Devils Sign F Wayne Simmonds To 1-Year Deal

Wayne Simmonds looks on before a face off against the Minnesota Wild in the first period at Xcel Energy Center.
Photo credit David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

The New Jersey Devils have signed forward Wayne Simmonds to a one-year, $5 million deal, the team announced on Twitter Monday afternoon.

Simmonds split his time between the Flyers and Predators last season, finishing the year with 17 goals and 13 assists in 79 games.

For his career, the 11-year veteran has 243 goals and 231 assists in 841 NHL games. In addition, Simmonds has proven to be incredibly durable, never appearing in less than 75 games during a full season. 

#NJDevils news:The club has agreed to terms with right wing Wayne Simmonds on a one-year contract worth $5,000,000. pic.twitter.com/6HrpsM99Xt

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 1, 2019

Simmonds was also awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award during the 2018-19 season. This award recognizes a player that is seen as a superior leader within their sport, both on and off the ice.

The 30-year-old forward is New Jersey's first big free agent signing of the offseason.

However, the Devils have made a few splashes in the last two weeks with their acquisition of defenseman P.K. Subban in a trade from Nashville, along with drafting center Jack Hughes with the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

New Jersey still has around $20 million in cap space to use if they choose to, but the team has already reached the 2019-20 salary cap floor.