Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Devils sign top pick Adam Larsson to three-year entry level deal; Will he play in NHL this year?

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Portraits

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: Fourth overall pick Adam Larsson by the New Jersey Devils poses for a photo portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Not since 1991 and Scott Niedermayer have the Devils had a top prospect defenseman come along with as much hope and hype as 2011 top pick Adam Larsson has. Larsson was the top defensive prospect in the draft and when the Oilers, Avalanche, and Panthers all passed on him Devils GM Lou Lamoriello was more than happy to grab him fourth overall. Now they’ll get to see what they’ve really got on their hands as the Devils have signed Larsson to his three-year entry level contract.

The Devils had a bit of a time crunch to get a deal done with Larsson now as if he made it past 5 p.m. ET today, his contract with his Swedish pro team would’ve kicked in meaning the Devils would’ve had to pay out to bring him over. Instead, he signs his three year contract and avoids both costing the Devils extra money and potentially spending one more year in Sweden.

The other unique thing about Larsson’s deal is that it comes without the usual bells and whistles of performance bonuses that you see in draft pick entry level deals. Those bonuses, regardless of what they are, are included as part of the salary cap hit for the player and it helps the Devils out immensely to have Larsson agree to signing without those kickbacks. Larsson’s salary cap hit for the three seasons he sees time in the NHL will be $925,000. Larsson’s agent J.P. Barry says the deal is unique for a top ten pick.

“Everything is maximum except obviously he doesn’t have individual ‘A’ bonuses,” Barry said.

Barry said he’s never previously had a top 10 pick not have an individual bonus package as part of his entry-level contract.

“We’ve had several players in the top 10 and we’ve always had bonuses packages and even into the top 20 in many instances,” Barry said. “That’s the way the system is designed. At the same time, Lou has never given individual bonuses at any time. Obviously, the difference here is he’s never really had a top pick (since the entry-level cap system was put in place).”


Larsson joins a Devils team that’s in need of a solid, puck moving defenseman that can play great at both ends of the ice. Fortunately for New Jersey, Larsson fits the bill to be one of those players and they might need him to be that right away. Taking a look at the Devils defense for the upcoming season, one thing they’re severely lacking in is high-end talent.

New Jersey has Anton Volchenkov, Andy Greene, and Henrik Tallinder penciled in as their top three defensemen. With guys like Colin White, Mark Fayne, Jay Leach, and a still hurting Bryce Salvador filling out the roster for now that’s a very blue collar and not overly gifted set of players.

With the sort of game Larsson can bring to the ice, the Devils can get that solid two-way play they’ve been missing since Scott Niedermayer left town. While Larsson didn’t put up big offensive numbers, he’s got the skills to do well there as a pro and Hockey’s Future believes he’ll be a top pair defenseman in the NHL. While Larsson likes to look up to Nicklas Lidstrom (what Swedish defenseman doesn’t?) if he can make fans in New Jersey start thinking of Niedermayer, he’ll be a favorite there for a long time to come. For now, he’ll have to prove himself in training camp to see if he can earn a spot on the team.

While the Devils don’t have a head coach yet, if there’s anything we’ve learned during Lamoriello’s years running the Devils it’s that nothing is given, everything is earned. If Larsson can earn his spot in the NHL right out of camp, it’s doubtful he’ll be giving it up any time soon.