Fitzgerald often says that good teams are built in the summertime and not at the trade deadline. The more time a player has to acclimate to a system and learn the tendencies of his teammates the better off everyone is. No team has won the Stanley Cup this century with a goaltender that was acquired at the deadline to be their starter. That speaks volumes. There is always an opportunity to be the first but the fact that it has not happened in at least 25 years is a powerful trend to try and buck.
What Do You Think the Timeline for the Bahl Contract Is? – @LiamW1818
If you had Monday, July 31, 2023, in your When Does Kevin Bahl Sign? office pool you would have been the winner. As discussed more fully above, the Devils were never in jeopardy of losing Bahl which likely pushed off the negotiations until Fitzgerald put out all the fires. The two-year $2.1 million contract is a smart deal for both sides and will allow Bahl to have security while he tries to take advantage of the opportunities created by the departures of Severson and Graves.
Thank you to everyone who submitted questions.
