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The New Jersey Devils‘ new general manager Ray Shero has no doubt been busy over the past few weeks. He was responsible for finding a new coach, which he did in former AHL coach John Hynes. He just recently named Geoff Ward and Alain Nasreddine as his assistant coaches. He has a huge draft starting a week from Friday that he has to crush. Pending free agents may not be on his mind, especially when none of them are the cornerstones of the team. There is one free agent that he needs to address.
Steve Bernier’s career with the Devils has been all over the place to say the least. When he was first signed, he was great. Along with Ryan Carter and Stephen Gionta, he was a part of the “fourth line” that took the headlines for the Devils on their way to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
They rewarded his playoff performance with a two-year contract. He was very good in the lockout-shortened season. He provided a scoring pop from the bottom six, something the Devils had been lacking in years past. Bernier looked like he was poised to become a crucial part of the Devils’ future.
The next season he fell off in a big way. He shot a terrible 2.9 percentage while going a career low negative-15 plus-minus. He looked like his career could be coming to an end, not only with the Devils but with the NHL. The team had faith he could bounce back and gave him a one-year deal to prove himself.
Bernier was great for the Devils this past season. He saw what life without the NHL could be like, and he showed he wanted to stay there. The 30-year-old forward had his best season of his career in 2014-15. He ended with 16 goals and 16 assists. He did this despite missing 15 games.
Bernier could come cheap for the Devils if they act fast. It isn’t every year a team can get a guy who is a ten-year veteran who can score 15-plus goals for under a million dollars a season. He can move up in lines and play with Adam Henrique to give him a winger to play with for years to come. He could stay on the third and fourth lines to give the Devils depth. He can do anything coach Hynes needs of him.
Bernier has told media members that he really hopes to stay in New Jersey, but he hasn’t heard from the new GM. Shero needs to call Bernier before he hits the market. Other suitors will only drive his price up. They could bring him back at a hometown discount right now. That will go out the window once Bernier sees what teams are willing to pay in a weak free agent market.
Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
