New Jersey Devils sign Santeri Hatakka to one-year extension

The 23-year-old showed well during a cup of coffee with the big club last season.

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Tom Fitzgerald has checked another item off the to-do list, signing RFA defenseman Santeri Hatakka to a one-year contract extension.

Hatakka earned himself the same deal as recently acquired forward Adam Beckman, who has a very similar NHL resume in terms of experience (23 games for Beckman, 21 for Hatakka).

Hatakka will make $775,000 at the NHL level, $125,000 in Utica, and he was given a guarantee of $150,000.

He’s coming off by far his best season as a pro. He was productive in the AHL, producing a career-high 20 points over 48 games with the Comets.

More importantly, Hatakka more than held his own over a dozen games with the big club. He helped the Devils control a healthy 53% share of the expected goals at 5v5 while posting a +5 goal differential.

His bread and butter was playing a simplistic and steady defensive game. The Devils conceded 10.24 high-danger chances per 60 with Hatakka on the ice at 5v5, which was the lowest mark of the 10-most used defensemen on the team.