Since the New Jersey Devils signed Mike Cammalleri in July of 2014, fans haven’t seen as much of him as they’d like due to injuries. Could this be his last season in a Devils uniform?
When Mike Cammalleri is healthy, he’s really good. The New Jersey Devils left winger led the team in scoring in 2014-15 with 27 goals. He was on his way to doing the same this past year until being sidelined with a season-ending wrist injury. He still had 38 points in 42 games. He’s simply an injury-prone player and staying healthy is his problem.
Already at age 34, the clock is ticking on Cammalleri’s career. He hasn’t played more than 70 games in a season since 2008-09 when he played in 81 games for Calgary and also had a career high of 82 points. That was eight years ago when he was in his prime. Now with the Devils, durability is a serious concern, especially for a team looking to get younger in the midst of a rebuild.
Again, when healthy, Cammalleri is a proven scoring threat. His presence was sorely missed whenever he was out of the lineup the past two seasons. It became obvious how much of an impact he had while on the ice. The Devils got off to a surprisingly nice start to the 2015-16 season and were in the playoff hunt the first half of the year. After Cammy went down, things seemed to go downhill for the team as a whole. It was another frustrating injury for a Devils team that desperately needed his scoring punch. Without Cammalleri in the second half of the season, the Devils went on to average the fewest goals per game in the NHL.
The question is, at his age, how many good years does Cammalleri have left, on top of his durability issues? He’s signed for three more seasons through 2019 at $5 million a year. I wouldn’t say he’s overpaid, but that’s not cheap. He’s also not a player that Ray Shero signed as GM of the Devils, having been signed when Lou Lamoriello was still around. If the Adam Larsson trade is any indication, it’s that Shero won’t hesitate to move on from any players he inherited from the Lou days. Larsson had just signed a big extension with New Jersey a year ago, and now he’s wearing an Edmonton Oilers uniform.
Speaking of the Adam Larsson trade, with the acquisition of another top-line left winger, Taylor Hall, is Cammalleri more expendable now? Hall already does have chemistry with center Adam Henrique from their OHL days. Not to mention, Ray Shero has quietly been building a nice prospect pool of forwards, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Shero dealt Cammy to give a younger player a shot to prove himself. Say, Pavel Zacha?
The Devils goal should be to make the playoffs this year. Winning the Stanley Cup is simply unrealistic. Cammalleri is a proven scorer, who could be the perfect trade chip at the trade deadline for a Stanley Cup contender. It’s a “sell-high” approach, and would make sense for another team looking to add both experience and a scoring punch. If the Devils could get back young talent or more draft picks in return, it seems logical for a team that is rebuilding.
If Cammalleri isn’t traded, don’t be surprised if he goes unprotected for the expansion draft next offseason in 2017 now that there will be a team in Las Vegas. There’s no guarantee that the Vegas team would even want him, but leaving Cammalleri exposed may be a way to get out from his contract if they can’t trade him and get anything back. He’s at the stage of an athlete’s career where most start to regress, and I really think Ray Shero should be wary of that. The money Cammalleri is making in New Jersey might be better used on younger talent for a team that probably won’t contend for a few years.
Next: Pavel Zacha with Make NHL Roster This Year
Now finally back to 100% health-wise, what does Cammalleri’s future with the Devils hold? He’s certainly an essential piece of the Devils’ current team and near-future, but it’s hard to say that he fits into the team’s long term plans at this point of his career. It should be an interesting year for #13.