Defenseman Thomas Hickey Signs PTO with Former Divisional Rival

The New Jersey Devils announced today they have signed defenseman Thomas Hickey to a professional tryout:

Hickey, 33, was the 4th overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings in 2007, although he never played an NHL game for them. After spending his first five seasons in the AHL, he signed with the New York Islanders, where he spent the last nine seasons. In 456 NHL matches, Hickey has scored 117 points, and most recently was relegated to the AHL yet again.

One of the rare breeds who can play offense and defense, Hickey's versatility and reliability helped him survive this long, but if this PTO does not work out, he might be headed to Europe like many of his compatriots.

New Jersey currently staffs Jonas Siegenthaler, Ryan Graves, Brendan Smith to man their left-side, with a number of hungry prospects chomping at the bit for an NHL promotion, so Hickey needs to leave the Devils' brass with no other choice but to roster him. Or his NHL career is as good as over.

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