Building Devils ink power forward Simmonds

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Monday, July 1, 2019

The New Jersey Devils kept up their busy offseason by signing power forward Wayne Simmonds to a one-year, $5 million deal on Monday.

The Devils drafted center Jack Hughes No. 1 overall on June 21 and then traded for top defenseman P.K. Subban.

A physical yet productive player capable of taking on top-six minutes, Simmonds has a net-front presence offensively, while his 99 penalty minutes -- seventh-most in the NHL last season -- indicate his toughness.

Simmonds, 30, was traded to the Nashville Predators in February after the Philadelphia Flyers and his representatives reached a stalemate on a possible extension and stopped negotiating.

The 11-year veteran had 17 goals and 13 assists in 79 games last season and was shut out during two playoff games. He has scored 243 goals with 231 assists in 841 career games, with the Predators, Flyers and Los Angeles Kings.

Information from ESPN's Greg Wyshynski was used in this report.