New Jersey has already re-signed Dainius Zubrus and are on the verge of re-signing Patrik Elias, but David Clarkson may not be returning.
Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice reports that barring a drastic change of direction, Clarkson is headed to free agency on July 5. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello didn’t sound very positive about re-signing the power forward when asked if it’ll happen.
“David, I don’t know at this point. We’ll certainly talk and I’ll leave it at that,” Lamoriello said.
Clarkson could be in the market for a sizable raise given the dearth of goal-scoring power forwards out there. While Nathan Horton will garner plenty of attention, Clarkson’s ability to both be a garbage man in front of the net and handle himself in a fight might appeal to more than a few teams (Toronto? Calgary? Detroit? Spitballin’ here gang.)