New Jersey Devils add another layer of depth, insurance in signing Cal Foote

The 24-year-old defenseman owns a positive GAR over 154 NHL games and also possesses some playoff experience.

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Tom Fitzgerald dipped his toes back into the free agent waters on Wednesday, plucking defenseman Cal Foote from the bargain bin.

This signing is certainly not a surprise, as Foote was someone I mentioned as a potential target for the Devils in the moments leading up to free agency.

Foote put pen to paper on a one-year deal worth $800K in the NHL and $350K in the AHL. The contract comes with a $450K guarantee, meaning Foote will earn no less than that even if he doesn’t spend enough time earning NHL pay checks to become whole (he will).

Foote may not make the team out of camp – at least if they only carry seven defensemen – but, make no mistake, he will be part of it.

Foote is a former 1st round pick who has played 141 regular season games, 13 playoff games, and spent almost the entirety of the past three years in the NHL.

He didn’t sign with New Jersey to spend all of his time riding buses in Utica. He is going to have a role, even if not permanent. And justifiably so.

Foote has logged well over 1,800 minutes of ice at 5v5 since joining the NHL. He is sporting a +23 goal differential in that span, finishing a positive each year in the league.

While most of that time came with a very good Lightning team, Foote did manage to finish with a plus-rating during his 24-game stint with a mediocre Predators side. That’s not nothing.

He posted a positive GAR – albeit small – last season and has held his head above water in that regard all three years in the league.