New Jersey Devils: 5 PTO Possibilities To Target Now

The New Jersey Devils always bring in a few veterans looking to fight for their chance on an NHL roster. Who might be their tryout players this season?

The New Jersey Devils have made a habit at turning players on professional tryouts, better known as PTOs, into useful NHL contributors. Once upon a time, Drew Stafford turned two PTO offers into NHL success. Prior to that, Lee Stempniak was really good for a Devils team, and he turned into a legit return at the NHL Trade Deadline. Just last year, Jimmy Vesey was a clear contributor on the penalty kill and the bottom six.

Bringing in these veterans, especially for a team as young as the Devils, is key to training camp battles, and they could possibly turn into something if they are signed full time.

This offseason, the PTOs have begun. Zach Aston-Reese was the “prize” when it came to PTO contracts, and he just signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Other names you might know include James Neal trying to catch on with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tyler Pitlick looking to catch on with the St. Louis Blues, and the aforementioned Vesey signing with the New York Rangers. Many teams have jumped at the chance to give these players a shot. Now it’s time for the Devils to get their pick of the litter. Here are five they should be targeting.

Anton Stralman

The defensive options are sparse after most of these players got a chance to pick a team of their choice. The best defensive options on the market right now are P.K. Subban, who spent last season with the Devils, Keith Yandle, who is surviving on name value alone, and Kris Russell, who has been incredibly hampered by injuries. One intriguing option is former Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Anton Stralman.

Stralman is 36 years old, and he will be looking for one last chance to make an NHL roster. Being on the Yotes last year did him no favors. Barely anyone was able to see his game (and no, this isn’t a college arena joke. Those are for next offseason.).

Stralman has often been considered an underrated player, and he had some name value the last few times he was an unrestricted free agent. This time, however, it seems the phone isn’t ringing. The Devils might be smart to consider Strahlman for depth. The Devils are completely loaded on the right side of the defense, but one injury really changes that. They have Damon Severson, Dougie Hamilton, and John Marino when healthy. They also have Reilly Walsh and Simon Nemec ready to play in the AHL.

However, the Devils don’t want to be in a position to force players into the NHL before they are ready. They’ve done that for the past few seasons, and it’s just not the right spot to be in. Injuries will happen, and it will be nice to have Strahlman as an option if he shows he has something left in training camp.