Over the past few weeks, the New Jersey Devils have certainly had a lot going right for them. From trades to signing their RFA’s, and having single-game tickets go on sale, it’s been a good few weeks for them. This is a recap of all the Devil’s related news from these past few weeks.
Nikita Gusev
The biggest news was, of course, the Devils trading for forward Nikita Gusev. The Devils traded for Gusev in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2020 third-round pick. The 27-year-old forward, who has yet to play an NHL game, had 82 points in 62 games this year for St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL. He was considered to be the best player outside of the NHL and after the trade, the Devils signed him to a two-year contract with an AAV of 4.5 million per year. Many are predicting Gusev to play on the second-line left-wing spot, which means he gets to play with Jack Hughes and either Jesper Bratt or Wayne Simmonds. Even though Gusev has never played an NHL game, he should be able to put up around 50 points when taking into consideration his incredible vision, fantastic shot, and that he gets to play with Jack Hughes.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Connor Carrick (5) battles for the puck with Columbus Blue Jackets center Matt Duchene (95) (Photo: Adam Hunger, AP)Free Agency
Moving on to the recent RFA re-signings, two players have re-signed as of late. Connor Carrick and Mirco Mueller, both of which, are defenceman. Carrick, who signed a two-year year deal worth 1.5 million per year, had 7 points in 20 games last year with the team. He looks like a great depth defenceman and can be used to give some players a night off if there’s a heavy spot in the schedule. Carrick most likely plays around 40 games this year so he could definitely make an impact. Mirco Mueller, who signed a one-year deal worth 1.5 million, had 11 points in 53 games last year. He’s looking to have a stronger year and develop into a true defensive defenceman. That’s his playstyle and he needs to use big frame to keep forwards away from the net. If he develops more this year he will probably play around 50 games again this year.
2019-20 Schedule Release
Now for just some cool news from the past few weeks. Single-game tickets have gone on sale for the public to buy and many of the games are selling quickly. Opening night is nearly sold out already and so is the first matchup between the Devils and the New York Rangers. It’s one of the most anticipated games of the year and many fans of both teams are trying to snag tickets.
Also, the Devils will be appearing nationally on NBC Sports Network four time this year compared to just one last year. They will appear twice in October (9th and 17th) and twice in January (2nd and 30th). This is the first time in a long time the Devils have had this many games nationally televised so they better be up to the task and make them count.
That wraps up these past few weeks of Devils related news. With the hockey season getting closer and closer by the day, it’s going to interesting to see if the Devils decide to do anything else with the rest of their off-season.
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