New Jersey Devils: 5 Defensemen To Watch In Return-To-Play Tournament
The New Jersey Devils could find their next defenseman in the playoffs.
It’s clear the New Jersey Devils need major help on the defenseman front. Right now, they only have P.K. Subban, Damon Severson, Will Butcher, and Connor Carrick as veterans on the blue line. Mirco Mueller is on the final year of his contract, and we don’t see the Devils re-signing him. Fredrik Claesson and Dakota Mermis came near the NHL Trade Deadline to fill space, but they aren’t long-term options.
The prospect pool doesn’t look too stout with defensemen, either. Ty Smith is the only one who’s close to NHL ready. He should be able to jump right into the lineup, but outside of him it’s not looking too great. Kevin Bahl will likely head to the AHL after some success with the Ottawa 67s, but he’s far away from being a pro. Reilly Walsh could be close, but he has said he wants to finish out his degree at Harvard. Outside of that, nobody is even remotely close.
In all reality, the Devils need to hit the open market to fill some defensive slots. Whether that’s the trade market or the free agency market, the Devils need NHL-level talent on this blue line for new head coach Lindy Ruff. If they want to be successful, then fixing the back end needs to be a priority.
With the NHL’s new return-to-play format, it’s a perfect platform for the Devils to look for their next defenseman. That could be someone to play on the top line with P.K. Subban or someone to fill out the rest of the defense. There are 24 teams still alive, and they could play their way into the purview of the Devils with some great performances. The first player doesn’t need an introduction or even a great playoff push to convince a team to pay him a ton of money.
Alex Pietrangelo
Alright, hear us out on this one. We know the Devils would love to have a talent like Alex Pietrangelo on the team. It’s clear what he brings to the table. However, if you asked us right now if we think he’s actually an option for the team right now, we’d say no. He’s on the wrong side of 30 just like Subban, he’s going to command at least $9 million per season just like Subban (and probably closer to $10.5 million), and he might not fit the timeline for the Devils.
However, we can’t say it’s impossible. The Devils might see something more in Pietrangelo. He hasn’t slowed down, and he just took the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup Championship. This is one of the top defensemen in the game even if he doesn’t get that type of credit all the time. The Blues only have around $2 million available with a flat cap. It’s near impossible to make Pietrangelo work.
Would the Devils ever consider breaking the bank for another top defenseman? We want to say no, but if Pietrangelo provides an insane performance and his agent gives Tom Fitzgerald a call, he’s going to pick up. We don’t know why he’d want to come to the Devils, but we do have the cap space.
This isn’t the right move for the Devils, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about the players who can make themselves known to the Devils with a huge playoff series. While we all know who Pietrangelo is, he might make it known he’s an asset the Devils cannot pass up. Filling the team’s timeline or not, if the very best free agent says he wants to come to the Devils, they would be hard pressed to say no. This is wild speculation, and again we don’t see it happening, but we’re just saying another huge playoff performance might make Fitzgerald and the Devils owners break the bank when other teams might not be willing to go that high.
Justin Schultz
This is where things start to make a little more sense for what the Devils are trying to do moving forward. Justin Schultz is a player who’s had all the talent in the world but has come just short of expectations. Schultz is right handed, so he’s not exactly their biggest need, but he does fit the narrative of playing that fast style we expect to see under Lindy Ruff.
Schultz could be an interesting option for the Devils. He’s currently healthy, but he appears to be stuck on a line with Jack Johnson. That’s not a good look for him, but if he’s able to lift that lineup, then it would be something the Devils should pay attention to. The Devils often need a defenseman to step up for a line and carry things, even if it’s just temporary.
When looking at free agency as a whole, it’s always a risk. However, if the Devils can see Schultz help the Penguins get further in the playoffs thanks to responsible play on the blue line, he could prove he’s a good move for the Devils future.
The problem with this scenario is if Schultz proves himself during the playoffs, the Devils won’t be the only team looking to sign him. Other teams could use a mid-level defenseman, and many times they are willing to pay for it. There are a lot of intriguing options on the open market, but once players like Pietrangelo and Tyson Barrie dry up, teams are going to target the players who excelled in the return-to-play format.
The Devils need to see what Schultz can do, but his health is also a major question. Seeing him stay healthy through a lengthy Penguins run would be extremely important before giving him any kind of term on a contract. He’s 30 years old, so this is probably his last chance he’ll have to cash in. The market is weird, however, and the Devils could take advantage of it. Still, this seems like someone who could price himself out if he has a big postseason.
Cody Ceci
This one might scare some people, but the Devils are going to be taking a deep, hard look at how Codi Ceci plays with the Toronto Maple Leafs. First, he has to earn his spot in the lineup, beating young standouts like Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren (even if he’s recently been called “unfit to play) to get that last spot in the lineup. Ceci is a true defensive defenseman that’s looking to stop the other team’s best player.
Compared to other defensemen on the team, Cody Ceci’s advanced stats look pretty weak. He has a 50.22 CF%. That would look great on the Devils, but on the Maple Leafs, it’s one of the worst for defensemen. They get an insane amount of chances, so that skews some of those advanced stats. Ceci is looking to get another opportunity to prove himself in the playoffs before he heads into free agency.
Ceci is never going to be a top-line player, but he can be very useful. The former 1st-round pick has been in the league since he was 20 years old. Now he’s 26, and his timeline fits the Devils a lot better than players who are past that 30-year-old threshold. Ceci may never live up to expectations, but he has a lot of talent. This means in a playoff run like the Maple Leafs are facing, he could make himself a star overnight.
Ceci is a player that’s intrigued a lot of fans across the league. He’s been with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was expected to be someone who could run a defense one day. Now, we’re expecting him to be someone who can contribute. Still, he needs a good playoff run to convince teams, including the Devils, to prove he’s deserving a new contract.
Brenden Dillon
Brenden Dillon might be the most logical option in all of free agency for the New Jersey Devils. The 29 year old was traded to the Washington Capitals near the NHL Trade Deadline. He plays a shut-down type game where he focuses on stopping the other team rather than scoring himself. He’s fallen under the radar because of his lack of points (zero with Washington in ten games and just 14 with the Sharks in his first 59 games).
Dillon is going to free agency, as we don’t see the Capitals keeping him beyond this postseason. He was brought in for depth, but he could end up being so much more. He’s playing on the second line of a team that’s guaranteed to make it past the return-to-play format. That’s the big advantage for Dillon here. He doesn’t have to worry about playing just three games and his season being over. He’s guaranteed to have at least seven games.
Those games are going to be very important for Dillon’s value. He’s on one of the top teams in the league, and he plays a very important role. Of course, he’s not as important as Alexander Ovechkin, John Carlson, or whoever ends up in net, but Dillon is going to be tasked with making sure those secondary players don’t end up beating them.
Just look at last season. As they attempted to defend their only Stanley Cup Championship, they were knocked out by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7. It wasn’t Sebastian Aho or even Jordan Staal scoring the game-winning goal in double OT, it was Brock McGinn.
This is where Dillon can make an impact. If he’s going to shut down the players on the ice when he’s there, then teams are going to take notice. One of those teams should be the New Jersey Devils.
Dylan DeMelo
Dylan DeMelo is a player that’s fallen well under the radar, but is something the Devils should absolutely be paying attention to during the return-to-play tournament. He’s on the Winnipeg Jets, who’s defensive woes have been well scouted. The team lost Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot from last year’s team. Losing four players with the talent level and productions of those players would destroy most teams. However, most teams don’t have Connor Hellebuyck.
The team still needs some kind of defensive presence. It will never be what it was, but the Jets can still put a decent front in place. Dylan DeMelo is currently playing on the Jets top line with Logan Morrissey. DeMelo has the biggest upside when it comes to how much money he can make this postseason.
If the Jets make a run this postseason, most of the accolades will go to Hellebuyck, but he’s not a free agent for a long time. So, teams will be looking to give contracts to those contributing pieces. DeMelo is one of the pieces that the Devils should be keeping a close eye on.
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DeMelo is right handed, so it’s unlikely that the Devils would pair him with P.K. Subban. However, maybe they feel like DeMelo could play on his off hand. DeMelo could come to the Devils and fill that very important second-line role. Either way, the Devils need to see DeMelo help the Jets, a team some believe have no business being as good as they were, making it further in the postseason. It all starts with a five-game series with the Calgary Flames.