Reid Boucher has signed a new deal to remain with the New Jersey Devils. However, it is only for one year at a low salary. Could this be Boucher’s final chance to prove himself?
The New Jersey Devils took care of their lone lingering piece of housekeeping for the summer on Wednesday by signing restricted free agent Reid Boucher to a new contract. The deal is worth $715,000 at the NHL level, and it is a two-way deal, meaning Boucher is not guaranteed an NHL salary – his AHL salary has not been released at this point. Beginning this season, however, Boucher will be required to pass through waivers if the Devils wish to send him down to Albany, and I think it’s fair to say that the Devils will not take that risk.
While Boucher has not quite lived up to the potential we saw during his time with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL – in 2012-2013, Boucher scored 62 goals in 68 games, breaking a team record previously held by Steven Stamkos – he showed signs of improvement last season, scoring 19 points in 39 games. Despite only playing approximately half the season with the big club, he averaged over 14 minutes TOI per game in the games he played. His time in Albany was also productive, as he scored 19 goals and tallied 32 points in 34 games.
There are a couple of aspects about this deal which are curious, however. We’ll start with the salary, or lack thereof. Most of us have spent the summer assuming that Boucher and Devils GM Ray Shero have been hammering away at some sort of “bridge deal” that would include a somewhat substantial raise for Boucher, who is coming off his entry level contract that he signed with the Devils in 2013 after being drafted 99th overall in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. That contract paid him an average annual sum of $692,500 at the NHL level, so in fact, this new deal hardly includes a raise at all.
Equally as puzzling is the fact that this contract is only for one year, rather than the somewhat typical two year deals that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing players in situations similar to Boucher sign. Many Devils fans believe that Boucher is a lock to be a part of this team as it completes its rebuild and looks to compete in the near future. Judging by this new contract, it appears that Shero is not operating under that assumption. In fact, this new contract for Boucher is almost identical to the one year deal that Beau Bennett signed on the first day of free agency in early July. Many viewed that contract for Bennett as a “prove you belong” deal, and if he floundered during this year, he simply would not be brought back moving forward. Could the same be said of Boucher? Neither he nor Bennett can simply walk away after this year, both will still be restricted free agents when these contracts expire. However, it cannot be ignored that player and team could not agree to a commitment beyond one year.
Don’t forget that Shero and the new management team have no ties to Boucher – they did not draft him, Lou Lamoriello’s regime did. We’ve already seen how Shero is not hesitant when it comes to parting with pieces he feels don’t fit (see Eric Gelinas and Stefan Matteau), so why should we expect his approach with Boucher to be any different? Of course, this could also be Boucher’s doing. For example, perhaps Shero offered him two years with an average salary of $1 million, but Boucher chose to bet on himself, play one year, and hope for more significant term and money next summer.
Next: Ray Shero is Turning This Franchise Around
Boucher betting on himself would appear to be a bit of a gamble, however. He is not guaranteed a spot in the lineup this coming season, and certainly is not a lock to play in a top scoring role. Given that he plays left wing, a position that seems to be locked down on the top two lines (Taylor Hall and Mike Cammalleri), Boucher will more than likely find himself in a battle with fellow youngster Joseph Blandisi, who also plays left wing, for playing time. Given that neither Boucher nor Blandisi plays the type of game that you would typically find on a fourth line, it may be possible that one of those two may find himself the odd man out. It will certainly be interesting to see what shakes out with Boucher this coming season – it’s shaping up to be the most important of his young career.