The New Jersey Devils were among the most aggressive teams upgrading their roster this offseason with an emphasis on depth, size and experience, including the addition of two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat.
The Devils signed the forward (6 feet, 195 pounds) to a five-year contract July 14 after he had 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists) in 77 regular-season games last season and 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He had 124 hits, ranking third among Lightning forwards. The 31-year-old, who won the Cup in 2020 and 2021 with Tampa Bay, should be a nice fit alongside either center Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes.
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New Jersey had plenty of other needs after missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season and ninth time in 10 seasons. It acquired goalie Vitek Vanecek in a trade with the Washington Capitals on July 8 and veteran forward Erik Haula in a trade with the Boston Bruins on July 13, the same day it signed veteran unrestricted free agent defenseman Brendan Smith to a two-year contract.
"[Palat] could have gone to a lot of places but he chose us because of the upside," general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "He chose us because of what we could offer him and what he felt he could help us with. Brendan Smith, he chose us because of what he saw and how he could come in and help us become a harder, tougher team to play against."
Smith (6-2, 200) had eight points (four goals, four assists) and 73 hits in 45 regular-season games, then had four points (one goal, three assists) and 26 hits in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season.
Haula (5-11, 191) could contribute as a third-line center after having 129 hits in 78 games with the Bruins last season, which would have ranked third on the Devils behind Nathan Bastian (194) and Michael McLeod (145). Haula had 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in the regular season and three points (one goal, two assists) in seven playoff games.
The Devils acquired defenseman John Marino (6-1, 181) in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 16. He ranked third among Penguins defensemen with 25 points (one goal, 24 assists) and 88 blocked shots in 81 regular-season games.
"[Marino] takes pride in his game away from the puck, and his puck management and ability to transition play will fit in nicely with our style and the strengths of our forward group," Fitzgerald said.