Breaking Down the Devils' Offseason To-Do List: The Blue Line

Will Damon Severson and Ryan Graves return? Is it time for the Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec Era to begin? These are questions New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald will need to answer over the next couple of months.

This summer will look vastly different for New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald compared to last year. After an exciting and unexpected 2022-23 campaign, he will go to work to continue to find the right pieces to complement his roster. 

In this mini-series, we will break down Fitzgerald's off-season to-do list, and there is no place better to start than with the team's blue line. 

With Damon Severson and Ryan Graves set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Brendan Smith, and Luke Hughes are the only defensemen under contract. 

Season after season, general managers say that when it comes to a need for their roster, they first look within the organization. The youngest Hughes brother spent time playing alongside Marino in the playoffs, and it appears he can slide into Graves' spot next season. Simon Nemec, like Severson, is a right-shot defenseman who can replace the veteran if Severson outprices the Devils due to their salary cap situation.

Nemec completed his first season in the American Hockey League and will undoubtedly fight for a roster spot when training camp opens up in September. According to Ben Birnell of Sentinel Media, he has a good chance of getting an opportunity next season. 

"He's a smart player, and I think he got more comfortable as the season went along with the Utica Comets," he said. "(Nemec) understood more as the season went along, (like) the importance of risk versus reward, especially on the defensive end. The Devils seem like they want to take their time with him."

Kevin Bahl is a restricted free agent who spent most of the season rotating as the team's sixth and seventh defenseman. He appeared in 42 games and collected eight points (two goals, six assists). The New Westminster native took great strides this season and spoke about where he improved the most during his end-of-season media availability.

"I think consistency and a big thing was gaining the coach's trust, he said. "As soon as I did that, they started giving me more opportunities, and I was able to expand on those opportunities. I think a big thing was trust."

The question is whether the Devils are comfortable playing and relying on Bahl and two rookie defensemen next season. Graves and Severson have a combined 949 games of experience, while Bahl, Hughes, and Nemec have appeared in a combined 68 contests.

If the Devils choose to move on from Severson and Graves, Ruff's coaching staff could pair Hughes with Marino and deploy a third paring of Brendan Smith, who can play either side, with a rotation of Bahl and Nemec. 

Bahl spoke about Smith during his exit interview, saying that while sitting in the press box with the veteran, it was like he was a professor giving a lecture on the game. Smith has one-year remaining on his contract and is more than capable of being part of the team's third defensive pair. Additionally, he is the perfect player to assist Nemec and Hughes as they navigate their first full season in the NHL.

Could the Hughes and Nemec era begin in New Jersey next season? While they are projected to become elite defensemen, rookie players will make rookie mistakes as they navigate the growing pains that most players deal with at the beginning of their careers. This is something that Fitzgerald and his team need to take into consideration over the next couple of months, as their team's young core is ready to compete and return to the postseason.