The significant component of the free agency period has essentially come and gone, but there are still options available to the New Jersey Devils to improve the blue line. Some are good possibilities, some long shots, and a few could come back to haunt Jersey’s Team. Here’s a quick take on some of the possibilities.
First of all, to kick things off, none of these alternatives are sure-fire hits. At this point in time, the best free agents are signed, opportunities to steal away the Matt Dumbas and Sami Vatanens of the world during the NHL Expansion Draft have gone by the wayside, and any windows open during the frenzy of the NHL Entry Draft have now been slammed shut.
To put it another way, the Devils probably aren’t going to find a Picasso in the attic. That’s too much to ask for. But there could be some scraps left at the buffet, so to speak. Here are some avenues Jersey’s Team might pursue to locate a few of the remaining juicy morsels.
September Signings
Every year, there are free agents looking for multi-year deals and contracts a bit beyond their true market value. Kris Russell and Dennis Seidenberg are good examples of players in that category last season. Cody Franson, Andrei Markov and Roman Polak could be on this year’s pre-camp signing menu. Are any these guys Norris Trophy candidates? Of course not. Are all of these guys better than incumbents like John Moore, Ben Lovejoy, Mirco Müller or Steve Santini? Arguably. I get it, none of these guys on my “September Signing” list have the high ceiling necessary to get the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals. But they would definitely make the team better during 2017-18. One-year contract offers to players like this as training camp approaches is a pretty good option for the New Jersey Devils.
Trading Adam Henrique
I can’t write this any better than All About The Jersey, so all I’ll say is NO! Adam is the consummate Devil. I don’t have one Henrique jersey, I have two. Don’t do it!
There are still a myriad of opportunities for the New Jersey Devils to bolster the blue line this summer.
International Free Agent Market
Granted, this is a long-shot, but something to look at. Montreal recently signed Jakub Jerabek from the KHL. There are players in other European leagues like Yannick Rathgeb or Sami Lepisto who are either highly regarded or have some NHL experience. Am I going to pretend to be an expert on Old World defensive prospects? Certainly not. But it is a zero-downside avenue to explore. Yohann Auvitu really was not that bad last year. I know John Hynes did not really care for him, but personally I thought he did a nice job. I know it’s not happening, but would not mind seeing him back in camp again this year for the Devils. Putting that thought aside, bringing in one player of this ilk to see if he works out is a low-risk, potentially high-reward option.
Professional Tryouts
Speaking of PTO’s, this is another low-risk alternative for the Devils. We’ve seen guys like Lee Stempiniak and Anton Strålman excel in PTO’s for the Devils (I will never forget how the Devils chose not to sign Strålman in 2011. What a mistake). Any of the players in the “September Signings” list above, plus a few more like Brian Campbell or Francois Beauchemin, could be added as PTO options. Sure, several of them are long in the tooth, but it’s only a PTO. You never know when you might catch lightning in a bottle. Ray Shero has done this every year with the Devils, so I’d be pretty surprised if we did not see a few defenders in camp on a PTO in September.
Salary Cap Dump Trade
This might be the best option of all. Cap room is still the Devils most value asset as we take assessment of things here in mid-July. Taking a bad contract (another club dumping a salary) along with a good player is an excellent option for the Devils. For goodness sake, if a poorly run franchise like the Brooklyn Nets can figure this concept out. The Devils should be able to as well. The key is making sure any “bad contract” coming back to Newark does not have a long term. New Jersey needs cap room to re-enlist it’s best players when those contracts expire. However, for this year and next, absorbing some salary is an absolute non-issue. There literally is no Opportunity Cost if the New Jersey Devils over pay someone or even if they pay someone for no reason. So this is clearly something Ray Shero should explore, and something I fully expect him to do.
Next: Offer Sheet Possibility For The New Jersey Devils
Blockbuster Trade
There are clubs in the league, like Carolina, with an embarrassment of youthful riches on the blue line. Is it conceivable that the Devils trade one of their high-end forwards in a need-for-need exchange? Perhaps. We’ve seen that happen before (e.g. Taylor Hall). Personally, I don’t see that as likely. The Devils don’t have so many high potential forwards that losing one is insignificant. I don’t see them letting a Pavel Zacha or Kyle Palmieri type go for a young defender. But, as I mentioned, we have seen Ray Shero be aggressive like this in the past. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility, but I wouldn’t do it.
Summary
What are your thoughts? Which ideas do you like, or not like? Can the Devils use any of these avenues to fill out their roster with NHL level defenders? Or do you think finding that Picasso in the attic is more likely than the Devils helping themselves at this point?
Look forward to your comments and thanks for taking the time to read this. Let’s go Devils!