The Devils' Current Bottom Six: Who Should Stay and Who Should Go?

The Devils have some decisions to make ahead, with many of their bottom six forwards on expiring deals.

Apr 10, 2025

Much of the Devils’ bottom six are on expiring deals — Nathan Bastian, Tomas Tatar, Daniel Sprong, Curtis Lazar, and Justin Dowling are all unrestricted free agents after this season comes to a close. Cody Glass and Nolan Foote are both restricted free agents, giving the Devils more leverage there in terms of contract negotiations, but they still need new contracts at the end of the 2024-25 season. The two other members of the Devils’ bottom six (Paul Cotter and Erik Haula) have one year left on their contracts.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what, in my opinion, should go down in the Devils’ bottom six. Who should stay, and who should go?

Erik Haula: Go (Via Trade)

I know that this exercise should probably only apply to expiring contracts, but I can’t help but say that Haula should probably get traded this off-season if a team is willing to take on his contract. He possesses just a 6-team no-trade list, and many cap-floor teams would probably covet his leadership abilities and veteran status. And, as he proved last season and in 2022-23, he can keep up with high-octane, playdriving centers.

I’ve said in the past that he is a pretty useful player when he plays on the wing — which is true — but I think his time as a meaningful contributor to the Devils as a whole has come to a close. This holds especially true with Arseni Gritsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho coming over next season.

The Devils do not need defensive forwards, at least not as many as they currently have on their roster. Their system is safe enough for offensively-oriented players to have middling-at-worst defensive impacts (see Daniel Sprong), their defensive corps is extremely strong, and they have a ton of defensive forwards already playing. Really, the only two players who don’t contribute much defensively are Jesper Bratt, who is an offensive superstar, and Ondrej Palat, who I can’t rag on enough.

It’s time to let Haula go, if anything to free up the $3.15 million his contract takes up in cap space. The Devils have a looming cap crunch, and freeing up any and all space will be a boon.

RFAs: Stay

It goes without saying that the Devils’ two expiring RFA bottom-sixers, Cody Glass and Nolan Foote, should be extended.

Foote is a straightforward extension, in my opinion. He hasn’t shown an ability to stay in the lineup for an extended period of time, but I don’t think he’s looked anything short of solid in his NHL time in his career. He obviously has a threatening shot and can play at a faster pace than his foot speed would lead you to believe. His underlying metrics are very solid (albeit there is a small sample size there) and I feel as though he could be a valued offensive contributor and complimentary piece to the Devils’ bottom six.

As for Glass, I think his place as the Devils’ 3C of the future goes without saying. His playdriving chops have improved drastically since he entered the league, as he has continued to learn how to attack the middle of the zone effectively with the puck on his stick. His shot is lackluster, but he is an underrated playmaker and truly excellent at defensive play. Based on other comparable players, I have his next contract coming in at around $2.75 million.

Nathan Bastian: Go

I’m of the opinion that if a fourth-line player doesn’t contribute anything offensively, but that they are as equally non-event defensively, they are a positive member of the team. Bastian is this type of player. In other words, literally nothing happens when he is on the ice — his line rarely ever does anything in the offensive zone, but he shuts down the opposition better than any other forward in the bottom six, and arguably better than any forward on the team, period.

So, why don’t I want him back?

Put simply, I think the Devils have enough defense in their bottom six. How much of that can be contributed directly to Bastian is up for debate, but with other defensively apt forwards in the bottom six (Glass, Tatar, Cotter), it seems redundant to have one who fits that profile and contributes nothing on offense. I just think the Devils can do better. Speaking off-record, I’m also not necessarily a fan of the allegations surrounding him at the moment and would prefer to just avoid any drama altogether considering what happened with Michael McLeod last season.

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Tomas Tatar: Stay

I’ve made my case for Tatar staying in the lineup before, and I’ll reiterate it here. Tatar, for all intents and purposes, has been the Devils’ most consistent and overall best bottom-six player this season. I know the point totals don’t necessarily jump off the page, but the only bottom-six players who have more points than him are Cotter and Haula, and they both play significantly more time per game than Tatar does.

If the Devils want playdriving and stalwart defense in their bottom six — the best recipe for success in that part of their lineup — re-signing Tatar should be a priority. He is the only non-Haula player in the Devils’ bottom six to have a positive isolated impact on the offensive side of things — according to HockeyViz, Tatar directly contributes to a 3% increase in offense relative to league average. Defensively, he, in isolation, gives the Devils 9% better defense than league average as well, making him the most effective two-way player in the bottom half of the Devils’ lineup.

Even from an eye-test perspective, I feel as though there has been unwarranted hate thrown his way this season. Watching him, it’s evident that he gives it his all during every shift — there really hasn’t been a time where Tatar has been in the lineup and I have said “Wow, I haven’t noticed Tatar tonight.” It’s so abundantly clear that he puts in his maximum effort shift in and shift out. He’s instigatory and aggressive on the forecheck, hyperactive in stick-checking and board battles, and chases the puck with more intent than I can say about the rest of the lineup.

Curtis Lazar: Go

I really, really like Lazar as a person. He’s very obviously a great character to have in the locker room and is a positive presence for the younger players.

With that said, there’s a legitimate argument that he’s been the Devils’ worst mainstay forward this season. His expected goal share (xGF%) of 40.80% is the lowest on the team (among regulars) and he has looked like a shell of his former self all season. I would attribute that to injuries, but at some point, a full season of horrid play no longer warrants that excuse, especially when you’re playing an extremely limited role as a fourth-liner.

The Devils need a real, effective fourth-line center next season. Lazar just isn’t that anymore, regardless of how much I want him to be that player. In all likelihood, they’ll be looking to upgrade in free agency, and I think that’s the right call.

Daniel Sprong: Stay

I love what Sprong brings to the table and would genuinely be disappointed in the Devils’ front office if he wasn’t brought back for pennies on the dollar next season. It’s hard for me to imagine him garnering any more than a near-league-minimum value contract, so letting him go to another organization for that would be a bit of a scuff on GM Tom Fitzgerald’s resume.

When you can add a finisher of Sprong’s efficiency to the bottom six, even if you don’t play him every single night, you should probably do so. In 2023-24, he scored 18 goals on 14.34 individual expected goals (ixG). In 2022-23, he potted 21 on just 12.38. Even outside of his shooting, his offensive wherewithal is excellent and he has solid vision and playmaking chops.

He’s legitimately one of the quickest and most explosive skaters in the NHL and has been improving his edgework drastically over the past few seasons, training with Jesper Bratt’s off-season skating coach, Daniel Broberg. His edges aren’t quite that good, but he’s certainly shifty enough to get around defensemen without his straight-line speed.

His defensive game has noticeably been better since he joined the Devils, particularly relative to his perceived lack of ability there — it’s been what’s held him out of NHL lineups this season. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has gone on record as saying he has been an effective two-way player for the Devils, and I completely agree.

With all that in mind, bring him back.

Justin Dowling: Go

This should come as no surprise, but I pretty much want nothing to do with Dowling on the team. It’s not that he’s a horrible player — his defensive work is pretty okay — but there just isn’t much else to like about his game. I don’t have much to say about him at all because his game is just so… boring.

Perhaps the Devils bring him back as center depth for the Comets and an extraordinarily dire injury call-up, but even then I’d have reservations. I’m not sure if he’ll be ready — I don’t think he will — but Matyas Melovsky will be in Utica next season and should immediately slot in as a top-six center for them. If I were Fitzgerald, I’d add some other AHL fodder centers instead.

Overall B6 Outlook:

With these players either staying or going, the Devils’ bottom six would look something like this:

Paul Cotter — Cody Glass — Daniel Sprong
Nolan Foote — X — Tomas Tatar

That, to me, is a legitimately good bottom-six lineup. My assumption is that they’re going to make a play for a legitimate top-six star with the impending defensive logjam they have on the right side — Simon Nemec and/or Seamus Casey will likely be dealt this off-season. With Arseni Gritsyuk NHL-ready, they can afford to buy out Ondrej Palat as well. If their lineup next season looks like this…

X — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Stefan Noesen — Cody Glass — Arseni Gritsyuk
Paul Cotter — X — Daniel Sprong
Nolan Foote — Tomas Tatar

…they’ll be in a prime position to succeed. That’s a Cup-contending team if I say so myself.