The New Jersey Devils are officially in offseason mode. Over the next few days, we will look at 20 potential free agents they could look at signing. Today, we look at the Columbus Blue Jackets Ian Cole.
The New Jersey Devils will definitely try to upgrade their defense this offseason. It was the one major weakness on an overall great year. The team already made great strides in the past year, signing Will Butcher and trading for Mirco Mueller and Sami Vatanen. The defense is much better, but there are still strides to be made.
There’s a good chance the Devils will make a run at John Carlson, but almost everybody will be trying to get the best defensive free agent. If the Devils miss out, they will likely have to settle for one of the lesser defenseman on the market.
There are a few attractive names, but Ian Cole may be the most interesting. He was very underrated on back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. So underrated, in fact, that the Pittsburgh Penguins sent him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the trade that brought them Derrick Brassard. It really provided a problem when the defensive depth could not stop the Washington Capitals.
He could provide some decent depth to the Devils next season as they try to continue contending in the Metropolitan Division.
Cole is a bottom pairing depth guy, which does provide an issue for the Devils if they sign him. Right now, they have Ben Lovejoy and Andy Greene as bottom pairing players who are just take-them-as-you are defenders. If Cole were to be signed, then Lovejoy would likely be a casualty.
As we all know, GM Ray Shero likes to sign his former Penguins. However, Cole came to the team the year after Shero left. Therefore, that likely won’t go into Shero’s thinking.
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What will is his experience in the playoffs. In the past four seasons, Cole has played in 60 playoff games. He provides the kind of experience Shero will want to add to this team. That’s why Shero signed Lovejoy in the first place.
Cole signed a three-year deal with the Penguins that pays him $2.1 million per season. With how the market is playing out, he could make much closer to $3 million per season. The Devils have plenty of cap space, but do they want to make that kind of commitment? More importantly, what’s the the term?
The Devils could sign Cole, but anything over two seasons would be a mistake. He’s not the type of player that gives great return on investment going into his mid-to-late 30s. I feel like he will get a contract that pays him $9 million over three years. Again, that’s probably too long. Look at the issues the Devils are facing with Lovejoy. While he played much better in his second season, he still is a liability at times. You don’t want to pay a player close to $3 million when he can’t always be trusted.
I think the Devils will pass on Cole ultimately. The market will make him too rich for Shero’s blood.