Not saying it is great, but I don't have big expectations of big UFAs or anything. While I believe Fitzgerald is given the green light on home runs, I think he has to settle and keep his powder dry, to the dismay of much of Devils Twitter. NJD is not landing Hamilton, and there is not much else out there that "wow"s anyone.
By getting Giordano and Hakanpaa, they get better defensively and allow Blackwood to keep them in games. Particularly being better on the PK.
Yes, I am aware Giordano has a NTC, but he may otherwise go to SEA and then be traded again, but not many playoff bound teams may be willing to trade for that full deal.
Holtz will face a lot of bumps I am sure as he becomes a shooter, but Mercer will find a great home on that 4th line.
This team will not break into the top 20 in goals scored, but should see them being close. They were 11 GF away with Hischier out a lot of the season. Hughes had Covid and had to rebound.
Rittich is who is left without a chair in the goalie musical chairs and gives Blackwood a veteran for two years.
What I can also see but won't bother to do the trades for? At least one big retention 3rd team deal or eat a big contract, including one of Loui Eriksson, Vladimir Tarasenko, Andrew Ladd, Thomas Hickey, James Neal to name many of the options.
They may lose, but they will be far more fun to watch than many will give them credit for as they look for that next hump where they learn to be better under a next level coach (Mike Sullivan after PIT lets him go when they slide off the playoff bubble and start their rebuild akin to CHI letting Quenneville go)
At the deadline, the Devils may just trade Giordano to a playoff team and profit after holding onto 50%, as well as PK Subban. Devils will need to
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