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7 Free Agents New Jersey Devils Should Watch In Stanley Cup Playoffs

By Nick Villano

Ville Husso #35 of the St. Louis Blues looks on against the Minnesota Wild in the first period in Game One of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 2, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Blues defeated the Wild 4-0 to take a 1-0 series lead. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Ville Husso #35 of the St. Louis Blues looks on against the Minnesota Wild in the first period in Game One of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on May 2, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Blues defeated the Wild 4-0 to take a 1-0 series lead. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche left wing Andre Burakovsky (95): James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports /

Andre Burakovsky – Colorado Avalanche

The New Jersey Devils are still looking for the right middle-six forward. One player on the incredibly good Colorado Avalanche that gets basically no publicity for how he plays is Andre Burakovsky. That’s surprising since he had 60 points this season and 44 points in 53 games last year.

Burakovsky has been a very consistent player his entire career. He is a certified second-line winger, something the Devils could sorely use for Nico Hischier. Jack Hughes has mostly been able to make things work with whoever the Devils put next to him and Yegor Sharangovich, but Hischier has been great with Jesper Bratt and bad with most others. Sometimes Tomas Tatar works, but he would do better on a third line with fewer expectations.

Burakovsky was a player the Devils could have targeted when he became available in 2019. We wrote about it then, and we even suggested it could happen in the offseason last year. Burakovsky would be a great addition for the Devils now. He is only 27 years old. He is hitting his prime now, and he could be a 60-point player for the next five years.

This should be high on the Devils’ list of free agents to target, but during the playoffs, the Devils likely want to see him make a few smart plays that help the team in ways that don’t end up on a scoresheet. He brings a pedigree of winning, and he plays for the favorite to win the Stanley Cup this season. If he can win, it’s going to lead to a big payday, and the Devils might be first in line with the check.

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