With less than a month before the team reports to training camp, the New Jersey Devils' roster is pretty much set. The one question, other than the status of Dawson Mercer's next contract, left to answer is will the team bring in someone on a professional tryout contract (PTO) or not. It's not a must for the Devils, but it can't hurt to give a player or players a chance to help strengthen this team even more.
General Manager Tom Fitzgerald preaches competition, and diving into the PTO market would certainly create more of that for the few open spots on the roster. There's also a very truncated preseason schedule due to the Devils appearance in the Global Series against the Buffalo Sabres. They have a preseason game one day earlier, so there could be some need for bodies without guaranteed contracts.
So, if Fitzgerald does decide to go this route, here are some options that could be good candidates.
1, James Van Riemsdyk
If the Devils were to invite James Van Riemsdyk to camp on a PTO, not only would it be a homecoming for the Middletown, New Jersey native, but it would give the Devils a scoring option for their middle/bottom six. While he's not a point-per-game player like he once was, the 35-year-old is coming off a solid season with the Boston Bruins, finishing with a stat line of 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games. He plays a grinding, physical game as well, which would favor a Devils team that wants to add as much of that this offseason.
He would not be a bad option at all playing on a third-line, checking role who can also provide some offense. Van Riemsdyk has also played a regular season's worth of playoff games in his career and would immediately be one of the most postseason-experienced guys on the team. The left winger can also be a good locker-room presence on a team that wants to build a strong culture on and off the ice. Bringing in JVR could be an all-around good PTO option for the Devils in multiple ways