Devils' top pick Larsson signs; Former Devils defenseman Salmela signs in KHL

Defenseman Adam Larsson, who was the Devils' first choice, fourth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, has been signed by the Devils to a three-year, entry level contract. Tom Gulitti reports:

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello announced on a conference call this morning that the team has signed 2011 first-round pick Adam Larsson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The deal includes no performance bonus package, but carries the entry-level maximum NHL salary, including the signing bonus and any games-played bonus, of $925,000 per season. That will be Larsson’s salary cap hit if he is on the NHL roster.

The AHL salary will be the maximun $70,000 per season.

Lamoriello said the plan is is for Larsson to play in North America—either in the NHL or the AHL—in 2011-12.

“If that’s the best thing for his development,” Lamoriello said. “If we thought that something else was, then we’d do that, but it is our inention and it’s his intention to be in North America.”

Larsson's decision to sign with the Devils certainly improves the organization's defensive depth chart for the coming season. Whether he plays in New Jersey or Albany (or both) during the 2011-12 season is now the question on everyone's mind.

Also reported by Tom Gulitti, former Devils defenseman Anssi Salmela has signed with Avangard of the Kontinental Hockey League for the next two seasons. Salmela appeared in two games for Albany last year, going scoreless during his conditioning stint with the team.

Note: Don Ferlazzo is not an employee of the Albany Devils, nor is this blog sponsored or influenced by the organization in any way.