New Jersey Devils: 5 Under the Radar Free Agents To Sign
By Nick Villano
2. Nino Niederreiter
The New Jersey Devils have a lot of really good bottom-six forwards. They probably don’t need another one. They are trying to find space for Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, Janne Kuokkanen, Jesper Boqvist, Pavel Zacha, Andreas Johnsson, Miles Wood, and Tyce Thompson. We’re not all math whizzes, but that is more than six names for six roster spots. Still, when a positive contributor can join the lineup, then the Devils should add that player.
Nino Niederreiter is a player many Devils fans have circled as a possible free agent target. It makes a lot of sense. He’s a 20-goal scorer. The Devils can use him in the bottom six to start the season, and if someone in the top six gets injured, he could easily fill that role as well.
The Devils already have Tomas Tatar on the roster. Those two could play similar roles, with the Devils understanding one might not work out. We expect a bounce back from Tatar, but Niederreiter is a good backup plan. They might both score 20 goals this season, and it would give the Devils reliable wingers on every line.
The Devils had an issue with finishing last season, so they should never scoff at a player who can score more than 20 goals in a season. Niederreiter has done this two seasons in a row. Let’s bring him on to help whoever ends up being the center on the third line.