John Hynes seems to like Warsofsky’s game. Could New Jersey bring him back in a depth role for 2016-17? (John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
2015-16 Summary
Warsofsky was a late addition to the Devils roster. New Jersey picked him up off of waivers from Pittsburgh on February 29th. He saw limited time with both Pittsburgh and New Jersey this season, playing thirty-two games while recording just 2 points on the season. However, Hynes was able to get a longer look at Warsofsky as he was added to Team USA’s roster for the World Championships in Russia. In ten games, he recorded 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) while getting solid minutes on the power play.
Upsides
Warsofsky is likely an AHLer who can play a depth role in New Jersey. He’s put up decent numbers in the AHL tallying 101 points in two hundred forty-seven games. At worse, he gives Albany another defenseman that would help them continue to build off the success they had in 2015-16. If the injury bug hits in New Jersey, he can provide decent minutes until the team is able to get healthy. He’s also shown an ability to be effective on the power play. Hynes used him on USA’s power play at the World Championships and he provided them with useful minutes with the man advantage.
Downsides
There aren’t a lot of downsides to signing Warsofsky. He’s not going to cost a lot and he’ll likely be given a two-way deal. In a depth role, he provides New Jersey with insurance in case some one is injured. The biggest to downside to bringing back Warsofsky would be using him in more than a depth role. Pittsburgh was plagued with injuries early in the season and had him playing on their top defensive unit. He tends to struggle defensively at times, so ideally that’s not where you want to have him playing.
Devils Future
Hynes seems to like Warsofsky’s game. He wouldn’t have added him to USA’s roster for the World Championships if he didn’t. It’s probably a pretty safe bet that he’ll be back with New Jersey next season. There’ll be tough competition for him to make the roster. The Devils already have 5-6 established defensemen and have players like Vojtech Mozik, Seth Helgeson and possibly Steve Santini competing for full-time spots in the NHL. Warsofsky was on a one-year, $600,000 deal with Pittsburgh this season. If the Devils choose to bring him back, he’ll most likely be signed to a similar deal for the 2016-17 season, which would be a good signing for both the Devils and Warsofsky given his role.