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With Kovalchuk gone, Devils pursue Damien Brunner

Damien Brunner

Detroit Red Wings’ Damien Brunner (24) looks to shoot gainst the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey playoffs Western Conference semifinal in Chicago, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

AP

Now that Ilya Kovalchuk is an ex-Devils forward, they need to find a way to replace all the offense lost. They may have found a way to start doing just that.

Nicola Berger of Swiss newspaper Neue Luzerner Zeitung reports the Devils are hot after free agent Damien Brunner and are close to signing the Swiss winger.

Berger says the Devils are “doing a lot of background work on him” which must translate into “finding out if he’ll suddenly retire to play in Switzerland at a moments notice.”

Brunner made his NHL debut last season with the Detroit Red Wings and was an instant success story as he scored 12 goals and finished with 26 points. He also made his mark in shootouts proving to be an effective scorer there as well. While Detroit wanted to keep him around, his asking price was a bit too high for their salary cap needs.