Will Devin Shore maximize his opportunities in St. Louis? -Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild announced they will call up Devin Shore and Ben Jones to fill the forward spots left by multiple injuries.

Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello suffered injuries during Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Eriksson Ek is day to daybut Zuccarello had surgery on Friday and the Wild placed him on damaged reserve. Therefore, Shore, 30, has another NHL opportunity in his up-and-down career.

Shore is 10 years into his NHL career, but has not established himself in the last few years and has been traded or moved teams 5 times.

The Dallas Stars drafted Shore in 2012 as the 61st overall pick. He began his professional career in 2014-15 playing for the AHL’s Texas Stars. Shore played 19 games during his first season, then another 23 in the AHL and 3 for the Dallas Stars in his second season. Shore then played two full seasons for Dallas in 2016-17 and 2017-18, producing 33 and 32 points, respectively.

Shore’s career seemed to take off in 2018. Dallas gave him consistent ice time and he produced. He had another 17 points in 42 games with the Stars in the 2018-19 season. But halfway through the season, they traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for Andrew Cogliano. It was a scene change trade. Both players had a hard time, see less ice age and does not produce as expected.

Shore started the 2019–2020 season with the Ducks, but they traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Sonny Milano in February 2020. In October of that year, Columbus released him.

The following January, Shore signed a contract with the Edmonton Oilers. Although they immediately placed him on waivers, Shore spent 3 seasons with the Oilers, averaging 45 games per season. His final season in Edmonton was in 2022-23 after they sent him down to the AHL Bakersfield Condors, only to bring him back up less than a week later.

Shore eventually left Edmonton and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken for the 2023–24 season. Seattle placed him on waivers and shuttled him between the Kraken and AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. While producing 25 points over 39 points for the Firebirds, he scored just one goal for the Kraken over his 23 games. It was a great goal though: He knocked the puck out of the air and put it through the five-hole.

Next Ajax, Ont. native signed another one-year, two-way contract with the Wild for this season. Shore has spent the season at Iowa, where he had his 10th point in 14 games against Texas on Saturday. Remarkably, Shore found the rebound of Jones’ shot on net.

The couple has chemistry. They joined in scoring against the San Jose Barracuda in November.

Shore may benefit from a call with Jones. The two forwards will likely round out the fourth line. Although they will likely see minimal ice time, they should continue to produce in Minnesota.

The Wild likely intend for Shore to be a placeholder while Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek recover. Historically, Shore has not produced in the NHL despite his AHL numbers. In 443 games, Shore has 139 points and a -53. However, he can find his game and become a more permanent part of the lineup.

While most impact players produce earlier in their careers, some are late bloomers. Deryk Engelland started in the AHL in 2003-04 playing for the Lowell Devils and stayed in the AHL until 2009-2010 when he finally got a chance to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins at the age of 28. He played consistently in the NHL until his retirement in 2020.

Given Shore’s previous NHL experience and success in Dallas, Minnesota could be the right fit for him. He also doesn’t need to score many goals to make a difference. Coast was a great personality fits in Edmonton and brings energy. A confident veteran player can often be a driving force behind the team’s success.

The Wild have had an incredible start to the season. Tuesday’s game against St. Louis Blues will have relatively low stakes and give Shore and Jones room to find their place on the team. The Blues are not having a very good season with a record of 8-11-0. St. Louis has already lost to the Wild 4-1 once this year, and Shore can keep a spot by assuring Minnesota it won’t experience a drop in games with him in the lineup.

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