[REVISION HISTORY]

Devils roster overhaul: Hischier extension and Nemec trade

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-26 05:09 UTC → 2026-09-09 06:44 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following a difficult 2026-27 season, General Manager Sunny Mehta has continued to restructure the New Jersey Devils' roster and salary cap. A key component of this strategy involved offloading Jacob Markstrom’s $6 million annual cap hit via a trade to the Florida Panthers, which provided the financial flexibility to implement a goaltending platoon system. In this system, Nico Daws has been signed to a new contract to remain on the NHL roster, supported by David Rittich and Jake Allen. The team is moving toward a three-man rotation in net, with Mehta expressing confidence in the defensive unit led by Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes. While the NHL depth is established, the organization is addressing a shortage of reliable backup options for the AHL’s Utica Comets behind sophomore Jakub Málek, with interest noted in college free agent Philip Svedebäck. Looking further ahead, prospect Mikhail Yegorov is expected to debut by the 2028-29 season. As the team enters training camp, the goaltending situation has evolved into a “crease-by-committee” approach to determine the starting lineup. This competition features veterans Jake Allen and David Rittich alongside Nico Daws, who recently signed a two-year, $2.2 million contract. Mehta noted that moving Markstrom—whose performance included a career-low .883 save percentage—was intended to create a clearer development path for players like Daws. The team will use four preseason games to evaluate the trio before the regular season begins. On the skater side, the team continues to manage the fallout of trading defenseman Šimon Nemec to the Calgary Flames for conditional first-round picks, a second-round pick, and Etienne Morin. After unsuccessful attempts to acquire a major top-line winger, the Devils are now looking to resolve their top-six forward group through internal competition involving Arseny Gritsyuk, Connor Brown, and Dawson Mercer.

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