As confused as I thought I was by both Blake Coleman and Stefan Noesen (or their agents) feeling the need to file for arbitration when mutually beneficial contracts didn't seem as though they should have been all that painstaking to work out amongst the Devils and two of their most consummate role players, I am definitely more confused now. The wings on which Travis Zajac flew back into offensive relevance still seem as though they been brought back on relatively bargain-type deals, so I am not entirely sure what the hold up was. I guess it doesn't matter as the not-so-passive-aggressive process of undermining accomplishments has been avoided, but it still seemed like an unnecessary scare for a team with a culture of cohesiveness. Anyway, while Stefan Noesen's one-year deal is the perfect way for New Jersey to find out what they truly have in a guy that contributed at both ends of the ice prior to another offseason of restricted free agency, the deal I'm ecstatic about is inking Blake Coleman for under $2 million per season for what will more than likely be the prime of his career. As far as bang per buck is concerned, I like that contract more so than any that Ray Shero passed over in free agency. For whatever reason, some whiney, ungrateful Devils' fans have a problem understanding that players are actually capable of improving with experience, but enough about the idiots that clearly forgot how this team went from AHL-caliber to the playoffs. Point being, other than the obvious (Nico Hischier, Will Butcher, Jesper Bratt), Blake Coleman very well might have the most unrealized potential on the entire roster.
Even if he plateaus as a pain in the ass penalty killer with speed, snarl, and a sneaky amount of skill and scoring touch, $5.4 million over three years for someone that is basically the stylistic blueprint for a fast, attacking, and supportive team is an absolute steal. As it stands he's the perfectly pesky and versatile bottom six player, but it's not crazy to envision him as a late bloomer whose flashes of brilliance aren't as few and far between. He'll probably fall somewhere in the middle, but that would still give the Devils an even bigger discount than they already have on one of the last leftover picks of the Lou Era, who provides at least $2.5 million dollars worth of talent if his status remains quo...
It feels like the the ambiguity regarding the future of two guys who helped make for an intermittently awesome and dependable third line could have easily been averted, but all that matters is that the Texas boys are back! In the immortal words of John McClane, "yippee ki-yay motherfucker!".
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