Devils Bullets: Keefe, MacDermid & More
New Jersey Devils notes on Sheldon Keefe, re-signing Kurtis MacDermid and Brian Halonen, and more.
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The New Jersey Devils have yet to hire a coach, but how much longer could that go on? That may depend on Sheldon Keefe and what he decides to do. Plus, could Brian Halonen factor into the team's bottom six after signing a new contract? Also, Kurtis MacDermid re-signs with the team on a three-year deal. Finally, an update on some Devils and how they're doing at the World Championships.
These Devils Bullets posts are a reintroduction of the Devils News Rewind articles I did earlier in the season. They will be published once every week to two weeks, depending on how busy the hockey schedule is. Make sure to subscribe via the link at the bottom of this post.
Devils Waiting on Keefe to Make a Decision?
For a time, it seemed like Craig Berube was the favorite for the Devils' head coaching vacancy. For a time, it seemed like it was Jay Woodcroft. Now, it might be Keefe? While we don't know if he's the frontrunner for certain, it appears the Devils are waiting on his decision.
On yesterday's episode of The Jeff Marek Show, Jeff Marek stated that based on the conversations he's had, he's firmly in the belief that Keefe wants to jump back into coaching right away. Elliotte Friedman said that while Marek could be right, he heard over the last 24 hours that Keefe had not yet decided and that interested teams are willing to wait a bit for him to make that call.
Reading between the lines, it sure seems like Keefe is the clubhouse favorite for the Devils and that they're waiting for his decision. If he says yes, he will be their next head coach. If not, we're likely looking at Woodcroft getting the gig instead.
I have no problem with the Devils wanting to wait a bit for Keefe. They should wait until he gives a firm answer if he's their guy. At the same time, they probably don't want to wait too long. And by that, I mean into June. Other teams have vacancies to fill, and some of the candidates they've interviewed — like Woodcroft — could go after another position.
Still, the Devils can probably let this go into early next week if they have to. Aside from the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have the most attractive head coaching vacancy this offseason. You could even make a case that it's the best opening. That probably works in their favor, as Woodcroft will likely prioritize the Devils making their decision before moving on to something else.
It also seems like Berube is the heavy favorite to take over in Toronto, and if the Devils are out on him, they should still be able to get the coach they want. Whether that's Keefe or Woodcroft, both guys should be available to them, even if they wait it out a bit longer.
Devils Re-Sign MacDermid
We all knew this was coming, but the Devils announced early this morning they had re-signed Kurtis MacDermid to a three-year contract at an average annual value of $1.15 million. The money part of this is fine, but this contract is eerily reminiscent of the one the Maple Leafs gave Ryan Reaves.
Reaves and MacDermid are the same type of player. They don't contribute much offensively, are generally liabilities at five-on-five, and take bad penalties. They also fight, which is a significant reason why the Devils re-signed MacDermid, and he's a great locker-room presence by all accounts.
I honestly don't have a problem bringing him back, but this contract is less than ideal. Evolving Hockey had MacDermid projected for a one-year deal at a cap hit of $784,600. Giving term to players like MacDermid and Reaves always backfires. It already has for the Maple Leafs, and this was just Year 1 of Reaves' three-year deal.
Chances are it'll likely be the same for the Devils, especially if MacDermid plays more than 30 games a season. Hopefully, that doesn't become too much of a concern if the team is good, which they should be.
Halonen Re-Signs Too
The Devils' cap situation is far from dire, but it is a bit tighter than it might seem. They'll be able to fill most of their needs with $18.8 million in cap space, especially if general manager Tom Fitzgerald moves out some money to give himself more financial flexibility.
Still, Fitzgerald won't be able to fill every need externally. I'm sure there'll be a cost-effective bottom-six addition or two in free agency, but some bottom-six spots will probably need to come internally. There's where Halonen could factor in.
The Devils re-signed Halonen to a two-year, two-way contract yesterday. He'll have to earn a spot in training camp, but he might have a good shot at it. He missed a good chunk of time with an injury this season, but he was one of the Utica Comets' most productive players when he returned.
Halonen finished the AHL season with 20 goals and 29 points in 35 games — a 41-goal pace over a 72-game AHL season. He even got a cup of coffee with the Devils and looked fine enough in a very small sample. He seems to have some goal-scoring upside while playing a physical game at 6-foot-0, 207 pounds, something the Devils could use in the bottom six.
Halonen has a cap hit of $775,000 for the next two seasons. The Devils can't just sign 2-3 bottom-six forwards for $2-3 million annually each, or their cap space will dry up quickly. That's why Halonen might have a shot at making the team out of camp, especially if he shows he can add some scoring.
Devils Thriving at the World Championships
The World Championships have a bit of a different feel this year, partly because national teams are using them as auditions for the upcoming Four Nations Tournament and the 2026 Winter Olympics. Plenty of Devils are taking part, including captain Nico Hischier.
Hischier has been one of the best players in the early part of the tournament, totaling four goals and six points in four games for Switzerland. He and Roman Josi have been leading the way for Switzerland, with Josi leading the tournament in scoring (8 points).
Akira Schmid had a tough season with the Devils, but he's been decent for Switzerland, appearing in two games and posting a .952 save percentage. He hasn't faced much work, but at least he's making stops so far.
Šimon Nemec may be one of the younger players at the World Championships, but he's still thriving. He scored a one-time power-play goal earlier in the tournament that was Dougie Hamilton-esque. Nemec said his shot is something he wanted to work on this summer, and it looks like he's already gotten to work on that.
Nemec also made a freakishly good pass to Tomáš Tatar for a goal. If you haven't seen it, here it is (via Marc Dumont on Twitter):
Nemec has five points in four games for Slovakia, but he's not the only young Devils defender at the tournament. Luke Hughes is playing his part for Team USA and has four points (two goals, two assists) in four games. At least so far, Hughes and Nemec have played exactly as you could have hoped for at the Worlds.
Ondřej Palát didn't score much for the Devils this season, but he's having a good World Championships so far, with two goals and four points in four games for Czechia. Hopefully, the strong showings continue for Devils skaters and will carry over into training camp and the preseason.