Devils re-sign checking forward Coleman to 3-year, $5.4M deal

The New Jersey Devils re-signed forward Blake Coleman to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $1.8 million, the team announced Tuesday.

Coleman might be more known around the league for drinking pickle juice than for his hockey abilities, but he's actually one of the league's most underrated players.

In his first full NHL season last year, the 26-year-old was a valuable checking forward for the Devils. He finished 15th in the league with 68 takeaways and was the only player in the top 45 of that category with fewer than 25 giveaways (21).

Meanwhile, Coleman came very close to posting an even possession number (48.1 Corsi For percentage) despite starting nearly two-thirds (66.4 percent) of his shifts in the defensive zone. He also racked up 216 hits and 57 blocks.

He wasn't exactly a dynamo offensively, but Coleman even managed to chip in 13 goals and 25 points despite limited ice time (14:24 per game) and being used primarily in a defensive role.