On Monday, the New Jersey Devils, along with the rest of the teams in the National Hockey League, sent out their qualifying offers to restricted free agents that they wanted to keep in the organization. 

There were also plenty of players, in New Jersey and elsewhere, who did not receive one, turning them into unrestricted free agents. 

For the Devils, Arseny Gritsyuk, Nico Daws, Amadeus Lombardi, Jakub Malen, Xavier Parent, and Topias Vilen earned a qualifying offer. 

Gritsyuk is the least surprising of them all. He was a great rookie in 2025-26 and should be a key contributor to their scoring depth for years to come. He can make plays and score goals, which has turned him into a valuable asset within the organization. 

Nico Daws has shown flashes of being a really good goaltender in the past, but he hasn't been able to take the net and never give it back, either. He will get another chance within the system, but only time will tell how much he plays. 

The Devils traded for Amadeus Lombardi last week, and now he has a qualifying offer as they try to come to terms on a deal to see what they have in him. 

Calen Addison, Tyler Brennan, Paul Cotter, and Dylan Wendt did not receive offers from the Devils and will become unrestricted free agents. In theory, they could all come back, but it is not likely. 

The most notable of that group is Paul Cotter. He is a forward version of Daws, in the sense that he shows great flashes but never keeps it together consistently. There will always be a flashy goal during play and shootout magic in his game, but never enough to outweigh some of the other shortcomings in his game. 

Of all the players who received a qualifying offer, Gritsyuk will be the one who makes the most money in 2026-27, and it's on him to live up to his next contract. Everyone else will be involved with the Utica Comets until they prove worthy of being in the NHL lineup. 

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