New Jersey Devils: 5 Defensemen To Watch In Return-To-Play Tournament
By Nick Villano
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.