Few priorities are more important for the New Jersey Devils than fixing the bottom six. A weak bottom half of their lineup, exacerbated by two missing wingers in the top six, really hampered the Devils' offense.
The Devils' offseason has already started, with the team signing someone to help fix their bottom-six problem. As first reported by Puck Pedia, the Devils signed center Juho Lammikko to a one-year, $800,000 deal. It's a one-way deal, meaning the Devils will pay him $800,000 this season, no matter if he plays in the NHL or the AHL.
The money might point to the Devils committing to Lammikko being in the NHL, but they could easily send him to the AHL without much of a cap punishment. They are really taking a chance on a guy who played pretty well in the NHL just a few seasons ago.
Many were surprised when Lammikko didn't get an NHL opportunity in the 2022 offseason. He's had quite the journey, as this will be his third stint in the NHL. After the Florida Panthers drafted him in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft, he came to North America to play in the AHL and NHL from 2016 to 2019. Then, he returned to SM-Liiga at the end of the 2018-19 season before playing part of the 2020-21 season in the KHL. He returned to the NHL for the shortened 2021 season, once again with Florida, before he was traded to Vancouver in the deal that sent Olli Juolevi to the Sunshine State.
In Vancouver, Lammikko established himself as a useful bottom-six forward. Bruce Boudreau found where he fit best, and he was a good center with decent metrics. He scored a career high seven goals that season, and his forechecking was a good change of pace for the Canucks top six. It helped all four lines when Lammikko was playing at his best.
Devils sign former decent fourth liner Juho Lammikko to a one-year deal
After the Canucks decline to extend a qualifying offer, Lammikko was once again heading back to Europe. He played the last three seasons for Zurich SC of the Swiss-A league. He actually had 24 goals three years ago, but he never matched that offensive production and had just 11 goals last season.
What's interesting is that Lammikko won a championship with Zurich and signed a three-year extension with them just six months ago. They talked about his value in playing against the opposing team's top line. He was an important part of this team and its future championship aspirations.
It's possible he had an NHL clause in the contract, but it's rare to see a player get out of a deal with so much time left on it. We're not sure if or what might have changed with his status with his team, but it gave Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald the opportunity to add him to fix their dearth of centers.
This likely won't be the only center Tom Fitzgerald adds this offseason. Curtis Lazar is an unrestricted free agent, Erik Haula appears to be on the chopping block, Dawson Mercer stated he doesn't like to play center, and the Devils have basically no depth behind any of them.
Lammikko is a good flier to see if he could find some of the magic he had in his one season with Vancouver. If it doesn't work out, it's not going to hurt the Devils.