Yesterday, PuckPedia announced that the New Jersey Devils signed Finnish forward Juho Lammikko to a one-year, one-way, $800,000 contract. In Lammikko’s last NHL season, he had seven goals and eight assists in 75 games as a fourth line center. That year, he won 51 percent of his faceoff draws, winning 354 and losing 340, though his career NHL faceoff percentage is 47.6% in 159 games. Listed at about 6’3” and 205 pounds by his Swiss National League team, the ZSC Lions, Lammikko adds considerable size to the Devils’ bottom six, and the Devils made the signing official today at 10 AM Eastern.

Thankfully, Lammikko is not just a big body. In the 2021-22 season — the first year for public NHL EDGE tracking data — Lammikko:

Had a 68th percentile top speed (22.52 MPH)
Was in the 79th percentile in speed bursts over 18 MPH (525 total)
Was in the 80th percentile in speed bursts over 20 MPH (119 total)
Was in the 75th percentile in top shot speed (91.83 MPH)
Was in the 60th percentile in shots between 70-80 MPH (26)

Per some looking around by CJ Turtoro, Lammikko would have ranked fourth on the 2021-22 New Jersey Devils in 18+ MPH speed bursts per 60 minutes (40.14), ranking just below Jack Hughes (40.55) and well above Jesper Bratt (35.42). He might not be the fastest burner on the ice, but he is capable of outskating and outworking many players in the league. Comparatively, Justin Dowling posted a below-average top speed and one of the weakest shots recorded on the team. On the other hand, Curtis Lazar was in the 90th percentile in top speed (23.14 MPH), but was somewhat reserved in what moments he chose to use his legs. While his shot was not as weak as Dowling’s, Lazar’s shot was also below league average in top speed (82.73). If you are looking for improved physical tools in the bottom six, Lammikko can provide that.

But what else does this signing show about Tom Fitzgerald’s approach to the 2025 NHL offseason?

A Willingness to Look Overseas

Last week, I wrote about looking for unsigned players who have been having good seasons in the AHL. This is the other half of that alternative approach to filling out the roster, though I had not yet had a chance to start looking at what European professionals should interest the Devils. Obviously, Fitzgerald has been at work here. Since Fitzgerald joined the organization under Ray Shero, the Devils have made a handful of these sorts of moves, though none have translated into much success. However, one of the names we mentioned on this blog last year — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — broke into the NHL in 2014 at age 29, going on to have a successful career as a fourth liner through the 2023-24 season. That said, Bellemare had similar production to Lammikko in 2024-25, with Bellemare scoring 10 goals and 18 assists in 34 games, compared to Lammikko’s 13 goals and 25 assists in 48 games. Unlike many players, Bellemare seemed to get better as he got older, being an integral defensive specialist on Tampa’s ill-fated three-peat attempt in 2022.

If Lammikko can go on to have a solid NHL career from age-29 and onwards, Fitzgerald will look very savvy for this move. However, it can be difficult to predict which European professional league players will acclimate well to the NHL and which will not. Before Bellemare came to the NHL, he never played a minute of North American hockey, and he turned out pretty good. Lammikko played five North American seasons from 2014 to 2019 before going back to the Liiga and KHL, returning in 2020-21 for the Florida Panthers before leaving again for Switzerland in 2022. For him, there should be no adjustment period.

Moving forward, I think Fitzgerald should continue trying to lure some of these overseas professionals back to the Americas. There are still plenty of players with NHL experience out there, including the Swiss National League. A look at the NL’s top scorers reveals familiar names such as Austin Czarnik (20 goals and 56 points in 49 games), Dominik Kubalik (27 goals and 49 points in 52 games), and Markus Granlund (21 goals and 47 points in 39 games). Some at the top of the league, like Julius Nattinen, were early-round draft picks but did not make the league. Some, like Sakari Manninen or Jesper Froden, were undrafted, had a good AHL season or two, but never got a real NHL shot. And who knows how hungry players who have been playing in Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, or Russia might be if they get an extended NHL chance?

Realizing the Need For Near-League Minimum Contracts

Getting someone who has been out of the league, but still active for a few seasons, has multiple benefits. Fitzgerald did not have to outbid anyone for Lammikko, and I am not sure if he was even on other teams’ radars. But with a passable NHL season under his belt in recent years, getting Lammikko for just $25,000 above the league minimum salary is good business. If Lammikko somehow gets passed over for the roster in October, his contract will have no impact on the team’s cap situation, though he will still be paid the full amount in his bank account if he ends up in Utica.

With the team still needing to sign Luke Hughes and Cody Glass with only $11.24 million in cap space, we should presume more league-minimum contracts will be signed. Whether that means a returning veteran from last year or someone out there on the market, the Devils will not be able to make any financially-substantial external additions unless they shed serious salary. If no such moves are made, your October 2025 roster would likely be what you see on PuckPedia right now, with Hughes and Glass re-signing and Gritsyuk joining on his ELC deal.

Why Not a PTO?

For some fans seeing the news last night or this morning, they might be wondering: why not sign Lammikko to a PTO? While European contract information can be difficult to come by, at least one Swiss news source, Blue News, reported last year that Lammikko’s extension with ZSC was signed through the 2027-28 season. The Lions have been active in their pursuit of bottom six NHLers, as they also signed Denis Malgin to a five-year contract in 2023, after Malgin had 11 goals and 6 assists in 42 games at 26 years old. I can imagine that ZSC, eager to push the boundaries of competitive Swiss hockey, has deep pockets for the National League and would be paying Lammikko more than enough for him to scoff at a PTO offer. There’s a reason he’s making his full salary whether or not he ends up making the NHL team. PTOs are great tools for finding necessary depth, but not always an option when there are teams — even if not in the NHL — who are willing to pay upfront.

Where the Devils Stand With Centers and Overall Depth

With Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula, and Juho Lammikko under contract, the Devils currently have five options down the middle. Cody Glass, a restricted free agent, should be the sixth, though the team could move them if they deem him to be too pricey to retain for his role (I hope they come to an agreement). At the moment, I would mark the depth chart as such:

Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Haula-Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Mercer-Gritsyuk
Cotter-Lammikko-MacDermid

Signing Glass would allow the team to shift things around a bit more:

Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Bratt-Hughes-Mercer
Haula-Glass-Gritsyuk
Palat-Lammikko-Cotter

If you look at the above lineup, I would not blame you to think, that is not a contender after how they ended up this season. But it is still possible to create cap space to make more transformative acquisitions, and having two 6’3” bottom six centers is a good start for responding to the issues that plagued the team in 2024-25. But is this enough? I would have a hard time blaming Fitz if having six natural centers, with Haula and Mercer on wing, somehow proved too little for the team in 2025-26, though I would love it if he made one more proven addition in this area before the team takes the ice for the pre-season in September. For now, Fitzgerald is a bit ahead of the game, and he can focus on the big-picture moves over the next couple weeks.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of the signing of Juho Lammikko? Do you think he will fit the team well? Will Keefe benefit from having a faster bottom six center in the mix? How do you think this impacts the team’s center situation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.