Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
There weren’t too many positives for the New Jersey Devils in the 2013 season. It was a season derailed by injury and offensive inefficiency. While Andrei Loktionov wasn’t a positive every single night, he was definitely one of those few bright spots for the Devils this season.
The Devils acquired Loktionov from the Los Angeles Kings, the team that defeated them in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, in exchange for only a fifth round pick. Loktionov was unable to crack the lineup regularly for Los Angeles, allowing the Devils to grab themselves a steal with the 22-year-old forward.
Loktionov was able to go from not being able to work his way into the lineup to becoming an important piece of the lineup for the Devils. He quickly worked his way into the top six, fitting right in with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk up front.
He didn’t exactly light the stat sheet on fire this year with his production, finishing with just 12 points in 28 games, but flashed plenty of potential that has many excited about his future with the Devils. His skill set is something that this team will really need heading into the future.
Loktionov’s ability at in the faceoff circle leaves a lot to be desired, as he’s just 40 percent overall in his young career, but its his playmaking skills that have him in the middle of this top six in the long term. He’ll be a tremendous asset to the likes of Kovalchuk, assuming they end up on the same line next year.
Heading into the summer, Loktionov is up for free agency, but as a restricted free agent. Teams will covet him, yes, but probably not enough to send an offer sheet that the Devils wouldn’t be willing to match. He’ll be back next year, and has an exciting future with this franchise.
