On Wednesday it was announced that New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald chose Sheldon Keefe as the team’s next head coach. Keefe’s hiring was the first item on Fitzgerald’s off-season to-do list, but several remain. Keefe, the former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will now get to work assembling a coaching staff and installing a system of play designed to return the Devils to prominence.
Traditionally, new coaches bring in veteran players to smooth the rough edges of learning a new style of play. Having players familiar with how a coach wants the team to practice and play can speed up acclimating to a new scheme. While the Devils can’t solve their goalie problem by looking to the Maple Leafs, they could address other needs, such as finding complementary forwards and veteran defensemen. Toronto has six skaters poised to become free agents on July 1; here is a look at four who could fit in the Devils’ plans financially and schematically. (Salary projections from AFP Analytics)
Max Domi – Forward – Projection: 2 years x $3.575 million
Throughout his career, Max Domi has been a polarizing player. He has never fully lived up to the hype that led the then-Phoenix Coyotes to select him with the 12th overall pick in 2013. Now, after nine seasons in the NHL, he has settled into a role as a gritty middle-six player who can contribute both at center and on the wing.
In a way, he is a younger version of Erik Haula, a useful player on successful clubs who frequently changed teams. This season, Domi saved his best play for the second half and the playoffs, where his ice time steadily increased. With the absence of William Nylander and Auston Matthews at different points in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins, Domi was thrust up in the lineup and responded with four points in seven games.
He would add grit and secondary offense to the Devils and solidify a third line with Ondrej Palat and Haula that could be as good as any in the NHL. Domi does come with some risk, as he has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career. But he seemed to find a role in Toronto when asked to center the third line.
In the playoffs, Domi played the second most minutes at 5v5 of any forward and was only on the ice for three goals against. The Maple Leafs’ goaltenders played to a .944 save percentage (SV%) with him on the ice. If the Devils can get Domi at the predicted price and term, he would be a good addition to their middle six as a versatile player who can contribute to the second power-play unit while providing some snarl.
Tyler Bertuzzi – Forward – Projection: 4 years x $5.2 million
Like Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi was brought to Toronto to add some toughness and secondary scoring. Bertuzzi is a middle-six winger who can be counted on for 20-30 goals per season and almost 90 hits. He plays big on the walls and around the crease. He can be an agitator, which is something the Devils are in desperate need of acquiring. The biggest concern about Bertuzzi would be the cost.
His ice time and success increased rapidly as the season progressed. He found a role in Toronto, setting the tone in tough areas similar to what Timo Meier does when healthy. Bertuzzi isn’t the play-driver that Meier is, but he is skilled as a net-front presence at even strength and on the power play.
In this season’s playoffs, he played the most minutes at 5v5 of any Toronto forward, and the Maple Leafs outscored Boston 6-3 with him on the ice and played to a .946 SV%. Whether the Devils take a run at Bertuzzi and look to invest that amount of money in a player who could play alongside Jack Hughes will largely depend on Keefe’s recommendation.
Joel Edmundson – Defenseman – Projection: 2 years x $1.6 million
Joel Edmundson is the prototypical size for a modern defensive defenseman at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. He has a wealth of experience at 30, with a Stanley Cup to his credit from his time with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. As a free agent, he will likely have a choice to stay and play for his former coach, Craig Berube, or move on to a place like New Jersey, which is seeking stability and experience. He had little time to play under Keefe as a deadline acquisition from the Washington Capitals.
Edmundson is neither flashy nor an offensive threat, but he plays heavy, leverages his size, and can be utilized on a shutdown defense pairing and on the power play. One concern has to be his history of injuries, but at the price he commands, that may be a risk worth taking for New Jersey to get his experience and leadership in the room.
Also noteworthy is that he played all seven games against the Bruins and logged the third most ice time at 5v5. He averages 152 hits and 127 blocks per 82 games for his career. A left-shot defenseman, he could fill the role currently occupied by Kevin Bahl should the Devils want a more veteran presence in the mix or should they move on from Bahl or Jonas Siegenthaler.
Ilya Lyubushkin – Defenseman – Projection: 2 years x $1.469 million
Another big, physical defenseman acquired by the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, Ilya Lybushkin, would bring his experience as a right-handed counterpart to Edmundson. Lyubushkin is not the skater that Edmundson is, but he is a lockdown defenseman who utilizes his size and physicality to counter other teams’ top six. He is an excellent shot blocker and lane clogger asset on the penalty kill.
Lyubushkin would bring the snarl to the right side of the defense, which is currently lacking. He would also be an option to form a shutdown pair should the Devils move on from either John Marino (possible) or Simon Nemec (very, very, very unlikely) at a very reasonable price.
Lyubushkin averages 200 hits and 132 blocks per 82 games. This season alone, he had 57 blocked shots as a penalty killer in just 74 games. He was linked to the Devils as the trade deadline approached and could be a potential fit as Fitzgerald reshapes his defense.
Hiring Keefe will surely bring changes to New Jersey’s lineup. These four players’ success playing for Keefe may lead them to want to join him in New Jersey. Toronto could also be a trade target, with players like Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf potentially fitting into Keefe’s system.
