Blake Coleman
Blake Coleman is a jack of all trades, as Devils fans know more than anyone. He’s a different player than anyone on this list. He’s usually used as a change-of-pace player in the bottom six, but he has the skill that could be worthwhile on the top line. He definitely has 20-goal upside, and he’s a free agent at the end of the season.
He’s been great for the Tampa Bay Lightning since the Devils traded him near the deadline last year. He only has 11 points in 23 games this season, but those goals are incredibly clutch including this overtime winner from Tuesday night.
Coleman has always been a really valuable player. He can play center and wing. He’s an incredibly penalty killer. He proved that when given the opportunity, he’s easily a 20-goal scorer. He did it two seasons in a row with the Devils.
The Devils know and still love Coleman and his family. They’d be willing to give him a long-term deal at pretty decent money. They aren’t going to pay him $7 million per season, but nobody would be that upset with him getting Kyle Palmieri’s current deal (five years, $23 million). It’s a long length of time for a player who’s already 29, but it still makes sense for the short and the long term.
So, why would Coleman make sense with Jack Hughes? He has an extra gear in his game that would push Hughes. He gets open very easily, and he takes advantage when teams forget about him. He also can go on breakaways or 2 on 1s with Hughes. It would be thinking outside the box, but the Devils have been forced to do that with Hughes anyway. This is a way to get Hughes an incredible winger for now at a reasonable price.