For the second consecutive season, and third in the last four, the New Jersey Devils failed to clinch a playoff spot, which is something the organization is not used to doing. With a lot of restricted and unrestricted free agents, general manager Lou Lamoriello has to be willing to change the look of this team before opening night in October. Here is a list of five moves the Devils must make if they want to creep back into the playoffs next season.
1. Extend Cory Schneider's Contract
He is now THE guy for the Devils. For the first time in 20-plus years, the crease is not Martin Brodeur's anymore. On July 1, the Devils will be able to negotiate a contract extension with Schneider. Even Lamoriello, who rarely divulges any details regarding contract negotiations or moves he wants to make, has said time and time again that getting Schneider an extension is at the top of his list.
Entering the 2014-15 season, Schneider will be making $4 million. Expect that price tag to go upwards of $6.25 to potentially $7 million per year if the Devils can extend him. At the age of 28, the Devils have can potentially lock up one of the most underrated goalies in the league for a long time.
Even if signing Schneider to an extension means saying goodbye to Brodeur, it is a move the Devils have to make.
2. Buy Out Anton Volchenkov
The 32-year-old Russian defenseman has fallen into disfavor over the course of the last two seasons. Injuries and underwhelming play limited Volchenkov to 56 games, his lowest total in an 82 game season since the 2003-04 season. With a logjam of young players that need to start seeing more time on the ice, the Devils need to use their final compliance buyout on Volchenkov. He will make $4.25 million, the highest paid defenseman on the team, for the next two seasons.
Buying out Volchenkov will give the Devils some much needed money to go shopping for solid offensive free agents. It will also help grow the long list of NHL-ready defensemen the Devils have, like Jon Merrill, Eric Gelinas and Adam Larsson.
Volchenkov has just lost a step or two lately and it shows. He's never going to be a guy you count on to score. All he has left is to play defense, which isn't something the Devils need at this point.
3. Re-sign Mark Fayne, Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Keith Kinkaid, and the entire fourth line to multi-year contracts
The Devils don't have a particularly large amount of unrestricted free agents since they already re-signed Marek Zidlicky and Jaromir Jagr, but they need to keep the few that they have. The fourth line of Ryan Carter, Steve Bernier and Stephen Gionta have been a terrific line for the team and they all come at a relatively low cost. That line was one of the driving forces behind the team's improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2012. All three need to come back. Peter DeBoer has enough confidence to throw his fourth line out in a lot of situations and the Devils need to be able to roll four lines.
As for the rest of the pack, the young defensemen have a bright future with this team and it is essential they stay around. Adam Larsson still needs some time to grow into the player the Devils hoped he would be when they drafted him fourth overall in the 2011 draft. Gelinas' offensive prowess won him a spot on the team for most of the season, but his defensive play put him in Peter DeBoer's dog house. With him in the lineup, the Devils' powerplay is a lot more dangerous.
Keith Kinkaid is a must-sign regardless if Martin Brodeur stays or not. He is fresh off a great season with the Albany Devils and is going to be a solid goaltender in the future. A duo of Schneider and Kinkaid will fortify the Devils for years to come.
Mark Fayne is a defenseman that the Devils count on to log quality minutes and put up a few points here and there. He goes about his business very quietly and can play in any situation for the Devils, which is why they need to keep him around.
4. Sign Jussi Jokinen
The only positions the Devils should be in heavy pursuit for are forwards with a finishing touch. Jussi Jokinen and Paul Stastny would be terrific pickups on many levels for this team. First, with Jussi Jokinen, the Devils would be getting a solid point scorer who can also excel in shootouts. The Devils have lost 17 consecutive shootouts including all 13 last season. As a team, shooters went 4-for-45, a success percentage of 8.89%. With 76 shootout attempts in his career, Jokinen has scored 33 times. That is the kind of boost the Devils need. They also would get a solid second line forward who has the potential of producing anywhere from 45 to 60 points annually. The Devils are thin when it comes to left wingers and Jokinen would be a great fit.
5. Sign Paul Stastny
Paul Stastny is another player the Devils should target if he does not want to return to Colorado. The 28-year-old made $6.6 million last season so his price tag would be a lot higher than Jokinen's. Having Stastny would also help the Devils a lot down the middle.
The Devils as a team do not do well in the faceoff circle. The only consistant center who has a winning percentage above 50 is Travis Zajac at 54.1%. Having both Stastny and Zajac as number one and number two centers will help the team's depth a lot, especially since the two can compete for the top line center position. Stastny would also be a great addition to a slowly improving New Jersey powerplay. The dollars that would be spent for both of these players would be well worth it for this team.
The Devils cannot afford to be quiet this offseason or they will miss out on the playoffs for the third straight season for the first time since the mid 1980s.