This is what I would do too. But I think Holtz will have a better camp than Mercer because Holtz was playing in a men's league while Mercer was playing in juniors

Three guys we traded away return.
Like the moves, would be interesting.

I do think Fitzy has a big trade up his sleeve for a d-man.
June will be fun.

My base case lines for next year:

Zacha - Hischier - Bratt
Foote - Hughes - Holtz
Kuokkanen - Sharangovich - Mercer
Wood - McLeod - Bastian
(Scratch: Maltsev, Boqvist, Thompson)

I’d think Coleman would supplant Foote in that lineup.

Smith - Severson
[LHD] - Subban
Siegenthaler - [RHD]

Two holes to be filled either through trades, free agency, or from our prospect pool.

Blackwood
[TBD backup]

agreed. but i dont want larsson back. would love a pure goal scorer or 2 . let nico and jack create. add a soild backup for blackwood like halak. top Dman as well

methinks bernier wouldn't want a backup role and i also don't think mac would be happen making less per year than a backup

very young team too we gotta get some veteranosity on there, maybe grab a guy like stastny to put him at 3C?

My biggest offseason want is a legitimate top 4 d-man. If we draft top 3 I am expecting it to be either Hughes or Power which would theoretically fill a future hole at 2LD. So I'd focus on acquiring a top RHD via trade or free agency (basically only Hamilton fits the bill from FA). I know that's easier said than done but it is very much a team need.

I didn't specifically aim to sign all former Devils but each has their own case. Coleman brought an "it" factor to the team that quite frankly has been missing since he left. He's also one of the few UFA's who is familiar with the majority of our lineup. Larsson is so far removed that familiarity has little to do with his return. Moreso he's just a solid RHD who could benefit from a change of scenery and is low risk on a short term deal. Murray and Kulikov are very much stopgaps while the Devils wait for 2021 1st, Mukhamodoulin, Bahl, Okhotyuk, etc. to be NHL ready. Murray has the higher potential while Kulikov proved to be a terrific fit in Ruff's system. I would have just gone with one of them but with Siegenthaler looking a bit shaky early on and the young AHL guys not ready to play NHL minutes I'd try to grab both of them as insurance.