Some of the best fits for the Devils are still out there, such as center Saku Koivu and defenseman Derek Morris. But with general manager Lou Lamoriello talking about bringing in “role players,” more of the same inaction on the second day of NHL-Mart did not bode well for making the playoffs a 13th straight season.
The Devils yesterday did bring back their seventh-round, 218th overall 2002 draft pick, right wing Ilkka Pikkarainen, who spent the last three seasons in Europe after three years with their then-farm team, Albany.
Playing in Helsinki last season, the 28-year-old had 37 points, scoring 24 goals and adding 13 assists in 54 games. He also had 149 penalty minutes. At 6-foot-2, 220, he “brings size, strength, scoring and toughness to our roster,” Lamoriello said in a statement. He went 29-33-62 in 196 games with 305 penalty minutes during his tenure in Albany.