The New Jersey Devils signed Ben Lovejoy two years ago to a three-year deal. At the time it seemed like an interesting choice, with Ray Shero choosing to bring over one of his cronies from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then, he was completely misused in his first season with the Devils. It contributed to just how bad the team was in 2016-17.
Then last year, it seemed like something magical happened. Maybe it was because Lovejoy was turned into a third-line defenseman instead of a first-line defender. Maybe it was because John Hynes decided to sit Lovejoy for a large majority of the start of the year, and he knew he needed to earn his spot.