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The Devils were finally able to get their last restricted free agent signed on Monday, as Eric Gelinas put pen to paper on a one-year extension with the team.

Gelinas' new contract is a one-way deal that will earn him $900,000; the same as Adam Larsson will earn on his one-year contract.

Gelinas is not waiver exempt, meaning if Lou Lamoriello wanted to send him to Albany he'd be unable to do so without waiving Gelinas, who would surely be claimed.

That, of course, means barring anything unforeseen Gelinas will be on the team's opening day roster; and with a good camp likely in their opening lineup.

Gelinas had some hiccups defensively last year, but the Devils were even at full strength with him on the ice, and he was the NHL's most efficient power play defenseman, so he definitely deserves to be in the lineup. As he continues to play more and develop, he should only get better.

I thought Gelinas was quite good early on last season, but after Scott Stevens suggested that Gelinas should be more physical and aggressive he seemed to be caught out of position with much more regularity. If he gets back to what he did prior to that suggestion, I think he'll be a lot better off.

While I would have tried to get Gelinas signed to a deal with more term, the one-year deal is nice because a) it forces him to prove his worth before getting a more lucrative deal and; b) he's still a RFA when his contract expires, so the Devils will have more leverage in negotiations.

Ultimately Gelinas' play this season will decide what he makes next summer, and the Devils are quite comfortable with that.

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