Devils Linked To Flames' Veteran Forward

The focus of the New Jersey Devils this past offseason was addressing the bottom-6. They did that and added some nice pieces, but that is still the main area in which the team will have to address during the season ahead of a highly likely playoff run.

The team has star power, a very solid and deep defensive group, and three goalies, so the bottom two lines are what need a little more juice. According to David Pagnotta, "They don't need to bring in star power. You want to start to look to bring those intangible pieces. A guy like Blake Coleman."

The Calgary Flames are last in the NHL with a 3-9-2 record and are likely going to be trading out some pieces. While Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson are the most talked about pieces, someone like Coleman could really have an impact on a third line. He has done that exact thing before as a trade deadline acquisition by the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.

Coleman has one more year left on his deal after this one at $4.9 million AAV and has a 10-team trade list. There is a chance, given how good the Devils are and because Coleman started his career there, that New Jersey is on the trade list. And even if the team isn't, it doesn't mean he won't accept a trade if asked.

Coleman leads the Flames in goals with five and has six points in 14 games, but it's tough to truly judge his offensive performance given how poor the Flames have been offensively as a whole. You know exactly what you're getting from the 34-year-old. He has received Selke Trophy votes twice in his career, but is always a very good two-way forward.

The veteran is a regular 15-20 goal scorer and should usually finish somewhere in the 30-39 point range. He had a career year in 2023-24 with 30 goals and 54 points, but he is a three-time 20 goal scorer too. Coleman is a big penalty killer and has been much better on the kill than on the power play in his career, scoring more goals, recording more assists, and just having an overall larger impact on the game. The Devils could welcome him right back to the third line and really bolster their depth for this season and next.

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