New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Summer Decisions

Fresh off of winning the National Championship, center Samu Salminen, will be the Devils most urgent decision as the Devils will lose his rights on August 15th if he’s not signed. Salminen is fresh off his best collegiate season with 11 goals and 29 points in 43 games. It will be interesting to see what the Devils new GM decides to do.

The Devils could also sign defenseman Chase Cheslock. As a junior, Cheslock popped offensively this season with 24 points in 38 games for the University of St. Thomas, his best offensive showing since High School. Cheslock will never be a big producer at higher levels, but a 6’3” RHD with some passing skills is a useful player to have for depth in any system, and at 21-years-old, Cheslock is the right age to make the jump to the AHL.

Revamp Utica

The Utica Comets made a valiant effort to attempt to sneak into the playoffs, but the hard truth is that they just haven’t been very good for a number of years. This offseason Utica has numerous UFAs and RFAs for the Devils new GM to consider. First, of the players on two-way contracts, Utica’s UFAs are as follows: defenseman Colton White and forwards Brian Halonen, Jonathan Gruden, Nathan Legare, Ryan Schmelzer, Mike Hardman, and Marc McLaughlin.

Of those players, I would most like to see Colton White and Brian Halonen resigned. Both have done well in Utica and have been serviceable emergency call-ups for the Devils. (Colton White in particular) That said, letting go of Gruden, McLaughlin, and Schmelzer leaves an even bigger hole at center for Utica, who would be left with Matyas Melovsky and Kyle Criscuolo, assuming the latter is even brought back. An overhaul at the center position is long overdo for the Comets, but even so, I would not be surprised to see McLaughlin brought back for another year if there are too many gaps for the new GM to refill.

Utica’s RFAs include the following: defensemen Topias Vilen and Calen Addison, forwards Xavier Parent and Dylan Wendt, and goaltenders Tyler Brennan, Nico Daws, and Jakub Malek.

As one of Utica’s top forwards, I would expect Xavier Parent to be brought back. Topias Vilen recently made his NHL debut, so I would expect him to be brought back if he’s not included in part of a trade this summer. Goaltenders Nico Daws and Jakub Malek should also be brought back if they are not traded in the offseason. It’s much less clear what will happen with Calen Addison, Dylan Wendt, and Tyler Brennan.

Your Take

Other decisions will need to be made, particularly at the draft, but much more will be said about that soon. What do you think? Post your comments below.