New Jersey Devils Sign Drew Stafford

The New Jersey Devils have signed free agent forward Drew Stafford. The deal is for one season, and will pay Stafford $800K. Stafford ranked #21 on our list of the top 50 free agents, but will have to settle for a relatively low salary after a long wait this summer. He’s coming off six straight seasons of earning at least $4MM.

After performing poorly in the first half with the Winnipeg Jets, Stafford was shipped off to the Boston Bruins at the deadline for just a conditional draft pick (it ended up being a fifth rounder). In Boston he seemed to find his legs again, scoring eight points in 18 games and providing solid bottom-six depth. That’s exactly what he’ll be asked to do in New Jersey, with the upside of his former 20-goal self making it a low-risk, moderately high-reward move. Stafford has shown an ability to play in almost any role on a club, moving up and down a lineup throughout his career.

The Devils have some shuffling to do in their forward group after Travis Zajac was injured, with Stafford perhaps providing a veteran winger for one of their young centers. Nico Hischier will likely be sheltered early on, and having a defensively responsible winger with some scoring touch like Stafford may be a good fit. If Pavel Zacha has to move back to center, he could be another fit alongside the long-time Buffalo Sabres forward.

[Updated: New Jersey Devils Depth Chart]

Stafford is a solid addition for a team looking to compete this season, and could even provide some powerplay experience for a team that had trouble scoring goals last year. Though he’ll play this season at age-32 and has clearly slowed down over the last few years, there could be something of a resurgence in a new market.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports broke the news on Twitter.