New Jersey Devils: 5 Free Agents To Watch In Return-To-Play Playoffs
The New Jersey Devils have some research to do when hockey returns next week.
The New Jersey Devils have $26 million in cap space going into this offseason. While they have some in-house free agents to take care of (Mackenzie Blackwood, Jesper Bratt, and Joey Anderson most importantly), they should have plenty of space to add some major names to the lineup. They could be swayed by some of those names while watching the NHL’s return-to-play format that starts next week.
We did this with the defensemen last week, and a lot of really interesting names popped up. We’ve seen this story in the past. A player knows his impending free agency, and hopefully a payday, is right around the corner. That has some players stepping up at the most important times. Granted, most of these players don’t need extra motivation in the playoffs, but we’ve seen impending free agents step up in the past.
It’s obvious that defense is the bigger need for the Devils this offseason, but free agency might be the smarter choice to find a forward than someone to fix the back end. The trade route might be best to make things better in front of Blackwood and (maybe) Cory Schneider.
There are currently 24 teams still alive as the best-of-five series begins on August 1st. There are dozens of free agents across the league that will look to build their profile in the most important games of the season. Things could get weird since a lot of these players haven’t played significant hockey in more than four months. Some will be out of shape, while others will be as healthy as they’ve been in years.
The Devils could find some players that would be just right for their timeline in free agency this season. These five are the ones we should pay the most attention to because they could prove something to us with how they play in the playoffs.
Alex Galchenyuk
Alex Galchenyuk is just a fascinating free agent that not a lot of people are talking about. It’s mostly because he was traded three times in two years and ended up as the worse player in all three trades. He went from being a star in Montreal to trying to contribute in Arizona to being flipped for Phil Kessel to being a throw in on the Jason Zucker trade. It’s quite the fall for a player who was once on his way to be a Canadiens’ star.
The former third-overall pick has had a rough go of it since scoring 30 goals in 2015-16. This past season, he had eight goals. It is rock bottom for a player that’s still just 26 years old. Now, he’s going into the play-in round with the Minnesota Wild, where he can play on the third line and just focus on contributing. Nobody is expecting him to light the world on fire, so now he can focus on playing his game.
Galchenyuk would be a very interesting player for the Devils to target in free agency. Lindy Ruff has been know to get the best out of his forwards, and Galchenyuk is the perfect measure of talent that hasn’t been unleashed. He has a ton of NHL experience, and really he just needs to be reconstructed from scratch. Ruff might be the perfect coach to do that.
So, what should we expect to see from Galchenyuk in the playoffs? We really just need to see him show something. Show a glimpse of the player he once was, even if it’s just for one play. Showing for a play or two that he still has that old player in him will give the Devils something to strive for.
Vladislav Namestnikov
We need to see more from Vladislav Namestnikov to trust he could make another jump in his career. It seems like we’ve been waiting for a while for him to make “the jump”. The former 1st-round pick has also been moved around a lot in recent years, going from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the New York Rangers to the Ottawa Senators and finally ending up on the Colorado Avalanche. He just never seemed to fit in New York, so they dumped him off to Ottawa, who then moved him at the trade deadline.
He’s actually been pretty good for the Avalanche in a very short amount of time. He has six points in nine games in Colorado. He’s scored four goals in six games in the month of March, showing he can find his scoring touch when surrounded by talent. Right now, the Avalanche are playing him on the third line with some power-play time.
Namestnikov could be a really interesting name for the Devils to target, and if he continues his stellar play during the playoffs, the Devils might feel he’ll be the right investment. His years of up-and-down play will scare off some teams, so the Devils could come in and get him on a bargain. They also have his countrymate Nikita Gusev, so that could help convince him to play in New Jersey.
Either way, if he’s able to make things happen in Colorado, and maybe even move up to the second line, it could be a sign of things to come for Namestnikov. The Devils have to find good wingers for Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. With Namestnikov being just 27 years old, he might be worth a shot.
Erik Haula
Erik Haula is one of those players that was out of his mind when his career was given a second chance with the Vegas Golden Knights two years ago. He was middling in the bottom six of the Minnesota Wild lineup, but once he jumped over to the Knights, he came one goal short of being a 30-goal scorer in 2017-18.
Haula was one of the many casualties of the Vegas spending spree, when he was traded not long after the Knights signed William Karlsson to an eight-year contract extension right after the 2018-19 season. Haula was much worse in his second year in Vegas thanks to a spat with injuries held him to just 15 games.
In Carolina, Haula was not good. He scored just 12 goals while playing 41 games before the Florida Panthers made him a major piece in the Vincent Trochek trade. That was an odd move in of itself.
Haula is someone that needs to put points on the board. If all goes right, he will be on the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Hoffman as they try to take down the New York Islanders in the opening round of the return-to-play format.
Haula could be an interesting name for the Devils to target. He’s already 29 years old, so his timeline doesn’t exactly match up with where the Devils want to be, but how much is he actually going to cost? If the Devils are at the table with a contract that’s worth more than $1.5 million, is anyone matching that in a flat cap year? Haula could show Devils ownership he’s worth a shot as he gets an opportunity to score on the Panthers second line. He might even get some power play time, but the Panthers also have Brian Boyle on that unit. We know how that might turn out.
Derick Brassard
Things get a little hairy when it comes to the depths of free agency here. There’s a clear top of the class, a decent middle like most years have, but the drop off from the middle to the bottom is deafening. Derick Brassard is desperately trying to prove he should come in before that massive drop off, but he has a lot to prove in this playoff round.
He’s getting a look on the third line right now with Tom Kuhnhackl and newly acquired Jean-Gabriel Pageau. This is a very important line for the Islanders, who take on the interesting Florida Panthers in the opening round. After the top six, the Islanders need someone else to score, which is why Lou Lamoriello spent so much to bring Pageau to the Island.
Putting a veteran on that line to start shows they are making experience a priority in this return-to-play format. He’s been an average player for most of the season, putting up 32 points in 66 games. His 9.1 shooting percentage shows he’s had a little spat with bad luck, but it still seems like he’s not making the most of his opportunities.
At 32 years old, it’s hard to argue we see him hitting the highs he had with the New York Rangers or even the muted numbers he had with the Ottawa Senators. However, if Brassard can become a household names during a weird playoff run, making a lot of people remember he was still in the league, then it could do well for him during free agency. The Devils are probably not thinking of him at all, but he might be willing to stay in the area for a basement deal. He’s coming off a $1.2 million deal. If the Devils offer a $1 million to come in and be a veteran presence, he might take it.
If Brassard doesn’t show us something in the playoffs, the Devils might not even consider this move. It wouldn’t be a move that would excite fans, but it could be a smart one depending on where they expect him in the lineup. This could be similar to the Brian Boyle move of a few years ago for a lot less money.
Conor Sheary
This one is intriguing. There are certain players that are just better when they are with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chris Kunitz is the first player that comes to mind. Conor Sheary might not be far behind him. With Buffalo this season, Sheary had 19 points in 55 games. In eight after he was traded back to Pittsburgh, he immediately became a half-point-per-game player.
Just three seasons ago, Sheary had a 53-point season in just 61 games. Playing with Sidney Crosby would make any player look good, but Sheary has a way about him that just fits with one of the two best players in the world.
Playing on the Pens top line, Sheary could be in for a big playoff race with one of the best teams in the play-in round. Especially with the return of Jake Guentzel, this top line could score at will. The Penguins are counting on Sheary to provide something extra they seemed to be missing from the top line since they traded him to Buffalo, even though they totally got the best out of that deal.
Sheary is an interesting free agent. We’ve seen him struggle away from Crosby, and that has to scare teams looking to spend money on him. However, if he has a huge playoffs, the Devils are at least going to have the conversation. There’s just not a ton that’s out there this season, so if the Devils are looking to find some bargains, the worries other teams might have for Sheary might work to the Devils advantage. We’ve seen him produce when he’s on a top line, so maybe if he’s with someone like Jack Hughes who can set him up, he can finish.
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It’s obviously not ideal to go into the season with Conor Sheary on your top six, especially with a growing Jack Hughes, but his time with Crosby might be really good for a player like Hughes. Hughes needs confidence more than anything, and a calming presence like Sheary could turn him into a superstar. Sheary needs to prove he can still score in this return-to-play format before the Devils even consider it.