It’s the dog days of the NHL offseason in the leadup to training camp, which is nearly a month away. The New Jersey Devils have completed most of their offseason work, but they have been active in filling out their depth in recent weeks. Their latest move was signing Cal Foote, Nolan Foote’s brother, to a one-year, two-way deal. In other news, could Tomáš Tatar be Pittsburgh bound? Finally, is Šimon Nemec one of the best non-NHLers in the world? According to The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell, he may very well be. Let’s catch up on the latest Devils news and rumors.
Foote Provides Defensive Insurance
Though the Devils have a more than solid blue line, it never hurts to have more depth. Even if Nemec is one of the best non-NHLers in the world, it seems unlikely he’ll start 2023-24 in the NHL after the Devils acquired Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars on July 1.
Even after acquiring Miller, a right-handed shot, the Devils added more insurance by signing the right-handed Foote. He spent this past season with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators and totaled seven points in 50 games. He struggled to find a consistent role with the Lightning, but he did perform well in his small sample with the Predators, posting a total goals above replacement (GAR) of 2.4.
The terms of Foote’s contract with the Devils are important to note. It’s worth $800,000 at the NHL level and $350,000 at the AHL level. He’ll also earn $450,000 guaranteed, so it’s a good bet he will play NHL games at some point this coming season, even though he’s likely to begin with the Utica Comets in the AHL.
Though Foote hasn’t lived up to being a first-round pick, he’s still capable of handling NHL minutes. He has good size at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and will add a physical presence on the back end. With Miller and Nemec as options behind Dougie Hamilton and John Marino, adding Foote to the fray gives the Devils plenty of depth on the right side. In a league where right-handed defensemen are at a premium, having that kind of depth will go a long way for a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run in 2023-24.
Tatar & the Penguins?
It is surprising to see Tatar remain an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 13. He’s coming off a 20-goal, 48-point season and was a dominant two-way presence at five-on-five. As it turns out, one of the Devils’ division rivals may have interest in the veteran winger.
On a late-night segment on Sportsnet earlier this week, Elliotte Friedman wondered if the Pittsburgh Penguins could target Tatar, even after acquiring Erik Karlsson and $10 million of his $11.5 million cap hit. President of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas has revamped the Penguins’ depth this offseason, and adding Tatar would continue that.
At this point, Tatar shouldn’t cost more than $2 million on a one-year deal. The thing is, the Penguins are about $80,000 over the salary cap, and they’re unlikely to get LTIR relief from Jake Guentzel, who could return a few weeks into the regular season after offseason surgery. That could make signing Tatar tricky, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.
As for a return to the Devils, the longer he goes unsigned, the more I wonder about him re-upping with the team. They have just over $1.9 million in cap space and could offer him a guaranteed deal, something the Penguins might not be able to right now:
Of course, the Devils may want to leave that final spot on the wing open for Alexander Holtz or Graeme Clarke. That means Tatar will be playing elsewhere in 2023-24, but a return to New Jersey would give them one of the best top-nines in the NHL.
Nemec’s Bright Future
The Devils got some draft lottery luck again in 2022, leading to them drafting Nemec. It turns out that pick may pay off big time in the relatively near future. Mitchell’s list includes other promising prospects (Jiri Kulich, Alexander Nikishin), but Nemec may have the most upside given his production as a 19-year-old in the AHL in 2022-23.
Here’s an excerpt of what Mitchell had to say about Nemec:
“His even-strength outscoring was outstanding. Nemec contributed to a 55 percent goal share in the discipline a year ago. When he wasn’t on the ice, the Comets posted just 48 percent of the offence. These would be impressive totals for any minor-league defender, but at his age, Nemec looks like a possible impact player across 200 feet.”
From ‘The 5 best pro hockey players not in the NHL – The Athletic, 8-11-2023’
It’s only a matter of time before Nemec is a regular with the Devils. For now, they have Miller and Foote to insulate him and allow him to get some more seasoning with the Comets. But he could one day anchor the Devils’ top pair, potentially alongside Luke Hughes.
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