5 Players In Stanley Cup Final to Watch for New Jersey Devils
By Nick Villano
![Florida Panthers v New York Rangers - Game Five Florida Panthers v New York Rangers - Game Five](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6538,h_3677,x_0,y_247/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/89/01hznrvb7zp04j1by490.jpg)
The Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 takes place on Saturday, June 8th. It is a long time to wait between games, as the anticipation is building. The anticipation builds much higher for a team like the New Jersey Devils, who missed the playoffs entirely. The last game was back on April 15th , a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders. It was a merciful loss, as the Devils season just needed to end.
Sitting on the sidelines for the playoffs after last year’s great first round must have been hard for Tom Fitzgerald. He knows he has a better team than what they showed this past season. That’s why Lindy Ruff was fired and Sheldon Keefe is now the head coach of the Devils. Now that the coach is taken care of, the Devils focus on the roster.
The Stanley Cup Final is a great place to find great talent. These teams are the best of the best. While there is usually a Stanley Cup bump in contracts since every team on the sidelines is paying attention, they can end up being deals because players fall behind the greats in the game. Who might make sense for the Devils to target in the SCF?
Sam Reinhart
We’ll be quick with this one because we don’t think it’s even possible, but the Devils are looking for help in the top six, and we think teams are going to be very cautious with Sam Reinhart. He’s the type of tough player the Devils need. He doesn’t go on the ice looking for hits, but he lays them when necessary. Then, he’d go score a goal, like he did 57 times this past season. We don’t think he stays in the Devils price range, but if he comes in under priced (anything under $7.5 million per season), the Devils should make the move and figure out the cap later.