On the ELCs the Devils Did and Did Not Sign Before the Playoffs
The Devils have several prospects who have had their ELCs talked about -- or signed -- in the very recent past.
The Devils were and are in the interesting position of having to worry about their current Round One matchup against the Hurricanes without wanting to sacrifice years of ELCs for players who may not play much in the postseason.
With that in mind, let’s talk shop about three prospects and their ELC statuses:
Arseni Gritsyuk
I know many wanted to see the 24-year-old, highly-touted Russian winger play with the Devils as soon as possible, but I’m actually not opposed to the current situation at all.
According to his agent, he is expected to sign an ELC soon. His deal will be for the 2025-26 season only and will last one season because of his age.
I’m a fan of this move, which may be a hot take. I’m just not entirely sure how well his game is going to translate to the NHL and would rather see a full season of his play than base his next, non-cost-controlled contract on just a few game sample. I’m not saying that his game won’t translate to the big leagues, but I do think that it’s more important than ever for the Devils to penny-pinch as much as they can, with some impending cap issues looming over the team in the near future.
At the same time, I do think that Gritsyuk’s game would help the Devils in this playoff run — he has more offensive talent than pretty much anyone in the bottom six — but again, considering that the Devils are without their best player and best defensive defenseman against one of the league’s best teams in Round One, I’m just not sure it’s worth the risk. I assume his next contract will be pretty reasonably above the near-league-minimum deal at which his ELC will be valued.
Shane Lachance
This one, for me, came out of left field. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic noted in his most recent article that Shane Lachance will be signing his ELC with the Devils shortly. The second-year student’s campaign came to a close last night in the Frozen Four Final, where Boston University fell to Western Michigan.
I’m unsure whether they intend to burn a year of his ELC this season or sign it for the 2025-26 season, but either way, I feel as though he probably needed another year of marination in the NCAA. His ELC will be two years long.
I’ve compared Lachance to current Devils’ forward Nate Bastian, and I think that’s honestly pretty spot on. The defensive maturity is already there, with Lachance sporting some of the best tracked defensive microstatistics of anyone in college hockey. The size is obviously comparable, as are their playstyles. I will say, though, that Lachance’s offensive ceiling is higher than Bastian’s. I’m not saying he’s going to turn into a 40-point guy, but 10-15 goals and 25-30 points is probably a reasonable threshold. Lachance’s hand-eye coordination is off the charts and he’s arguably the best netfront presence in the NCAA.
The biggest reasons I feel as though he needed another year in college are 1) his production and 2) his skating. On point one, it’s tough for me to get hyped over a prospect who hasn’t scored at a point-per-game level in the NCAA, especially one who was garnering top-six minutes on a generally high-scoring team. Sure, he did the little things that his linemates didn’t want to do (aggressive forechecking, engaging in board battles, screening the goalie), and that’s all fine and well, but I’d have liked to see it on the scoresheet a bit more.
On point two, Lachance needs to work on his skating. He’s a big guy, for sure, but even with that in mind, his skating is clearly a detriment. He’s slow, his stride mechanics are clunky, and he really, really struggles to accelerate. His edgework is fine for a guy his size, but the power is a concern. I’m sure he would have been better off polishing it a bit with another year in college.
Ethan Edwards
Ethan Edwards signed his ELC about three weeks ago, with the first year covering the 2025-26 season. Shortly after, he signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the Utica Comets for the remainder of this season.
Thus far into his AHL tenure, he’s put up three points (all assists) in six games and has already cemented himself as one of Utica’s more important blueliners.
I’m fairly high on Edwards and his ability to translate into an NHL-level defenseman at some point in the semi-near future. His size is questionable, but he is surprisingly strong and doesn’t let bigger players push him around. His skating is extremely impressive and he moves the puck decently well as well. Smooth-skating, two-way defensemen who have a little bit of bite despite their size will likely always have a spot on a pro-level roster, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t turn into the Devils’ 6D by the time his ELC is over.
I considered putting Lenni Hameenaho here, but I'm under the assumption that he’s not going to sign a deal until next season, or at least until after this NHL season is fully complete.