5 big-money free agents that might be worth the price for New Jersey Devils

Tyler Bertuzzi
Current Team: Toronto Maple Leafs

We talked about adding grit to the roster. Well, Tom Fitzgerald said it as well. This team wants to play “playoff hockey.” We said the Devils need to learn from the Florida Panthers directly related to how the team tackles the grit “problem.” This team has players on the team that could fit “playoff hockey.” They beat the Rangers last season in a tumultuous series. Sure, they lost to the Hurricanes, but that was as much matchup and situational as it was being playoff-ready. 

Yet, they still should look at players like Tyler Bertuzzi. He’s a very good player who just happens to have grit. He would fit into the Devils lineup, even if it took some time to fit in with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. Bertuzzi could bring those lessons to the Devils, and he should be able to jump off the page immediately.

Bertuzzi would make a perfect pairing with Jack Hughes. He did his best work this season pairing with Auston Matthews. He can complement a superstar very well. The Devils are looking for the right complements to their stars.

Last season and even the season before, the Devils were forced to put traditional third-line players with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. Erik Haula, Ondrej Palat, Curtis Lazar, Fabian Zetterlund, Yegor Sharangovich, and Alex Holtz were all paired with Hughes at one time over the past two years. Getting Bertuzzi would be a massive win for this franchise, but it has to be for the right price, even if it’s a big one.