Gelinas Re-Signs in Jersey

On Monday, the New Jersey Devils locked up the last restricted free agent in their organization, as defenseman Eric Gelinas agreed to a 1-year deal, reportedly worth $900,000. The Devils now have everything in place and have a couple of extra spots left to fight over on the roster, which should keep training camp very interesting.

The 23-year old blueliner is an up-and-coming prospect for the Devils, who they are hoping ends up like Brian Rafalski, when his maturity sets in and he realizes his potential.  In the 2014 season, Gelinas played in 60 games, scoring 7 goals and 29 points, good enough for 56th among all defenders in scoring.  Very respectable numbers, to say the least.

For the 2015 season, I haven't quite projected him to break out just yet, as I think the team around him could use a little bit more improvement and this will only be his second full season in the NHL.  I think he can improve upon the numbers he had, but he won't be anywhere near Rafalski numbers quite yet.

Now with two spots left ont he projected roster, the Devils still have about $5 million in cap space left, which could be used on any number of different options, including a number of veterans that have been invited to their camp for a tryout. This team has some options, but no matter which way they go, they have some tough days ahead.