New Jersey Devils: 5 Defensemen To Watch In Return-To-Play Tournament

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.