The New Jersey Devils brought in multiple players this past off-season, and one of them was forward Paul Cotter. The Devils acquired Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. Overall, this is a move that the Devils must be happy about.
Cotter proved to be a solid addition to the Devils roster this past campaign, as he scored a career-high 16 goals and recorded 22 points in 79 games. He was also very impactful when it came to his physicality, as he threw a career-high 245 hits, which is now a Devils franchise record.
With numbers like these, it is fair to say that Cotter ended up being a good pickup for the Devils, especially when noting that he has a bargain $775,000 cap hit. However, Cotter is also entering the 2025-26 season as a pending restricted free agent (RFA), so he will soon be due for a nice raise on his next contract.
Given how well Cotter has fit into the Devils' lineup, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they looked to sign him to a contract extension, whether that is this summer or during the season. He has become a nice part of their bottom six, and he undoubtedly provides value with his solid secondary scoring ability and heavy style of play.
Cotter is also still only 25 years old, so he is just entering his prime and should continue to be a solid player for several more seasons. Thus, he is precisely the kind of player the Devils should be looking to keep around in their bottom six. It will be interesting to see if they can come to terms on an extension in the near future because of it.
Devils Should Sign Fascinating Forward To PTO
With training camp getting closer, we should start to see teams signing players to professional tryouts (PTOs). The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils">New Jersey Devils </a>could consider going down this route, as it is fair to argue that they could use more forward depth.