Devils ink Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder

The New Jersey Devils added two players in an attempt to jump start an offense that lost juice last season and signed another to a low risk contract in another try to strike gold.

The biggest contract was a surprising one as Ryane Clowe signed a five year contract at 4.85 million per year.
Clowe split last season with the Sharks and Rangers and scored just three goals and sixteen assists.
At his peak,the 30 year old Clowe adds a toughness and scoring touch that makes one think of the departed David Clarkson at a cheaper price,since Clarkson left the team for Toronto on a seven year deal worth just a nick less than six million per year.
Clowe should slot in at either of the first two lines and be able to perform well.
The problem is that despite a medical clearance,Clowe suffered three concussions last campaign with one of them coming in the playoffs that ended his postseason and yet Lou Lamoriello signed a player with physical question marks to a five year contract.
To be fair,had Clowe been completely without these issues,he might have made another million per year and perhaps the same length of contract,if not longer.
I have plenty of concerns when looking at the total package,but if all is well,Ryane Clowe is very likely to bring to the team what David Clarkson did and maybe a bit more.
The length seems a bit risky to me,but time will tell.

I am much more enthusiastic on the two year deal for Michael Ryder worth a total of seven million dollars.
The well traveled Ryder should be good for 18-25 goals and be a major help on the power play.
Ryder has never been noted as a defensive standout,but with proper decision making (putting him on a line with responsible teammates will help),this should be an issue that can be overcome.
Ryder has always been a player that played well against the Devils by finding his way into positions to shoot for good scoring opportunities.
In other words-a player that shoots first-exactly the type of player that I have thought the Devils needed for years,especially on the man advantage...

The Devils also gave a one year contract to former Panther (under Pete DeBoer) Rostislav Olesz to a million dollar contract after incentives.
Olesz was bought out of an over four million dollar contract with Chicago after last season that was mostly spent in the AHL.
Olesz scored 14 goals in a season twice under DeBoer in Florida and is the type of low cost gamble that has brought the Devils players in the past.
Consider this signing very similar to Steve Bernier and Ryan Carter,not a ton of money,but perhaps a solid reward.

All told,this is an OK haul with the potential to be great.
If Ryane Clowe is truly past his concussion problems and is able to play the game as he has in the past,Michael Ryder can be the power play bulwark that he can be and if the team can get anything out of Rostislav Olesz,this could be the infusion of talent that the Devils need.

However,if Clowe does not rebound from injury in either health or performance,his five year contract could hamper the franchise for quite a while.
This truly comes down to Ryane Clowe and Lou Lamoriello's opinion that Clowe is ready to be the player that he was in San Jose.
I'm just not sure the cost was worth the risk.....