New Jersey Devils: 5 Players Who Can Sign PTO Contracts

Karl Alzner

Karl Alzner is another player who was bought out this offseason. Alzner was terrible after signing with the Montreal Canadiens in free agency. The whole time he spent there was tumultuous. He was eventually sent down to the minors after being placed on waivers. It sounds like the Cory Schneider story without the good times at the beginning of his run.

He’s only 32 years old, and the defenseman market is getting pretty thin. After Sami Vatanen and Travis Hamonic, things drop off considerably. The Devils would be smart to take a shot on a guy who they can literally say goodbye to for free if he doesn’t work out.

It’s yet to be seen if Alzner is even playing this season. He sat out of the NHL restart and never brought himself into the bubble with the Canadiens. It might be because of how the season went, but we won’t speculate the decisions players make on their health. He could be looking to sit out again.

The Devils aren’t set on defense. That much is obvious. Even with the additions of Ryan Murray, Dmitry Kulikov, and the eventual debut of Ty Smith, the Devils are still weak on the blue line. The Alzner that played last year won’t help that, but if the player that was very good in Washington is still in there somewhere, it’s well worth a shot.