Ray Shero made his first move as Devils GM on Friday when signing forward Jordin Tootoo to a contract extension. Tootoo’s new deal is for one year and will see him earn $825K during the 2015-16 season. While a case could be made for or against re-signing Tootoo, it’s no surprise that the Devils brought him back. Lou Lamoriello had nothing but good things to say about his play last season, and Shero is familiar with Tootoo from their days in Nashville. Let’s break the extension down a little bit. The Good - Tootoo was 7th on the Devils last year with 10 goals. He was given more ice than anyone would have liked in the 2nd half of the season, but he still finished the season averaging less than 11 minutes per game. Bringing him back at $825K is reasonable.
- The Devils only gave him one year. Bottom-6 players - particularly 4th liners - are generally pretty easy to replace, and their play can vary significantly from year-to-year. Committing money and term to bottom-6 guys rarely works out, and the Devils avoided that here.
- Tootoo is a very good skater. The Devils don't have a lot of speed in their lineup, so losing what they do have would hurt.
- The Devils scored 51% of the goals at even-strength with Tootoo on the ice. That, of course, means New Jersey outscored their opponent with Tootoo out there. It wasn't by much (one goal) but it's a plus when bottom-6 guys can hold their own like that.
- New Jersey isn't a physical team, and he's one of the few guys who plays with an edge. I'm definitely not an advocate of staged fights, but Tootoo will stand up for teammates if necessary.
The Bad - Tootoo played more minutes with Mike Cammalleri and Travis Zajac than anyone, and took a regular shift on the power play during the last chunk of the season. Despite that he still only tallied 15 points in just under 70 games.
- Tootoo scored nine goals at even-strength, and shot 12.7% in the process. In seven seasons prior he shot approximately 6%, so it's likely he'll regress next year.
- He had a negative-6 penalty differential. Over the course of the season he's costing the Devils approximately 1.2 goals as a direct result to penalties. That's hardly a large number, but it could be the difference in a couple standings points.
- By re-signing Tootoo, the Devils are making one less roster spot available for Reid Boucher, Stefan Matteau and any other prospects in the system.
Final Thoughts Though Tootoo is unlikely to duplicate last year's success, he is a capable 4th line player.
If not anything else, he brings some speed and grit to New Jersey's bottom-6, and on a one-year deal there is little risk involved.
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