When Devils GM Ray Shero decided to buyout veteran forward Dainius Zubrus he said it was as much about roster flexibility as anything else.
Obviously Zubrus' poor year factored into the decision but the key was clearing yet another roster spot for a prospect - or free agent - to claim.
Via FireAndIce: “You're talking to other managers and there are certainly free agents out there,… Shero said after placing Zubrus on unconditional waivers at noon today. “It's not that anything is imminent and it really wasn't about Dainius himself. It was more about the roster spot/flexibility moving forward. That's really what it came down to....But, again it's about roster flexibility (to add a forward) whether it's before the season starts or during the season or something comes our way."
With Zubrus out of the picture the Devils have just 10 forwards on one-way deals. Stefan Matteau is one of those 10 and is basically a lock to make the team but even so the Devils still have three or four spots up for grabs.
Reid Boucher, Sergei Kalinin, Joseph Blandisi, Pavel Zacha and John Quenneville, among others, will get looks but I doubt three or four of those guys are ready to step into the NHL as regulars and make meaningful contributions.
That means, as Shero hinted at, they could look to bring in a body or two via free agency or even trade.
I think the free agent option is most likely route should Shero elect to look elsewhere for help.
So who is available? Brad Boyes, Curtis Glencross and Tomas Fleischmann could all make sense for different reasons but the guy who stands out to me the most is Jiri Tlusty.
At just 27 years of age he still fits into the youth movement the Devils are going for and he has shown the ability to fill the net at the NHL level.
The Devils have made a couple additions to try and help in that regard - most notably Kyle Palmieri - but they could definitely still use some offensive pop.
Tlusty isn't a household name but he has proven to be an effective player as he has scored 53 goals in 188 games over the last three seasons. That equates to 23 goals per 82 games played. To put that in perspective only Mike Cammalleri scored more than 16 goals last season.
Whether the Devils bring in another forward or not remains to be seen but Tlusty makes a lot of sense should they wish to do so.
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Team Canada concluded their World Junior summer showcase with a win over Czech Republic on Thursday night.
Devils prospect Mackenzie Blackwood started the game and stopped 13-13 prior to being pulled (this was scheduled) midway through the 2nd period.
In 4.5 periods of play at the tournament Blackwood posted a .975 save percentage while stopping 39 of 40 pucks that came his way.
He's definitely on Canada's radar for the World Juniors this winter.
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