New Jersey Devils: Free Agency Update

The New Jersey Devils signed two new players and re-signed three more on the first day of free agency.  It’s a good start, but the is still work to be done with the team’s roster.

NHL free agency is well underway, and Devils went out and made some necessary moves on Friday.  Ray Shero began the day by signing former Pittsburgh Penguin, defenseman Ben Lovejoy.  This was a move meant to fill the hole left on the right side of the defense with Adam Larsson now in Edmonton.

Ben Lovejoy

While Lovejoy doesn’t have the upside of Larsson at 32 years old, he brings seven years of NHL experience to a young Devils team.  Coming off a Stanley Cup win, he’s played in big games and will be another veteran presence on the blue line, one that the Devils needed. Lovejoy played 66 games last season, finishing with 10 points and plus-minus of 9. He gets a 3-year contract worth $8 million and becomes yet another Penguin making he move to New Jersey, having played for Hynes and Shero before in Pittsburgh/Wilkes-Barre.  He’s also got a pretty cool nickname, “The Reverend,” derived from The Simpsons character, Reverend Lovejoy.

Jon Merrill

Also on a defensive note, the Devils did resign restricted free agent Jon Merrill to a two year deal.  He initially did not receive a qualifying offer, but Shero and the Devils were able to work the deal out quickly.  I’m still not sold on Merrill being a full-time player at the NHL level yet, but having depth on your blue line is important.  Coming off surgery on his shoulder, he won’t be skating until September anyway.  Let’s hope Merrill can stay healthy this season and show us something we haven’t seen yet in his young career: consistency.

I was disappointed that David Schlemko left and signed with the Sharks, I was really hoping the Devils would bring him back.  He’s an underrated, sneaky-offensive defenseman who moves the puck well and is good on the power play.  I think the 4 year deal he got with San Jose is not one the Devils were ready to dish out.  I’d imagine Shero was probably only looking to sign him to 2-3 years.  That’s too bad, but good luck to Schlemko.

Next: Ben Lovejoy Fills Void for Devils

Defense!

With that, the Devils still only have 5 NHL defensemen under contract as of today: Andy Greene, Damon Severson, John Moore, Merrill and Lovejoy. Andy Greene will be Andy Greene, rock solid on the top pairing. Damon Severson will now be asked to step up and play bigger minutes paired with Greene now that Larsson is gone.  He’s primed for a breakout year. Lovejoy will come in and play on the second pairing on the right side.  Who he will play with is a toss up as of right now.  The jury is still out on both Jon Merrill and John Moore if you ask me.  Both looked very shaky at times last season and have a hard time staying healthy. Seth Helgeson and Steve Santini will most likely be given more of a chance to play full-time in the NHL with Larsson leaving.

The Devils did sign Karl Stollerey to a one-year deal, but he’s only played 12 career games in the NHL.  Don’t count on him to be much more than an insurance policy if injuries pile up. So, there are still question marks on defense that will need to be addressed by the end of this summer.  They should sign at least one or two more veteran d-men.  Not many big names out there, but the Devils still do have plenty of cash to sure up the blue line.

Kyle Palmieri

As for the offense, it’s starting to take shape, but there’s still an elephant in the room. The big question still is, when is Kyle Palmieri’s deal getting done?  You’d hope that this didn’t have to go to arbitration, because then it would only be a two year deal.  We want Palmieri locked up long term so he can’t walk in two years if the Devils are still struggling to be a playoff team. Ray Shero said last week that they are close on money, but not on the term on the deal.  Regardless, he’s confident that the deal will get done “one way or another.” Please get this done sooner than later.

Next: New Jersey Devils Sign Smith-Pelly, Merrill, Bennett

Devante Smith-Pelley and Beau Bennett

On a positive note, the Devils did re-sign restricted free agents Devante Smith-Pelley and Beau Bennett.  Given that the Devils gave up draft picks to acquire both of these players, this was expected and makes sense.  Smith-Pelley got a two-year deal worth $1.3 each season.  He’ll most likely settle in as the right winger on the third line this year. Even with a smaller sample size in a Devils uniform after being acquired at the trade deadline, Smith-Pelley proved to click with the team right away.  In 18 games he had 8 goals and 5 assists.  He’s the power forward that the Devils need, proving to be a force in front of the net cleaning up the garbage and putting himself in the right place at the right time.  He brings a physical presence up front, something the Devils haven’t possessed in awhile.  At only 24 years old, he’s still young, and this was a smart move for Ray Shero.

Beau Bennett, who was acquired for a third round pick at this year’s draft, is on a stay healthy, show-me deal for one year, $725,000.  A former first round pick in 2010, Bennett has had an injury-plagued NHL career so far, playing in just 129 games in four seasons.  He’s only 24 as well, so it’s not a bad gamble for the Devils to take.  He’s no better than a bottom-6 forward at this point in his career, but he provides some depth that the Devils need at right wing.  Shero and Hynes know what they are getting with Bennett coming from Pittsburgh, so the familiarity makes sense as well.  They must like him, and he’ll get a chance to prove himself as long as he stays healthy.

Vernon Fiddler

In other news, the Devils went out and signed center Vern Fiddler, formerly of the Dallas Stars.  Fiddler gets a one-year deal worth $1.25 million.  At 26 years old, Fiddler is no spring chicken, but he is durable.  He played all 82 games last season and has 12 goals and 10 assists. He’ll probably be the Devils fourth line center, and you’d hope he can bring a bit more production than any 4th liner did for the team last year.  Described as a “character guy” by Dallas Stars fans, I’m happy to have Fiddler board.  More experience and more depth makes Fiddler a great fit for this young team.  He’ll bridge the gap for a year while prospects like Pavel Zacha, John Quenneville, Miles Wood and 2016 first round pick Michael McLeod take time to develop their game. Unfortunately, this signing most likely means that Stephen Gionta’s career as a Devil is over.  We all loved Gio, but  I think it’s time to move on.  Fiddler will fill his role for at least one season.

Unsigned Players

On another note, don’t forget that Reid Boucher and Sergey Kalinin are both unsigned.  Since they did receive qualifying offers, it’s more a matter of when than if they get signed.  I see this being a breakout year for Boucher, while Kalinin just needs to find an identity to fit in on this team. Jacob Josefson is in the same situation, remaining unsigned, but I’ve made it very clear that I’d rather move on from the former 1st rounder at this point.  He’s only had 25 points the past two seasons in 120 games.  What has he done for New Jersey lately?  Not enough.  For all three of these players, arbitration is a good possibility.

If you’re wondering about the status of Patrik Elias, don’t hold your breath. It’s been confirmed that a decision on Elias won’t come until after his rehab is done in August or September.  The Devils want to see him skate, and Elias wants to see how he feels at that point.  It’s fair to both sides, and if Elias thinks he can come back and the Devils like what they see, a one-year deal will get done.

Next: Devils Will Miss Adam Larsson, but Taylor Hall is Worth It

Remember, the team being put together this year is not supposed to win the Stanley Cup.  The goal is to be competitive and try and get back to the playoffs for the first time in 5 years.  All of these signings occurred on the first day of free agency.  It’s a long summer, and Ray Shero isn’t done filling out this team.  But, as of right now, the 2016-17 New Jersey Devils are starting to take shape, and I like where things are going.

Now, go enjoy your 4th of July.  More Devils news to come this week.