The Devils could easily handle the main needs in terms of complimentary players for next year by bringing back exaclty the 5 they signed this sesason. Russo and Gambardella are already signed.
Lock up Schmelzer as was already suggested. Give him a healthy bonus for the job he has done this season as the Comets captain and give him the job for the next 2 seasons.
That only leaves Flynn and Deleo.
Deleo would be a no brainer. The team will always need someone of his ilk, so why not just get to him and sign him to another 2-way and up his paycheck a bit to reward him for his leadership and production. He was the team's leading scorer with 56 points. He can and did play all 3 forward positions. With the Devils void at center he eventually became the #1 C for the Comets and there was no one else close to the game he could play with the team's best young wingers. There doesn't appear to be anyone on the immediate horizon either. So, they can save themselves the time and energy of searching for another and just sign the good one they already have.
Based upon the AHL criteria to classify a player as a Veteran or Veteran Exempt, Gambardella will just barely cross the line and become a VE. The number is 261 GP and he has played 263 games.
So right now this would be the Vet/VE situation next season:
Gambardella - VE
Russo - Vet
Greer - Will be a UFA. He would be a great reacquisition for the Comets (Devils?) If so, he would be a VET.
Deleo - Vet
Wotherspoon - Vet. No reason not to re-sign your co-Vet D-man. He was the team's most effective defensive D-man and led the team in +/- at +26. The next closest being the team's top defensive forward Frederik Gauthier, +17.
Gautheir- Vet. Will be a UFA. I would extend an offer to the Goat. The role he played could not be filled by any other member of the team. He was the best face-off man, best defensive forward, #1 PK forward and dynamite paired with Greer (they were a threat to score every time they took to the ice a man down), and to top it all off he put up 32 points, tied with 3 other guys for 6th place in scoring. He too will be a UFA.
This would give the Comets the 5 Vets and 1 VE allowed to play in a game.
The only other player acquired specifically to support the prospects was Brian Flynn. Based upon the players above, I would consider him the least necessary of the 7. The Devils need to acquire another player with no veteran conflicts as they did last season with Gambardella. They would need a good AHL level center to fill the #2 slot. Talvitie and Schmelzer can both play the wing. For that matter Deleo is a top line wing if not playing center.
Deleo
X
Gauthier
Schmelzer/Talvitie
Right now if they brought back the 6 listed above the roster would look like this:
Deleo
Gambardella
Greer
Gauthier
Schmelzer
Holtz
Thompson
Clarke
Talvitie
Halonen
Holtz
Zetterlund
Foote
These 3 could all be Comets or any mix of Devils and Comets.
That's a maximum of 13 forwards. If they lose Gauthier, Greer, Deleo, and Schmelzer, it's complete reconstruction time. If they kept them on board the Comets are again a very good team.
Couple that with:
Russo
Wotherspoon (has to be re-signed)
Vukojevic
Groleau
Walsh - Many HF posters seem to believe he will be a Devil. I do not. We'll see.
Bahl
Okhotyuk
There is no decision as to what Fitz will do to fill out the Devils backend. Both of these guys could be gone or Devils or one each. If back in Utica, they are a tossup as to who gets the first call-up.
Mukhamadullin - If he plays tonight, as the teaser has been offered, and shows to be through a deeper than round 1 of the 2022 playoffs, at the least, an effective AHL D-man, he could be coming to NA for the '22-23 season. Then again maybe not regardless of how he plays. He could also be the LD people are penciling Bahl/OK into the lineup. There is no telling what happens with this kid other than it looks like he wants to play in America sooner than later.
Vilen will hopefully be in camp and the Devils staff can get a good look at him and determine his readiness. Best bet is he will be headed back to Finland and return to America as a 20-yr-old if he is really a rising prospect. If not at least 2 years before he sets foot in NA.
My guess is the Comets will have to acquire at least 2 more D-men, maybe 3.
The net will start with Daws and Schmid and they should be allowed to be AHL goalies for most of the season with Mitens in the wings in Adirondack. Fitz MUST fix the goalie crisis in NJ. It can't be allowed to be the chaotic situation it has been for the past 2 seasons, especially this last one! Everyone agrees on that note.
