The New Jersey Devils are unquestionably a better team on paper now than they were heading into the off-season. In saying that there are still some holes on the roster; most notably on defense.
As such the Devils have been linked to a lot of different blue liners this summer with the latest being Kris Russell.
Friedman also said Russell, a shot-blocking specialist, prefers to remain in the Western Conference....
If Russell can't find any suitors in the Western Conference, he'll have no choice but to sign with an Eastern Conference club. The New Jersey Devils could be an Eastern club seeking someone with his experience and defensive skills.
On the surface Russell to the Devils could make sense to some - they aren't great on defense and Russell is perceived to be good - but I don't think that's the case if you look a little deeper.
Russell's on-ice results have been terrible for years now. He doesn't produce much offensively and any production teams do get from him is because he's playing so many minutes - not because he's an efficient scorer. He is also a big time anchor in possession and struggles at both generating and suppressing shots.
Again, Russell is perceived by many to be a solid blue liner but the results suggest that's not the case. His underlying numbers are almost identical to Jon Merrill's, and it's no secret that he has played very poorly over the last couple years.
Since the new regime took over in the front office the Devils have made a lot of analytically sound moves so I doubt they'd view someone like Russell as any sort of upgrade over what they have now.
The Devils may bring in another veteran on defense - either on a cheap, short-term deal or a tryout - but I very much doubt Russell will be that guy. And he shouldn't be.
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