Brunner joins Devils on tryout basis
Damien Brunner, an unsigned free agent forward, is joining the New Jersey Devils on a tryout basis.
General manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed prior to New Jersey's preseason game against the New York Rangers on Monday night that Brunner will join the Devils and will be on the ice Tuesday morning.
Brunner, 27, spent five years playing for Zug in his native Switzerland before joining the Detroit Red Wings last season. He finished with 12 goals and 26 points in 44 games, then scored five goals and nine points in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games. However, Brunner reportedly turned down multiyear contract offers from the Red Wings, then found no takers after free agency began on July 5.
"He'll be here and will practice tomorrow," Lamoriello told the media. "We had inquired about him early in the year. We certainly have seen him in Detroit. We know a little bit about him from the Swiss League.
"We thought through the summer he would be signing. We said if it did not work out we'd be very interested in taking him to camp. When it looked like he hadn't gotten a contract we communicated, kept our word and he's here."
The Devils are looking for offensive help after leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk retired during the summer.
Désollé c'est on anglais, mais pk vouloir venir jouer avec les Devils??? Les wings avec un style offensif et finir avec les devils bizzard.
Mar 17 Sep - 7:40
