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On Yohann Auvitu, Kyle Palmieri & unsigned draft picks
1) I like the decision to bring Yohann Auvitu over from Europe on a one-year deal. The 26-year-old blue liner spent his last two seasons playing for HIFK Helsinki where, playoffs included, he tallied 23 goals and 55 points in 129 games. Those aren't eye popping numbers but it's clear he does possess some offensive skills.
Last season he set a career high with 21 points in 48 games and he followed that up by recording 13 points in 18 playoff games. For his efforts he was named the Finnish league's top defenseman and named to the First All-Star Team.
I don't expect him to be a big time player at the NHL level but, if not anything else, he adds organizational depth and there is next to no risk to bringing him over.
This is a similar situation to the signings of Vojtech Mozik and Sergei Kalinin last summer.
2) Team USA announced their World Cup Roster on Friday night and there were several notable omissions.
Among the biggest up front were Kyle Okposo, Tyler Johnson, Phil Kessel and, you guessed it, Kyle Palmieri.
You can make a case all of those guys should have made it but the Palmieri thing really stumps me considering he is coming off the best offensive season of the bunch. USA went out of its way to add gritty players to the team from the get go - Justin Abdelkader(!) was named to their initial roster - so I felt scoring was their biggest need.
Palmieri scored 30 goals last season but the likes of Ryan Callahan, who had 28 points in 73 games, and Brandon Dubinsky, who scored 13 fewer goals, made it over Palmieri.
I really don't get it; especially because Palmieri is not a guy that will shy away from physicality.
3) The signing deadline for prospects from the 2014 draft class is June 1st and the Devils still have three prospects without contracts.
Those prospects are Connor Chatham (71st overall), Ryan Rehill (131st overall) and Brandon Baddock (161st overall).
Personally I don't feel any player has a legitimate shot at cracking an NHL lineup and don't believe any of them are worth committing a contract to.
There's almost always a player or two drafted that aren't worth signing but it's tough to let three go; especially when one was an early 3rd round pick. This is a perfect example of why it's bad to prioritize big bodies and grit over skill. All three players are old-school and, again, all three players possess little to no chance of ever playing in the NHL.
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