The New Jersey Devils dipped into the free agent pool on Thursday, signing defenseman David Schlemko to a one-year, $650K contract.
The team notes that it’s a one-way deal, which is noteworthy as there could be quite a bit of competition for roster spots among Devils blueliners.
“David Schlemko is a veteran with five years of NHL experience who brings depth and competition to our defensive corps,” Devils GM Ray Shero said.
Schlemko, 28, bounced around quite a bit in 2014-15, playing 20 games with the Arizona Coyotes, five with the Dallas Stars and then finishing up with 19 contests as a member of the Calgary Flames.
While he experienced instability, he stood as a relatively stable presence in Calgary, putting up some healthy possession stats on a team that didn’t excel in that regard.
The Bergen Record’s Tom Gulitti lays out the possible players vying for a role in New Jersey:
Devils now have 7 D - Greene, Larsson, Gelinas, Moore, Severson, Merrill, Schlemko - plus Hrabarenka, Mozik & Helgeson competing for jobs.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 10, 2015
One wouldn’t expect spectacular things from Schlemko, but he could be a nice depth guy, at least if he can break into the lineup. All things considered, it’s not a bad deal for the Devils.