The Devils enter the off-season in desperate need of some help up front, and they are willing to look overseas to get it.
Newly appointed GM Ray Shero has his eyes on Russian forward Sergei Kalinin and has reportedly already made an offer for his services.
#NJDevils made an offer to Sergei Kalinin from #Avangard of the #KHL as player's agent told R-Sport
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) May 23, 2015It's unclear if the offer is a one-way or two-way contract but a potential deal would carry little risk either way.
Kalinin is a 24-year-old who has been playing in the KHL with Avangard Omsk since he turned 20.
He has never put up big numbers but he scored 12 times and tallied a respectable 25 points in 58 games last season. Kalinin's point per game totals have also gone up each full season he's played.
Kalinin was 6th among the team's forwards in points last season but he did finish 3rd among forwards with 135 shots in his 58 games. Based off those numbers he was given top-6 time, but did not get top line minutes.
He doesn't appear to be a world beater by any means, but his production was respectable and the Devils need as many skilled forwards as they can get.
It can't hurt to bring him over and, to me, it's encouraging that Shero is willing to explore some less traveled paths to try and make the team better.