Devils Q&A: Paul Cotter on Free Agency, Leaving New Jersey and Joining Canucks

It has been a summer of milestones for 26-year-old Paul Cotter.

First came the opportunity to represent Team USA at the World Championship in Switzerland. Then, in the picturesque alpine village of Grindelwald, he proposed to his girlfriend, Caylie. By the end of July, Cotter was back in Europe, this time in Italy to celebrate the wedding of his former New Jersey Devils teammate, Jesper Bratt.

“Now, it has calmed down and just been training and skating. Trying to get my golf game in order,” Cotter said with a laugh. “It has been busy, but it has been good.”

On July 1, Cotter closed the chapter on his time with the Devils. As a free agent, he signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks, marking his third NHL team. He makes his return to the Pacific Division, where he began his career with the Vegas Golden Knights.

"Paul is a versatile forward with a good combination of size and speed,” said Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson in the press release. “We really like the way he competes on the ice, and he will be a good addition to our bottom six. Paul’s profile is a positive for our group, and our coaching staff are excited to work with him to help him improve his game.”

On Thursday afternoon, he graciously spoke to The Hockey News exclusively about the whirlwind that was free agency.

 This interview has been edited for length and clarity 

The Hockey News: When you took the ice on April 14, did you have any sense it might be your last game as a New Jersey Devil?

Paul Cotter: I didn't quite know. It is hard to look forward when you are in the middle of it. It was obviously something in the back of my head.

I mean, I didn’t even really know how the qualifying thing went and all that. I hadn't heard anything from anybody. I knew that there was a potential chance it would be the last one. It is kind of hard. Then Worlds came up really quickly. It was in the back of my head the whole time until I found out I wasn't qualified.

THN: Leading into my next question, did the organization communicate beforehand that a qualifying offer wasn't likely, or did the decision catch you off guard?

Cotter: Yeah, talking to my agent, like I said, I didn’t really understand the whole situation and what needed to happen. I know my agent was shocked a little bit.

It ended up working out great. When you are able to have a pick of who wants you in whatever type of situation instead of a trade, it is obviously ideal.

But yeah, I was pretty shocked.

THN: Before going through free agency yourself, you probably had an idea of what it would be like from watching teammates and friends. What was the biggest difference between your expectations and the reality of the experience?

Cotter: Well, I think the first part of it was that it was unexpected. I wasn't even really planning on going to free agency, so when it did happen, it was kind of like, whoa, okay, now we have options.

On one side of things, it was pretty uplifting to have a lot of teams have so much interest, and you think, wow, okay, you know what, that is pretty cool. You know, I am so in the zone of individually how I am doing and the team is doing that you don't realize that other teams, scouts, and coaches like your game as well. It was cool seeing all the interest.

The process of it was obviously stressful, right? I am trying to make a decision and figure out where the best fit is for me. Vancouver right away was one of the first teams that showed a large amount of interest. They saw my game where it was at and think that it could be really important there and be a big piece of the puzzle. The more that I looked into it, I am not going to be a younger guy or on the younger side of things, for once, which is different and cool. I can bring a little bit of a veteran presence. It looked like I was going to get the biggest opportunity there, so that is where we ended up. There was other interest that was hard to pass up. Teams that are great places to live and places that I have been, so it wasn't the easiest process, but I am happy with how it worked out.

THN: Having gone through the process, what is something you wish fans or the media understood about free agency that you really can't appreciate until you've experienced it yourself?

Cotter: I think the biggest thing, and I mean it might be obvious, but I have never experienced it. I always thought, okay, you know where you want to go, and you have your choice. These are the teams that reach out; this place is the best; go there.

It is pretty impossible to decide. I mean, I can't imagine guys with families and kids who are growing up in sports, just trying to figure everything out and where the best place is. There is no one really telling you where the best place is. You make the decision on your own, and it is hard.

It is like, okay, well, if I go here, I might have a little bit more opportunity, but is it the best place for me? It is a back-and-forth thing in your head that you, and whether you have a partner or not, go through, and ultimately you are making a leap of blind faith in a way, hoping it works out.

You have so many options that you think, okay, what do I do? It is not really like, okay, let's go here. So that might be misconstrued for people thinking guys go through free agency, and it is you get this, and that is where you are going. You are sitting there for a couple days weighing out the options, and thinking how do I make this decision?

Looking back, I am very happy with the decision, but in the moment, it is not easy, man.

THN: After signing with Vancouver, you had a chance to reunite with several of your former Devils teammates at Jesper Bratt’s wedding. How special was that weekend, especially knowing you are about to begin a new chapter with the Canucks?

Cotter: Oh, I mean it was awesome. I have friends for life on that team, and it was really cool celebrating Bratt and seeing all the guys. We had an amazing time.

At the end of the day, it is a business, so that is part of the gig. Guys get moved around and go to places with more opportunity, so I think it was understood. The guys knew that it was going to be a better opportunity for me, so they were all happy and wishing me luck, with little nags here and there, saying ‘See you in the corners,’ that type of thing. It was really cool reuniting with everyone before the season started.

THN: When you look back at your first game as a Devil in October 2024, what do you think is the biggest difference in Paul Cotter the hockey player compared to the one sitting here today?

Cotter: Honestly, it is just maturing. There is obviously maturing off the ice, which people do with growing age. (When I came here) I was younger; it was my first trade, and I was trying to make a name for myself.

But there is also a big thing about maturing your game. I talked to [Sheldon Keefe] not too long ago, just as kind of a recap. It is something that I know too, but he basically told me that there are very few players that have all of the assets that I have as a player. It is trying to manage when to use them. When to use the skill, when to be physical, when to be simple. The more time that you play in this league, the easier it gets to figure out when to use each asset that you have.

I think a big thing for me is just deciding on when to use those things, and playing with really good players - obviously, a great group of guys (in New Jersey) - it made it easier to grow as a player.

Cotter will make his return to Prudential Center on Saturday, October 10 with the Canucks. 

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