Devils hope veteran Toffoli final piece to Stanley Cup puzzle

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2023-24 regular season, which starts Oct. 10. Today, the New Jersey Devils:

2022-23 season:52-22-8, second in Metropolitan Division; lost in Eastern Conference Second Round

Key arrivals

Tyler Toffoli, F: The 31-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on June 27 for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (forward Aydar Suniev). He set NHL career highs in goals (34), assists (39) and points (73) in 82 games for the Flames last season. Toffoli won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. ... Colin Miller, D:The 30-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on July 1 for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He had 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), 108 hits and was plus-23 in 79 regular-season games and had one assist in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games. ... Tomas Nosek, F:The 30-year-old signed a one-year contract July 19. He had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 66 regular-season games for the Boston Bruins and two assists in seven playoff games. The depth forward brings 52 games of playoff experience. ... Travis Green, associate coach: The 52-year-old was hired June 22 and is expected to help run the power play. He previously coached the Vancouver Canucks from 2017-22 before being fired Dec. 6, 2021.

Key departures

Damon Severson, D: Traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 9 for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (traded to Calgary, June 27). He had 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 81 regular-season games and three points (one goal, two assists) in 12 playoff games. He was the longest-tenured player on the Devils (nine seasons). ... Ryan Graves, D:Signed a six-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1. He had 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists), led New Jersey with 152 blocked shots in 78 regular-season games and had one assist in 10 playoff games. ... Miles Wood, F:Signed a six-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 1 after scoring 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 76 regular-season games and two goals in eight playoff games. ... Yegor Sharangovich, F:Included in the trade with Calgary for Toffoli, Sharangovich had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 75 regular-season games and no points in three playoff games. ... Jesper Boqvist, F: Signed a one-year contract with the Boston Bruins on July 12. He had 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 70 games last season and no points in six playoff games. ... Mackenzie Blackwood, G: Traded to the San Jose Sharks for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft (forward Cole Brown) on June 27. He was 10-6-2 with a 3.20 goals-against average and .893 save percentage in 22 regular-season games (20 starts) and did not play in the playoffs. ... Video: CGY@VAN: Toffoli buries the OT winner on the rush, F:The unrestricted free agent had 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 82 regular-season games and one goal in 12 playoff games. … Andrew Brunette, associate coach:Hired as coach of the Nashville Predators on May 31, Brunette was responsible for the Devils power play, which ranked 13th last season (21.9 percent), after it ranked 28th in 2021-22 (15.6 percent) before he was hired.

On the cusp

Simon Nemec, D:The 19-year-old, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, had 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 65 games for Utica of the American Hockey League last season. The right-handed shot had five points (one goal, four assists) in five games as captain for Slovakia at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. ... Nolan Foote, F:The 22-year-old, chosen No. 27 by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019 NHL Draft and acquired by New Jersey in a trade on Feb. 16, 2020, had 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) in 55 games for Utica and one goal in six games for the Devils last season. ... Alexander Holtz, F:The 21-year-old selected No. 7 in the 2020 NHL Draft, had 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 14 games with Utica and four points (three goals, one assist) in 19 games with the Devils.

What they still need

Depth on defense. The loss of Severson and Graves stripped the Devils of two experienced defensemen. While Luke Hughes is expected to have an impact in his first NHL season, he is a rookie. Additionally, New Jersey may need to consider a more experienced goalie. Although Akira Schmid will likely assume the backup role to Vitek Vanecek, the 23-year-old has just 24 games of regular-season experience. Vanecek seemed to fatigue late last season due to his increased playing time (52 games, 33-11-4, 2.45 goals-against average, .911 save percentage).

They said it

"We're building a team here that we believe can challenge each and every year for the ultimate goal, to win the Stanley Cup."-- general manager Tom Fitzgerald

Fantasy focus

The Devils strengthened the fantasy appeal of their already strong top-six forward group with the addition of Toffoli, who led the Flames in points (73), goals (34), power-play points (25) and shots on goal (268) last season. Toffoli now has a higher fantasy ceiling playing on a line with either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. The Devils are a prominent team to stack in fantasy with the high upside of Toffoli, Hughes, Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton and goalie Akira Schmid, making them one of the up-and-coming Stanley Cup contenders. -- Anna Dua

Projected lineup

Timo Meier -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt

Erik Haula -- Jack Hughes -- Tyler Toffoli

Ondrej Palat -- Dawson Mercer -- Alexander Holtz

Nolan Foote -- Michael McLeod -- Nathan Bastian

Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton

Luke Hughes -- John Marino

Kevin Bahl -- Colin Miller

Vitek Vanecek

Akira Schmid