New Jersey Devils Blow It On College Defenseman Gavin Bayreuther
By Nick Villano
St. Lawrence University defenseman Gavin Bayreuther signed with the Dallas Stars after the New Jersey Devils showed high interest.
2017 has been a year of losses for the New Jersey Devils. Another loss came late Tuesday night, even though the game against the Winnipeg Jets was canceled.
After the Devils showed a ton of interest in St. Lawrence University’s Gavin Bayreuther, he decided to go in another direction. The best college defensive free agent agreed to a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars.
Bayreuther has a heck of a shot and has a lot of confidence in it. He had a “down” year with just eight goals on 104 shots in his final college season (7.7%). That being said, he has the ability to make it to the big leagues next season in the right system. He led his team in points with 29 in 30 games.
It seemed like everything was working in the Devils favor here. Bayreuther’s cousin is current Devils defenseman Ben Lovejoy. He’s already used to wearing a red and black sweater after playing with the Devils’ developmental camp this past summer. General Manager Ray Shero had the edge on paper.
Despite all the signs pointing to Bayreuther becoming a Devil, he didn’t. He chose another team coming off a disappointing season. It isn’t like he chose the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings, he chose the Stars.
Not trying to talk down on the Stars. The team has two bonafide superstars in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. There is a legit argument that with a top young defenseman, the Stars become instant contenders again.
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The issue is the same argument can be made for the Devils. The team still missed out on a marquee college free agent.
Who knows what Bayreuther may turn into, but his talent is undeniable. The Devils could sorely use a defender like him in its system. Now, Lovejoy will lose out on playing with someone he’d likely have chemistry with. Someone he could teach how to be a professional, something that hurt some prospects in the past. The Devils lost out on a big win in a year full of losses.