The New Jersey Devils have come to terms with free agent right wing Drew Stafford. Stafford agreed to a one-year, one-way contract worth $800,000.
Stafford is 31 years-old and spent last season with the Boston Bruins, to whom he was traded on March 1 of this year from the Winnipeg Jets. According to the Devils press release, he had four goals and four assists for Boston for eight points in the regular season. He also had 12 penalty minutes for Boston in 18 total games. He also had two goals in six playoff games with the Bruins.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-native, 6-foot, 2-inches and 215-pounds, began his career with the Buffalo Sabres. With Buffalo from 2006-07 to the 2014-15 season, he totaled 145 goals and 177 assists for 322 points and had 327 penalty minutes in 569 games played. He then spent parts of three seasons with Winnipeg from 2014-15 to last season. There, he played in 144 games and had 34 goals and 36 assists for 70 points.
His career totals read 725 games played, 183 goals, 217 assists for an even 400 points and 387 penalty minutes. Forty-seven of his goals have come on the power play and three shorthanded.
Playoff-wise, Stafford has played in 30 postseason contests and has six goals (with two of them coming on the power play) and five assists for 11 points. He also has eight penalty minutes.
He was traded to Winnipeg by Buffalo in 2015 in a deal that also sent Tyler Myers and Joel Armia to the Jets along with Brendan Lemieux and St. Louis’ first round pick in 2015 (the Jets picked Jack Roslovic) for Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and Jason Kasdorf. He was then sent to the Bruins last season for Boston’s conditional sixth round pick in 2017. Trade information comes from Hockey-Reference.com.
It is worth noting as a bit of trivia that Stafford followed a similar path to the NHL as former Devils captain Zach Parise, going from Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the high school in Minnesota to the University of North Dakota.
According to the press release put out by the Devils, Stafford will wear number 18 with the team