New Jersey Devils: 5 PTO Possibilities To Target Now

Tyler Motte

Tyler Motte brings exactly what some Devils fans have wanted from this team for years. He’s going to throw himself into every scrum, and he’s not afraid to use his body as a weapon. The Devils still have Nathan Bastian on the bottom six, and they already re-signed Mason Geertsen who both kind of play that role, but Motte does it a little differently.

Motte didn’t play much for the New York Rangers last season because his role was overlapped by multiple other players last season. On the Devils, there aren’t as many who play like him. He doesn’t score a ton (he had a total of 15 points over 58 games last season), but he still is a presence on the ice.

Motte was good enough to get traded at the deadline last season to the contender Rangers. This offseason, there are reports teams are in on him, but the financials don’t seem to be there. Did he overplay his hand? Will someone give him a guaranteed contract at this point?

One thing the Devils provide is location. Motte doesn’t have to move if he goes from the Rangers to the Devils. It’s the same thing working for Vesey, who went the other way. Motte likely wanted a raise after some success for playoff teams, but it seems like that possibility is gone. Now he has to prove himself. The Devils could even sign Motte outright for a minimum deal, but they would have to figure out their cap situation first. Putting Bernier on LTIR would allow them to have the space, but those rules are pretty confusing when it’s at the beginning of the season.