4 Things We Learned From New Jersey Devils Exit Interviews
By Nick Villano
4. Don’t Discount A P.K. Subban Return
The New Jersey Devils showed at the end of the season that they have a few defenders who can at least hold their own in the NHL. Nikita Okhotyuk and Kevin Bahl did quite well in their time in the NHL. Reilly Walsh was here for too short a time to make an assumption about his future. However, he’s the one right-handed defenseman that has a chance to push for a lineup spot next season. The Devils already have Dougie Hamilton and Damon Severson on the roster, so they only need one more at that position. However, it’s hard to say that Walsh is 100% going to be ready to jump into the NHL next season.
That makes P.K. Subban’s comments during his exit interviews interesting.
Subban said in his exit interviews that playing with his #NJDevils teammates is the most fun he's had in a while.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 1, 2022
It’s hard to say anything about Subban other than what he brings to a locker room at all times. Subban was always having fun with the younger players, he was at every party, he made himself available at all times for the younger players. He was on lines with young, mistake-prone players. It’s not that these specific players made mistakes, but all young players make mistakes.
He spent a majority of his time with Ty Smith, who was having a disaster of a season. Subban did his best to overcome, but he’s not that type of player anymore. However, he still had some decent offensive numbers at times, and his shot hasn’t lost its speed (although we could do with a little more accuracy).
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Subban might be a good bet at about a quarter of his current salary. Would anybody really be that upset if he comes back on a one-year deal worth $2 million? The Devils shouldn’t as some of their defenders still need some time to develop.