New Jersey Devils Should Sign Beau Bennett Long Term
By Nick Villano
A strong finish to the season should be enough for the New Jersey Devils to bring back Beau Bennett. The team could easily re-sign him, being he’s a restricted free agent.
The New Jersey Devils all season were desperate for secondary scoring. For a while, the team only had one guy scoring on the third and fourth line, and then they traded him. PA Parenteau scored 13 goals in 59 games before he was traded to the Nashville Predators for a bag of peanuts and a Pekka Rinne plush doll. Once he was gone, the team had very little on the bottom six.
That is what makes Beau Bennett such an important piece to bring back this offseason. He isn’t a player who is going to wow many people with his stick play. He isn’t going to blow the doors off when taking a shot. One thing is undeniable, however. When he finally found his fit towards the end of the season, he was a scoring threat.
He only lit the lamp eight times this season, but five of those eight goals came after March 10th. It was a stretch that gave Devils fans just enough confidence going into the offseason.
The biggest reason the Devils should bring Bennet back is his biggest flaw coming into the Devils was fixed. Saying he was injury plagued with the Pittsburgh Penguins is an understatement. He had four seasons in the Steel City, and played just 129 games. This season, he played 65 games, a career high, and showed signs of improving throughout the season.
Bennett could sign a two or three-year deal for around $1.3-$1.5 million dollars per season. The Devils have the money to spend, so they might as well give it to Bennett. His cap hit won’t hurt, even if it is for three more years.
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Bennett is only 25 years old. He has so much room to grow with this team. He has the ability to one day become a 20 goal scorer if everything falls the right way. The Devils cannot afford to lose a player who’s willing to play on the bottom six, knows this staff as well as he does, and can be brought back without breaking the bank.
With that being said, it is very unlikely the Devils would lose Bennett. He is a restricted free agent, and teams didn’t go after the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko when he was a restricted free agent, so a player like Bennett is safe. Still, the Devils need to sign him prior to the Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Draft so he can be protected.