New Jersey sent a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft to Dallas.

By the end of the 2022-23 season, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald knew his team was on the fast track to becoming a Stanley Cup contender. His young core got a taste of postseason hockey and now understands how difficult it is to win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In this summer series, I will chronologically break down every move the organization made this offseason and discuss how it positively or negatively impacts the team for the 2023-24 season.

Everyone knew there would be changes to New Jersey's blue line this summer.

Fitzgerald traded veteran defenseman Damon Severson to the Columbus Blue Jackets and let Ryan Graves hit free agency. That left Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Kevin Bahl, and Brendan Smith on the roster. Luke Hughes appeared in two regular season and three playoff games and is projected to be a regular in the lineup moving forward.

The organization acquired 30-year-old Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars via trade on July 1 for extra depth. The eight-season NHL veteran is a right-shot defenseman who has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo Sabres, and Dallas Stars.

To learn more about the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native, I contacted my colleague, Rachel Doerrie, who provided this insight.

"Miller thrived in Dallas' defensive scheme and needs structure to succeed," she said. "He's a good penalty kill option to take the load off top guys and would be a good steady partner for Bahl. (You) may see some drop off in performance leaving the Stars system, but overall a solid bottom pair option."

Miller is a right-handed shot and is an affordable option to replace Severson with a cap hit of $1,850,000. After the 2023-24 campaign, he will be an unrestricted free agent and is the perfect stopgap for Simon Nemec, who just completed his first season in North America.

The question remains: How well and quickly can Miller adjust to New Jersey's system?

Last season, fans saw Marino seamlessly adapt his game to head coach Lindy Ruff's system. The young blueliner never looked out of place and averaged the most ice time of his career per game (21:04). Can Miller accomplish the same?

Once training camp begins, Miller will reunite with Devils' assistant coach Ryan McGill, his defensive coach in Las Vegas for two seasons. The familiarity between the two and some of his new teammates, including Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, and Tomas Nosek, should work in the defenseman's favor.

The 30-year-old finished the 2022-23 campaign with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 79 games. Per the official press release, Miller's +23 plus/minus rating and 108 hits both ranked second on Dallas for defensemen last season.

Will the acquisition of Miller positively or negatively impact the team for the 2023-24 season? After his first 15-20 games, we will better understand how he is adjusting to his new system, teammates, and role. For Fitzgerald, it was a low-risk move that added experience and depth to his blue line. Some feel this is an underrated trade that can pay off dividends, similar to Marino in 2022.

During his introductory media availability, Miller spoke about what Devils fans can expect from him. 

"I think that as my career's gone on here, I've definitely become more of a well-rounded defenseman, somebody that can play in a lot of different scenarios. (I'm) looking to help this team in any way I can. I'm looking to help."