Defenseman Robbie Russo and forward Joseph Gambardella were on two-way deals with the Devils this season and were slated to hit the open market this summer. However, they’ll remain with New Jersey’s farm team in Utica next season as the Comets announced that they’ve signed Gambardella to a two-year contract and Russo to a one-year pact.
Gambardella spent the last two seasons on a two-way deal with New Jersey but didn’t see any NHL action despite being relatively productive with the Comets. The 29-year-old had 35 points in 59 AHL contests this season, his second-highest AHL point total. His benchmark was 48 set with Bakersfield back in 2018-19 which is also the only campaign that Gambardella saw NHL action, picking up three assists in 15 contests with Edmonton.
As for Russo, he also is wrapping up a two-year, two-way deal with the Devils. The 30-year-old picked up 28 points in 72 games during the regular season while adding four helpers in six playoff contests but wasn’t able to earn a recall. He last saw NHL action back in 2016-17 with Detroit but is a veteran of 500 AHL appearances and should continue to be a mentor to New Jersey’s young blueline prospects.
Both players will technically remain NHL unrestricted free agents once the market opens up in July but it’s quite unlikely that they’ll receive an NHL contract. Instead, they’ll remain in the minors and hope to have their agreements converted at some point next season if injuries arise while New Jersey will have a couple of open contract slots that could be filled by someone else this summer.