The New Jersey Devils have had a busy offseason. Most of the moves we’ve seen impacted the NHL team. Adding names like Brett Pesce, Tomas Tatar, Brenden Dillon, Jacob Markstrom, and Stefan Noesen helped revamp the roster. Losing players like John Marino, Alexander Holtz, Tomas Nosek, and Brendan Smith took away a few questions still surrounding this roster. Tom Fitzgerald no longer wanted a question. He didn’t want to rely on hope and possibilities. This is a team that needs guarantees.
Over the past year, there have been plenty of examples of this. Did you realize, or possibly have you forgotten, that Tyce Thompson is no longer on the Devils? The once-promising prospect is now in the New York Islanders system. How about Reilly Walsh? He’s trying to make the roster in Los Angeles. Cole Brady no longer has to worry about the goalie logjam in the prospect pool because he was traded to the Dallas Stars.
With so much movement, it’s not a surprise that some players left without much fanfare. Every year, we take a look at players who just kind of… snuck away. Some were traded in moves that didn’t give us a reaction. Others signed free-agent deals after things didn’t really work out in New Jersey. Then, there are the players who were just part of a more surprising transaction.
Tomas Nosek
New Team: Florida Panthers
Speaking of surprising, Tomas Nosek was a surprise signing last season, but a preseason injury basically ruined his whole season. Nosek had just six points in 36 games last season. He was one of the many problems with the Devils last season. There were so many problems that Nosek didn’t track at all. He didn’t make an impact, and his offseason departure wasn’t impactful either.
Losing Nosek didn’t worry anyone. Again, it’s six points for the whole season. Nosek signed with the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. He’s still just 31 years old, so he could have something left in the tank. We’ll let another team find that.