Scott Gomez Does Not Have A Realistic Chance To Make New Jersey Devils

By Nick Villano @nick_villano on September 28, 2014

The New Jersey Devils made headlines this offseason when they signed former star Scott Gomez to a professional tryout. Gomez played with the Devils from 1999 to 2007. He won the Calder Trophy in 2000 and was a part of two Stanley Cup winners.

Then, Gomez signed a seven-year deal worth over $50 million with the cross Hudson River rival New York Rangers. He immediately became public enemy No. 1 for Devils fans. Before long, it was hard to even dislike Gomez, as his career seemed to go off the rails in a big way.

He only lasted two seasons in New York, scoring 16 goals in each. He was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens, where his career went into a downward spiral.

It has been seven seasons since Gomez has worked in a Devils sweater, but he is back in familiar territory. He looks comfortable for the first time in years. He looks like he worked really hard this offseason to make it back onto an NHL team. The question is: can the Devils afford to keep him on the roster?

The Devils already have 14 forwards on one-way contracts. That doesn’t even include the Ryan Carter situation that has yet to be resolved. There doesn’t seem to be any room for him as of now. Will head coach Peter DeBoer and GM Lou Lamoriello make room? They would need to make a trade or two, but it isn’t inconceivable to think Gomez can sneak in. He has definitely been the best of the three professional tryouts (Jordin Tootoo and Ruslan Fedotenko are the other two). If the Devils don’t decide to sign him, it is almost a given that he will get a chance with another team.

At the end of the day, it would be too much work for the Devils to make room for a limited talent like Gomez. Even at only 34 years old, he looks like he doesn’t have a ton left in his tank. He will end up being a great story, but it will be written in a different sweater.