New Jersey re-signed Michael McLeod to a one-year contract worth $1,400,000.
By the end of the 2022-23 season, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald knew his team was on the fast track to becoming a Stanley Cup contender. His young core got a taste of postseason hockey and now understands how difficult it is to win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In this summer series, I will chronologically break down every move the organization made this offseason and discuss how it positively or negatively impacts the team for the 2023-24 season.
If there was one player who stood out in the postseason, it was 25-year-old Michael McLeod. He scored the first playoff goal of his career, a game and series winner, in Game 7 against the New York Rangers. Per NHL PR, he became the second player in Devils/Scouts/Rockies history to score a shorthanded goal in a Game 7, following Pat Conacher in 1992.
He tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in 12 postseason games. He earned the exact point total as Erik Haula and Jesper Bratt and finished with the same goals as Timo Meier. Not bad for a fourth-line center whose average time on ice was 14:47.
"I like playing in the playoffs with the speed. It's a simpler game," McLeod said. "You have to get on pucks. It's more about winning your battles and playing the right way. It's a lot of fun. It's what you live for, playing in the playoffs."
He is a player built for the postseason and was rewarded with a pay raise when he signed his new one-year contract on July 1.
Over time, McLeod developed into one of the best faceoff players in the league. Last season, he ranked third in the league behind Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews and Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron. The Mississauga, Ontario native may not have lived up to being a 12th-overall pick, but he did carve out a vital depth role for himself and continually makes an impact.
Looking at McLeod's contributions on the ice, it was in the organization's best interest to re-sign him. For a team to win the Stanley Cup, they need depth at every position. In addition to being an asset in the faceoff circle, he defends his teammates and brings a physical presence, leading the team with 127 hits last season.
Off the ice, question marks surround him and the other 21 players who made up the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team. An unnamed woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by members of Canada's world junior team in June 2018 in London, Ontario.
Michael Russo of The Athletic recently spoke with NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and asked him for an update on the investigation.
"I do think we expect to see a final report very shortly, and then what flows from that is really an unknown at this point. But I expect that that'll play out, this is going to sound redundant, but sooner rather than later." (from Bill Daly Q&A: Latest on the Coyotes arena saga, Bally Sports, and more from the NHL deputy commissioner, The Athletic, 08/29.23).
The facts are McLeod was part of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team roster, and no official statement was released from him or his agent, Joseph Resnick. Until an official report is released, anything else can be considered speculation. The off-ice questions will eventually be answered, and whether it affects the center's role on the Devils should sort itself out.
On the ice, McLeod makes the Devils better. The coaching staff relies on him to take critical defense zone draws, and during the team's playoff run, head coach Lindy Ruff spoke about McLeod's play.
"You have to play fearless, and he does," Ruff said. "You have to be ready to put your body in harm's way a lot of times, which he does. He's the type of player that will get inside and be a top guy in all those categories."