Erik Haula
Erik Haula is an intriguing forward that’s going into free agency. Does he fix many of the Devils problems? Honestly, no, but he has a lot of value at some of the game’s most important roles. He was traded to the Panthers in the deal that sent Vincent Trochek to the Carolina Hurricanes, a deal that made little sense at the time and even less now. These are the types of deals that sent Dave Holland to the unemployment line.
Haula was one of the players who made the biggest strides when he was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. He scored 55 points in that first year after he was a 25-30 point player with the Minnesota Wild. He’s never hit those type of numbers again, facing an injury-riddled second season before trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes for a prospect and a 5th-round pick.
Haula was back to his mediocre scoring with the Canes before he was traded to the Panthers. He spent some more time on the IR, and he just never got going. Is it possible he needs a team to be patient with him to hit his potential? Haula is not going to command a very big deal in free agency this season, but he could provide value to a team’s bottom six. He’s still just 28 years old, so there’s a reason to think he could still play well.