New Jersey Devils Come Up Short On Signing Johnny Gaudreau

Johnny Gaudreau Decided to Play in Columbus

The New Jersey Devils were one of the frontrunners to sign Johnny Gaudreau. In fact, at one point it came down to the Devils and New York Islanders to sign the top free agent on the board. Unfortunately, the Devils came up short when it was Gaudreau deciding to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets for seven years at around $9.75 million a season.

The Devils were looking to bring the Jersey Boy home. But again, the Devils could not land the big free agent after landing Dougie Hamilton last season. It would be a tough sell because the Devils are not in contention to make the playoffs, not this season anyway. Not even the lure of more money, reports indicated the Devils went north of $9 million, was going to persuade Gaudreau to play in New Jersey. Then what could have it been for Gaudreau not to sign with the Devils?

Gaudreau was going to play with either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. He was going to have the ability to put up a similar amount of points as he did with the Calgary Flames. But the longer the time went on without Gaudreau signing, the less likely the Devils were going to sign him. And that is precisely what happened. Now the Devils are left wondering what went wrong. New Jersey has only themselves to blame as they look in the mirror for answers.

Competitive Level Matters

Heading into free agency the biggest knock on the Devils has been where they are from a competitive level. Having made the playoffs once since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 is not an ideal way to attract free agents. And before anyone starts with they signed Dougie Hamilton last year stuff, Carolina was not going to re-sign him. Hamilton was offered what Carolina thought he should be paid based on their market value for him. The Devils went above and beyond that. Plus the way they structured his contract makes his contract moveable later on if they choose to do so.

While Hamilton was a nice signing for the Devils, they could not land another big free agent. That is because the Devils have yet to play meaningful games down the stretch of the season. As Johnny Gaudreau noted in his press conference, he is going there to win hockey games. And let’s face facts, the Blue Jackets are a little closer than the Devils though some do not want to admit it. Yes, Columbus finished 19 points out of the final playoff spot, but they are never out of any game.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: Lightning Extend Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers

NHL: 2022 NHL Free Agency Tracker

NFL: Best Bets For 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year

Full Press Bets: Odds Favor The Avalanche To Repeat As Stanley Cup Champions

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly: Ep 33: Stanley Cup Final Preview

Philly Just Didn’t Happen

Unfortunately, the Devils have been out of the playoff race early over the last couple of seasons. Last season, the Devils used seven goalies. That did not help matters. It also does not help when Hughes and Hischier get injured. However, there was progress. But maybe it was not enough progress to entice Gaudreau to come to New Jersey.

With Gaudreau, he wanted to play in Philadelphia. And yes they are not much more competitive than the Devils, but they are the team he grew up rooting for. However, the Flyers were not able to make the money work for Gaudreau. The market knew the Flyers had to move James van Riemsdyk, but the Flyers were unwilling to move a first-round pick as part of the package. Therefore, Gaudreau was looking elsewhere.

Another factor in the Gaudreau decision was the size of the Devils forwards. Let’s be honest, the group up front is small. In fact, these forwards are some of the smallest in the league. In Calgary, Gaudreau had linemates that were over 6′-1″. If he had signed in New Jersey, he would be playing with players that were 5′-11″ and under. Where is the protection for Gaudreau who is listed at 5′-9″?

Adding a small forward to the mix is probably not the best for a team. Especially when the top two centers on the team keep getting hurt. Even though the Devils need a scorer, the Devils needed size and Johnny Gaudreau just did not have it. Just look at how the Montreal Canadiens struggled when their forward group was small in size. It is hard to win that way. Colorado and Tampa Bay each have a bigger forward group than New Jersey.

Plan B – Palat

Finally, there has to be a realization that Gaudreau just did not want in at Newark. It is a tough commute for the players. Especially where they decide to live. There is no easy way in or out. Not to mention the stigma around the city. That is why you heard so many around the game say when the Devils made the Final in 2012, why couldn’t the Rangers have won. Nobody wants to go to Newark. It is just the reality of the situation.

So after all that, Tom Fitzgerald had to go to plan B and sign Ondrej Palat. Palat is still a top free agent on the board. Though he is not Gaudreau, he brings something Gaudreau doesn’t… winning. Palat knows what it takes to win. The Devils need that if they want to take the next step. But we will dive deeper into the moves Fitzgerald made in another article.

It just shows that winning and having the right atmosphere matters to players when choosing where they want to play in free agency. The Devils need to change that in order to bring in the top free agents. Because that is how Columbus landed Johnny Gaudreau.