The New Jersey Devils may still be waiting on Zach Parise to make his free agent decision - as is the rest of the hockey world, it seems - but in the meantime, general manager Lou Lamoriello is bringing back just about everyone else.
The Devils announced Tuesday morning that they had resigned defenseman Bryce Salvador to a three-year contract worth $9.5 million per year. Salvardor joins fellow defensemen Jay Leach and Peter Harrold, forwards Steve Bernier, Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Cam Janssen and goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg as New Jersey players back in the fold for the 2012-13 season.
The 36-year-old Salvador had nine assists and a plus-18 rating for New Jersey in 2011-12, recovering nicely after missing the entire 2010-11 season with a concussion. He was much more productive during New Jersey's run to the Stanley Cup Finals, scoring four goals and dishing out 10 assists in 24 playoff games.
Salvador has been with the Devils since being traded from the St. Louis Blues for Janssen in February 2008. In 692 games with St. Louis in New Jersey, he has 23 goals and 79 assists.
Salvador had interest from multiple teams this summer as a veteran defenseman with significant playoff experience - Salvador told reporters that half the teams in the NHL were interested - but chose to stay in New Jersey, where he's played 245 games and made his best run at a Stanley Cup.
"It would've taken a lot to keep me from being a Devil," Salvador said.
The Devils may well lose Parise on Tuesday, their captain and No. 2 goal scorer who tied Ilya Kovalchuk with a team-best eight goals during the Stanley Cup Playoff run. However, New Jersey has done well to keep their other key players in the fold, and should continue to compete in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference regardless of Parise's decision.
