Freshman Miles Wood signed an entry level contract with the New Jersey Devils this evening, making him the second Eagle to do so in under two hours. According to numerous reports, Wood will report to New Jersey tomorrow and may play in their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It's easy to sit here, as a BC fan, and criticize the decision but I've always said that any fan who knocks a kid for turning down a million dollars is out of their mind. Miles grew as a player over these past seven months and he certainly has the skill set to be a big time player for that organization. Am I surprised? Very. Do I think he is ready? Yes. Let's be honest here, he was a man amongst boys and I think his style of play will suit the NHL.
With Wood and Santini signed, there is a growing sense of nervousness surrounding the program regarding early departures. Demko will likely sign any day now, same with McCoshen, but other than that, we have no idea what's going to happen. The difference between Wood's situation and that of Colin White and Alex Tuch is that Wood's deal, as Devils property, would have run out by next August and as you saw with Jimmy Vesey and the Predators, teams do not want to lose valuable draft picks to free agency. I think there is an outside chance of both Tuch and White staying but I would not count on it. Same goes for Calnan and Gilmour because like Wood, they're free to sign with whomever they want if they stay- odds are Chicago and Minnesota won't fall for that.
Congrats and best of luck to Miles.
Speed and size are a great combination, but he showed a real lack of discipline in terms of PIMs. With all these departures and BU's filthy incoming class, next year will be even more of a challenge.
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