Amazing: The New Jersey Devils recently completed an essential new signing.

Amazing: The New Jersey Devils recently completed an essential new signing.

Erik Haula Re-Signs with the New Jersey Devils for Three Seasons and $9.4 Million
Erik Haula was re-signed by the New Jersey Devils to a new three-year contract, as originally reported by Kevin Weekes. It has some trade protection and is valued at $9.4 million in total. This is a brief post responding to the recent agreement.

Kevin Weekes tweeted this morning just before noon while standing in front of an image of an eye. Weekes was informed that Erik Haula would be signing a three-year contract extension with the New Jersey Devils. Weekes was verified by NJ.com a short while later. Devils beat reporter Ryan Novozinsky, who was informed that the contract was for $9.4 million over three seasons. The New Jersey Devils officially announced just before 12:50 PM that Erik Haula had indeed signed a three-season contract worth a total of $9.4 million. There is a $3.15 million cap hit on the contract. Haula will receive $3.9 million in 2023–2024; $3.15 million in 2024–2025; and $2.4 million in 2025–2026 according to the Devils’ announcement. James Nichols later tweeted that there will be a six-team no-trade list for the third season and a no-trade clause for the first two seasons of Haula. First of all, is this a good deal?

Yes, is the response. Haula, who was paid $2.5 million in the previous season, was coming off a $4.75 million two-season contract. Haula’s performance last season was obviously good enough for the New Jersey Devils to bring him back, and that was good enough to earn a raise. Quite large in the first year, but the 32-year-old center’s cap hit is more tolerable in the next two seasons due to his lower salary. It is less than what the Evolving-Hockey twins found in their model, but it is a little higher than what Mike projected for Haula’s next deal last month. I believe the contract is fine; I’ll discuss it more later.

As good a summary of Haula’s actions from the previous season as any can be found in Mike’s post. I advise you to read it through. Here is a further summary of it from me. Haula was a big contributor to the Devils in 2022–2023 and beyond. He killed penalties quite well, won faceoffs, had great on-ice rates on a formidable 5-on-5 team, and could play both with and without Jack Hughes. The problems with Haula’s play the previous season were that he was used more than he ought to have been and that he struggled for much of the season to bury goals. These problems disappeared by the end of the season and the first round of the playoffs as he started to play well. Erik Haula wasn’t necessary for any power play unit, and he may have been with The Big Deal for longer than necessary. However, those shortcomings paled in comparison to the value he offered as a center who could fill a variety of roles without raising red flags like Pavel Zacha did, who he replaced. Winning a playoff series and scoring goals against Our Hated Rivals is like a delicious banana on a banana split. In essence: After spending four seasons with the Wild, Haula played for six different teams, so he gets some much-needed stability. He was good for the team last season.

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This brings me to my one small complaint regarding the resigning. If this had been a two-season contract rather than a three-season one, I would have adored it. In March, Haula turned 32. Even though he might continue to produce and shoot a little bit more frequently—20 goals or even 50 points is conceivable—there is a chance that his play will eventually start to decline. That might occur during his three-year contract with the Devils. Since the salary decreases with each season, I believe that is reflected in it as well. In order to give the Devils some flexibility at the end, his no trade clause will also change to a six-team list in the third season. However, I understand. In my opinion, Haula’s cap hit won’t be a problem at all given a potentially rising cap. Unless his performance drastically declines, I don’t believe he will be an albatross on the team. Simply put, I believe that two would have been better for New Jersey. But Haula wanted to be here, the Devils wanted him, and so be it if that meant extending his contract for a third season in order to save money and avoid having to trade for an eighth team. I think the contract is fair for what it is, so I’m good with it.

This means that for the next three seasons, the Devils will essentially have their center core set. Haula, Nico Hischier, and The Big Deal are going to be there. The length of Michael McLeod’s re-signal will determine how long he stays in the middle of that trio. Additionally, Tom Fitzgerald will have one less free agent to manage before next week’s Free Agency Frenzy. With four UFAs and seven RFAs remaining, the Devils have $23.257 million in cap space following the trade of Severson to Columbus, the re-signing of Jesper Bratt, and this acquisition. Fitzgerald now has a better idea of what he needs to do and how much he will have on July 1.

Perhaps that list of RFAs will soon drop to just six. Shortly after revealing on Twitter about Haula, Weekes recommended an 8 by 8.5 arrangement for Timo Meier at a Walgreens in North Bergen. We’ll find out.

I’d like to know your thoughts on Erik Haula’s new contract in the interim. Do you think his $3.15 million salary cap hit for the next three seasons is reasonable? Do you believe his performance from last season warranted the raise? Do you believe he will honor the terms of this new agreement? Will Erik Haula end up being the greatest Finnish Devil in the history of the team? Kindly share your opinions, feelings, and other thoughts regarding Erik Haula in the comments section. I appreciate you taking the time to read.