After the dust settled from the New Jersey Devils' big signings, the team signed two two-way contracts that will likely be more for Utica than New Jersey. First, the Devils signed former Rockford IceHog and short-term Chicago Blackhawks center Mike Hardman to a two-season deal. Hardman will make the NHL's league minimum if he joins New Jersey and $350,000 at Utica. The second contract is a return. The Devils brought back defenseman Colton White to a two-season, two-way contract of his own. He will make the NHL's league minimum, $250,000 next season at Utica and $275,000 at Utica in 2026-27.

From the New Jersey Devils' perspective, both are reinforcements. Hardman has played a total of 37 NHL games in his career, with his final 8 games coming in the 2022-23 season. Devils assistant coach Jeremy Colliton knows him, but the IceHogs know him much better. He has played 164 games with the AHL affiliate over the past three seasons. The number of games matters to Hardman. In the AHL, there is a development rule for all rosters in a game. Of the 18 players, at least 13 must be “developmental players,” meaning 12 players with 260 or fewer professional games and one player with 320 or fewer professional games. Whether that's NHL, AHL, or elite European leagues, it counts. That number is determined at the start of the season. All of this means Hardman has 201 games under his belt, and therefore qualifies for another season as a “developmental player.” He can play for Utica as often as Kevin Dineen wants. (Aside: This is a good drill to go through after the offseason.)

How will Hardman fare? He scored 22 goals for Rockford last season, but he's never scored more than 40 points in an AHL season. Like Adam Beckman before him, I don't expect him to be a big performer. But he might just need a different environment than he had in Rockford. Hardman will at least be there to help the Comets' midfield depth. He joins an experienced group of Justin Dowling, Ryan Schmelzer, Shane Bowers and Sam Laberge.

Colton White, originally drafted by the Devils in 2015 and in the organization through 2022, has more NHL games under his belt. He played 27 Devils games in 2021-22 and 46 for Anaheim in 2022-23, adding four and six assists in both games, respectively. However, after a 53-game season with the San Diego Gulls (1 goal, 7 assists), he has played 254 AHL games in his career alone. Add in the 84 NHL games, and he's a veteran with 338 professional games. That's probably to be expected. Tyler Wotherspoon has been the veteran of Utica's defense for the past three seasons. It doesn't look like he'll stick with the organization. This allows White to fit into a defense that includes at least Santeri Hatakka, Daniil Misyul, Seamus Casey, Mikael Diotte and Topias Vilen.

While NHL deals like this don't make headlines, they do have some value within the organization. Not only do they make White and Hardman available for action, they also set the roster for Utica. The pro rule, in turn, means Dineen and his team may have to juggle some players. But that's common practice in the AHL.

Unless GM Tom Fitzgerald makes a bigger splash tonight, these two signings will close out the Devils' active first day of free agency for 2024. A recap for the evening follows. Please leave your thoughts on Hardman joining the organization, White returning there, and other thoughts on Utica in the comments. Thanks for reading.