P.K. Subban
P.K. Subban has been fine in his role this season. He’s been getting more high-danger chances than he’s been giving up by a huge clip. That’s despite being on the Devils bottom pairing with Ty Smith, who has been a disaster this year. When comparing him to other defensemen, he ranked 49th among defensemen who have played at least 200 minutes when it comes to high-danger chance percentage. Being in the top 50 is good, and it looks even better that number 47 and 48 on the list are Adam Fox and John Carlson.
Subban is a great asset to have. As much as some might be critical of what he brings to the table, he’s actually very valuable. He’s on the ice for more Devils goals than he is opponents goals at 5v5. This is someone the Devils would love to keep in their six-man defensive front. On top of that, he’s right handed. There are no defensemen who are willing to play with this much skill on the right side of the third pair.
Subban can also step up into the second or even the first line in a short-term role. It’s not ideal if it’s a long term injury, like what Dougie Hamilton is dealing with right now, but if it’s for just a week or two, Subban can play on any line.
The question here is cost. If Subban is still looking for something in the $4-5 million range, the Devils can’t afford that. After this offseason’s spending spree, the Devils only have $24 million in space next season. After signing all of the free agents, it’s likely going to be closer to $12-14 million. If they give $5 million to Subban, then the Devils could be down to $7 million while bringing back the same exact team that came in last place in the Metropolitan Division.