The New Jersey Devils have been known for giving veteran players a paid tryout late in the offseason. There are plenty of options this season that could make this team.
Last season, the Devils went into the preseason with two veterans who were given a flyer. Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford were both given a paid tryout to see if they could make an up-and-coming team, and both provided something decent throughout the season. Stafford was a veteran presence that was good for the first two months before falling off. Hayes was one of the best locker room presences in recent memory.
The PTO has been a tool for teams to test a veteran player without the risk of getting stuck with them. With how quiet the Devils offseason has been, expect Ray Shero to utilize this tool once again.
Some of the PTOs really work out. Brian Gibbons started his career with the Devils as a PTO contract that turned into an AHL deal which turned into his breakout season last year.
As they say, it takes a village. The Devils will need more players, at least just to fill out their training camp roster. They have a ton of prospects and young players, but adding some veteran presences couldn’t hurt.
There are still a lot of players with varied levels of talent left in the tank. Some of these players could help the Devils this year. These five players may already be on the Devils radar.
5. Drew Stafford
Drew Stafford was a good signing for the Devils based on what was on the line. No, he did not hold the pace he started at the beginning of the season, but he was what you’d expect from a player on a PTO.
In his first 14 games with the Devils, Stafford scored eight points. He was doing so well, fans were talking about signing him to an extension. Then, from November 16th to January 12th he scored zero points. Sure, some of that time he spent as a healthy scratch, but he deserved to be pulled from the lineup. He just wasn’t scoring.
He picked things up at times, but still there was more to be desired.
Here’s the thing, the players you sign to PTOs need to understand that there’s the possibility they could sit for a full month, then be ready to play. Stafford proved that this season. He scored his first night back after sitting for close to 30 days in January.
Sometimes, it’s good to stay with the Devil you know, rather than the one you don’t. This isn’t to say the Devils should automatically give Stafford an NHL contract, but letting him fight for a spot in training camp has no risk.
4. Cody Franson
Cody Franson was a defenseman that many teams went after last season to give a flyer on. He ended up signing with the Chicago Blackhawks, and what took place was a trainwreck in so many ways.
Franson never seemed to mesh with management, and it ended with a stink in the AHL. In the minors, he was great. He scored 28 points in 37 regular season games for the Rockford IceHogs. Then in the playoffs, he ended up scoring 14 points in 13 games while helping them make a run to the Western Conference Final.
This can be attributed to a lost season all around in Chicago. All of the advanced stats showed that Franson wasn’t the problem. His Corsi For and Fenwick For were at career highs, even if its just in 29 games. He was starting a ridiculous amount of his faceoffs in the offensive zone (70.9%), but those stats still tell a story.
Joel Quenneville is a hard nut to crack. Sometimes players don’t mesh well with a coach. John Hynes is much easier to vibe with. Franson could be the kind of player the Devils want on the right side to pair with Butcher or Lovejoy.
3. Lee Stempniak
This name is one that’s been tied to the Devils since he was traded at the 2016 trade deadline. Lee Stempniak was awesome for the Devils that season, scoring 41 points in 63 games.
He was traded to the Boston Bruins for a pair of draft picks, but didn’t end up playing in the playoffs for them. He signed a two-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, but fell off the map last season.
Stempniak only played 37 games last year with the Canes. He was injured early in the season, and never fully recovered. Hopefully he could use this offseason to recover, and come to camp fully healthy.
Stempniak is 35 years old. This is probably his last shot if he has another season like he did last season. He’s hanging on to his hockey career for dear life. Players in that position come out firing. The Devils would love to have another start like they did last season. Having a desperate vet like Stempniak could help them get there.
2. Mark Fayne
Alright, hear me out on this one.
Mark Fayne was a very good defenseman when he came up with the Devils, and earned himself a four-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers. It was a bad contract the second pen hit paper. The Oilers paid Fayne $3.625 million per season. That was way too much, even with how good he was with the Devils.
He was an abomination for the Oilers. The eye test says he was bad, the advanced stats say he was bad and the counting stats say he was bad. There was no saving it, Fayne was bad in Edmonton.
This season, the Oilers were just waiting out his contract to end. Last season, he didn’t play one game in the NHL. He spent six games with the Bakersfield Condors, then went to the Springfield Thunderbirds on loan. It was the low point of Fayne’s career.
That shutdown defenseman is still in there somewhere. He’s only 31 years old, so there’s still a likelihood he can turn things around at least in the short term. Maybe coming back to New Jersey will reinvigorate his career.
1. Scott Hartnell
Scott Hartnell was not too bad with the Nashville Predators last season. He scored 13 goals in 62 games last year. That’s plenty to get another opportunity in the NHL.
The big issue is Hartnell doesn’t know whether he wants to keep playing hockey. The 36 year old has said he’s considering retirement, but never confirmed that’s his top choice. The Predators told him they were moving on, so he’s stuck here weighing his options.
The Devils should at least give him a shot. Letting him play wing on the fourth line alongside Brian Boyle would keep the veterans honest. If he and Boyle can equal their numbers from last year, I’m sure anyone would accept 26 goals from two veterans known for being bruisers. It would be lovely. The good part about Hartnell is he will cost the veteran’s minimum.
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This seems like an easy decision to make. If Hartnell is willing to play another season in the NHL, he would be a great presence in the locker room and on the ice. The Devils have nothing to lose with this signing.