It is no secret that the New Jersey Devils are in desperate need of scoring help for their forward crop. It's summer, their need to improve their offense is only further pushed into desperation with the NHL's planned realignment taking effect.
Adding the newly playoff hungry Columbus Blue Jackets, annual pains in the Devils' back sides Carolina Hurricanes and the consistent Washington Capitals all with the current Atlantic Division makes the post season dreams that much more difficult, especially with one of the lowest scoring teams annually in the league and a goaltender who isn't exactly piling up the wins at his old rate as he used to, through no real fault of his own, aging is a cruel beast.
Stefan Matteau was a good selection for a first round pick. Yes many fans would have preferred if the Devils had forfeited their mandatory first round draft pick instead of drafting 29th overall. With a top 10 pick this season (9th overall), and a much tougher division next year, only time will tell if the decision to keep the 29th was a smart one or not. Personally, and its nothing against Matteau, but it was not a smart decision. Matteau isn't going to be counted upon for as a reliable source of offense and will fill more of a grinder role similar to that of David Clarkson sans the sudden scoring prowess. It will be a pleasant surprise if he should rattle off 20-25 goals annually but it might not be realistic.
Reid Boucher has Devils' fans salivating for his debut at the NHL after he broke Steven Stamkos' OHL record for goals in a single season by putting up 62 in 68 games this year. He then followed up that act by tallying 3 points (1g2a) in his AHL debut with Albany after signing a 3 year, ELC deal starting n 2013-14. Boucher would score just 2 more goals over the final 10 games of the season, but some transitional adversity was to be expected as he leaves the league where players were no older than 20. Boucher will be provided an opportunity to make the NHL roster out of training camp next season, but it is completely unrealistic to expect Stamkos-like performances out of the gate.
Outside of these two cases, the Devils offensive depth is pretty much non-existent. So, as logic would infer, they need to look outside the organization to improve.
Beginning at the draft, the Devils hold an incredible poker chip with their 9th overall selection. They could, if presented with the right deal, move that pick and acquire a roster player as well as a replacement first round pick. The team has already stated that they intend to keep the pick but obviously circumstances can change.
Should they keep the pick, Sean Monahan, center for the OHL's Ottawa 67's, could be a solid selection as he draws comparisons to Flyers' prospect Sean Couturier. The 5th rated North American skater could make an impact for the Devils soon, if not next season, should all things fall into place. (For deeper analysis of Monahan, see his profile on In Lou We Trust).
Hunter Shinkaruk of Medicine Hat of the WHL would also be a solid draft pick up. A versatile winger who has spent the past 3 seasons with steady success at the WHL level, Shinkaruk projects to be selected in the middle of the draft pack. Noted by many scouts for his effort on the ice no applauded for his hands, the Calgary native could give the Devils another speedy threat off the wing. His largest drawback could be his offensive-first mentality, but given the right line mates, any major issues could be avoided. Granted, the same knock against Ilya Kovalchuk coming to the Devils was his inability to play any defense, that role has quickly changed over the past 3 years.
From the Draft, the Devils need to be active players in a very thin Free Agent class.
Normally, as an organization built around a specific mentality, the Devils and Lou Lamoriello have shied away from signing other team's Restricted Free Agents to offer sheets. While it is unlikely to happen, this summer would not be a bad opportunity for them to buck the trend, especially for winger Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets will be extremely hard pressed to let Wheeler go, and should an offer sheet be signed, odds are they would quickly match. A more advantageous route would be to trade for his rights, another tactic Lamoriello is reluctant to do. With Wheeler in the fold, however, the Devils would grit as well as a solid offensive threat whic would be almost imperative should David Clarkson price himself out of Newark (which already seems likely and we're almost 2 months away from Free Agency).
The soon-to-be 27 year old Wheeler has made scoring a consistent aspect of his game since he broke into the league with Boston for the 2008-09. Averaging almost 40 points per season even after being traded to the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise, he scored 19 goals and added 22 assists while playing in all 48 games for the Jets this year.
The largest free agent who could hit the open market is Nathan Horton of the Boston Bruins. Horton could demand upwards of $6 million annually which could inhibit the Devils who, after signing their own free agents, may not have that much room on their own self imposed salary cap, especially if they take into account their potential free agents next season.
As their first round match up displayed, Horton's intangibles and playoff experience would be a welcomed addition to the Devils. In game 7 alone, Horton scored his 4th of the post season to stop a Leafs' 4-0 run and sparked a major shift in momentum towards the Bruins' side. Up until his goal, the Leafs had command of play and were well on their way to the 2nd round. Horton's goal put major doubt in the mind of the inexperienced Leafs and the Bruins capitalized, overwhelming Toronto over the final 10 minutes of the 3rd period, eventually tying the game with 50 seconds to go. Horton closed out the series with 4 goals, 3 assists and was an astounding plus-11 considering the game went the distance: 7 Games.
Speaking of the ill-fated Maple Leafs, they have two desirable, under 30 forwards coming due for new contracts this summer: center Tyler Bozak and left wing Clarke MacArthur.
Bozak, a former undrafted free agent out of the University of Denver, just capped off his 4th straight 27+ point season at the NHL level. Bozak's transition to the NHL has been virtually seamless as his numbers show a steady increase year to year. Had this been a full NHL season, he could have come close to if not tied is last year's career high in points of 47. Bozak also played in 5 of Toronto's 7 games, tallying 2 points. A third of his goals this season also came on the power play, another area where the Devils' scoring is nearly an endangered species.
MacArthur, meanwhile, put on display his true scoring prowess when he arrived in Toronto. Originally drafted in 2003 by the Buffalo Sabres, MacArthur had good offensive success at the AHL level playing for the Rochester Americans, but his transition into the Sabres lineup was not nearly as successful. He was on pace for a career high in points when the Sabres traded him to the Atlanta Thrashers for two draft picks in 2010. He would sign as a free agent in Toronto that summer and would post career highs 21 goals-41 assists in 82 games.
Now that he has found his game, MacArthur is a perennial 20 goal threat. Even in the shortened season and playing just 40 games, he netted 8 with 2 on the man advantage. MacArthur was the Leafs' alternate captain this season so he is a prized member of their organization. With the team making the playoffs for the first time in years and them being a 3rd period collapse away from knocking off the heavily favored Bruins, it is unlikely either player will be waiting long to hear from their current organization about contract renewals.
Valtteri Filppula is an interesting candidate because he could become a cap casualty in Detroit as the cap goes down this summer. As it stands now, the Red Wings have just under $12 million in cap space, needing to fill 4 roster spots. Is it an impossible feat for the Wings to keep Filppula? Absolutely not. But it is always more interesting to speculate.
The Finnish winger has never scored fewer than 30 points before the 17 he posted in 41 games this year. Even though he missed 7 games, Filppula still scored 9 goals, 3 on the power play, and already has 4 points in the Wings' 7 playoff games thus far. He's coming off a $3.5 million annually contract and should be due at least $500k to $1.5 million more on his next contract.
Will any of these players hit the free agent market before working out new deals with their current teams remains to be seen. But should any of the 4 become available, the New Jersey Devils should be one of the first of the many teams to put in phone calls to get deals done. With realignment beginning next year, the Devils need to build an arsenal of productivity now or face another season in the basement while forfeiting a solid draft pick by doing so.
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