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Gomez goes full circle by rejoining Devils on tryout basis

Florida Panthers v New Jersey Devils

Scott Gomez

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Scott Gomez’s NHL career might end where it began. The forward has agreed to join the New Jersey Devils’ training camp on a tryout basis, per The Star-Ledger.

The Devils took him with the 27th overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry and he quickly established himself as one of their best players as the Calder Trophy winner in 1999-2000. The Devils won the Stanley Cup that season and were champions again in 2003.

He left the Devils in the summer of 2007 though to sign a seven-year, $51.5 million contract with the New York Rangers. Although he remained effective in the first season of that deal, he began to quickly decline. The Montreal Canadiens took the brunt of his fall as they acquired him in 2009 in a trade that included then-prospect Ryan McDonagh going to New York.

Montreal bought out his contract following the lockout and he has most recently played for Florida where he scored two goals and 12 points in 48 games.

Although he’s still just 34 years old, there’s not a lot of demand for him given his decline.

“He felt he still had a lot of hockey in him and he’s been working out this summer so I told him to come to camp,” Lamoriello said. “There are no promises.”

The Devils already have 14 forwards signed to one-way contracts and some youngsters like Stefan Matteau looking to make the leap, so Gomez is far from a lock to make the team.

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