The New Jersey Devils find themselves in a pretty good position this offseason. While they do have to re-sign Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier, they have $34 million to do it. Losing the salaries of Miles Wood, Damon Severson, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Ryan Graves helps give significant raises to Meier and Bratt. However, Severson and Graves leave major holes in the defense.
In theory, the Devils would replace them with Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. The 2021 fourth-overall pick and the 2022 second-overall pick are primed for the NHL. Hughes already got a taste, playing a few games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes.