No one will accuse the 2014-15 New Jersey Devils of not giving experienced players a shot.
Unrestricted free agent Scott Gomez, 34, has been invited to New Jersey’s training camp on a tryout basis, reportedly joining defenceman Tomas Kaberle as veterans fighting for a roster spot with the club.
“There were other opportunities and I had some other offers on the other side of it, in TV and stuff like that,” Gomez told Northjersey.com. “I’ve still got a lot to prove. I still want to play.”
Gomez returns to Jersey — the team that drafted him 27th overall in 1998 and with whom he won Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003 — after playing last season in Florida. The centre scored two goals and added 10 assists in 46 games for the Panthers, earning $900,000 on a one-year deal that expired on July 1.
“For whatever reason, last year didn’t work out,” Gomez said. “I had some other teams call, but we went to [general manager] Lou [Lamoriello] and I just said, ‘Give me the opportunity to make the team.’ We talked, obviously, and he wanted to know where I was at and I just said, ‘I want to come back. It’s still there. No one’s writing my script. I’ve got a lot to prove.’
“He gave me the tryout, and now it’s my job to make him keep me.”
Over 987 career NHL games with the Devils, Panthers, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks, Gomez has scored 173 goals and registered 713 points. As his production dropped significantly, he was memorably bought out by the Habs in 2013.
[polldaddy poll=8274743]