Brian Strait & Bracken Kearns Signed By NJ Devils

Besides the Brian Gibbons signing, there were two others in defenseman Brian Strait and forward Bracken Kearns, as both came to terms on a one-year, two-way contract each it was announced by the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Strait, 29, was a fifth round draft pick back in 2006 by the Pittsburgh Penguins and is a veteran of 187 games to his credit in his eight seasons as a pro, most notably for the NY Islanders from 2012 to 2016. The 6’ 1” 206 lb defenseman played for the Manitoba Moose (58 gms 2g, 12a) and the Winnipeg Jets (5gms 0g, 2a) last season as this will be his first for the Devils organization. Ironically, Gibbons and Strait shared the same locker room in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for three seasons with the Penguins organization.

Kearns spent the last two seasons playing in Bridgeport of the AHL where he recorded personal highs in goals both seasons with 23 for the Sound Tigers, and four games with parent club Islanders (0g, 1a). The 36 year-old native of North Vancouver, BC has been a staple in the AHL for over 12 seasons and will join the Devils as they open up their first season in Binghamton for the 2017-’18 campaign.