The Devils have most of their core players—Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton—locked into long-term deals that are, for the most part, pretty team friendly.
The roster still has its flaws defensively and in goal, and injuries helped crush their chances this season, but there is a pretty good core still here in place. A bounce back should not be out of the question next season with the right moves.
One contract that has not worked out, though, has been the free-agency signing of Ondrej Palat prior to the 2022-23 season.
Palat's contract also contains a no-movement clause. Signing a Stanley Cup champion and a key part of the Lightning mini-dynasty made some sense for a young, on-the-rise team, but it hasn't gone as anybody hoped or planned.
