6 Potential Value Free Agents the Devils Could Target

It's a weak year for free agents, but there are still some potential value buys the New Jersey Devils could target.

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Cap space has been a big theme of my offseason articles since the New Jersey Devils don't have much to work with (as of now). I'm sure general manager Tom Fitzgerald is working on giving himself some financial flexibility, but he'll likely have to find some value to help improve his team's depth.

While I wouldn't spend on top-dollar free agents this summer, there are always effective and cheap UFAs who can help shore up depth. Here are six potential bargains the Devils and Fitzgerald could target.

Anthony Mantha

Anthony Mantha played in just 13 games this season before tearing his ACL, but he did produce at a 25-goal, 44-point pace with the Calgary Flames. Granted, he shot 26.7 percent in those 13 games, but he has a proven track record as a scorer.

Mantha finished the 2023-24 season with 23 goals and 44 points between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights, and has produced at a 20-goal or more pace in six seasons. He has a 12.8 career shooting percentage, so the finishing ability has been there.

Not only can Mantha score, but he could appeal to Fitzgerald since he's 6-foot-5, 220 pounds. The key is if his medicals check out. Connor Brown only began to look like himself this season after having his ACL repaired a little over two years ago, so it's not guaranteed that Mantha will produce a year removed from a torn ACL.

Still, Mantha should not cost much to sign. Evolving Hockey has him inking a one-year deal at a cap hit of $1.422 million, so he could be a good value buy if the Devils think he can be a 20-goal scorer.

James van Riemsdyk

James van Riemsdyk is not the player he once was, but he's still an effective third-line/bottom-six forward. He finished this past season with 16 goals and 36 points in 71 games, a 42-point pace over 82 games, and quietly had solid underlying numbers.

Van Riemsdyk finished this season averaging 2.39 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five, ranked third on the Columbus Blue Jackets behind Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson. For context's sake, that would have ranked first on the Devils, even ahead of Jesper Bratt (2.28 points per 60).

That doesn't mean van Riemsdyk would become a 60-point scorer for the Devils, but he can still play. The Devils could use more five-on-five scoring, and his impacts were solid:

One con of signing van Riemsdyk is that he would make the team slower, but he'd likely still be a significant upgrade over what the Devils iced in their bottom six this season. Evolving-Hockey has him signing a one-year deal at a cap hit of $1.322 million, which is solid value if he can maintain being a 15-20 goal scorer and 40-point player.