Haula Is Home | FEATURE

When Erik Haula was traded to the New Jersey Devils from the Boston Bruins on July 14, 2022, he didn't know what to expect. Was this just going to be another stop in his lengthy NHL career.

But Haula was no stranger to moving to a new club, a new city, new teammates, you name it. Since the 2016-17 season, after four seasons with the Minnesota Wild, Haula was chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, from there he kept on moving, never finding an extended landing spot for the next five seasons.

"Everywhere we've gone it's been a lot of uncertainty," Haula said from his home in Finland on Friday.

That is, until now.

Erik Haula has found a home.

On Friday, Haula signed a contract extension with the Devils, forgoing Free Agency, agreeing to a three-year deal.

"It was a huge deal to have security," he continued, "We bounced around quite a bit, just to have that ability to look into housing and get my family all set up, we're really excited with how it all ended up."

The signing of Haula shouldn't be a surprise to any, he adamantly expressed at the end of last season his desire to remain a New Jersey Devil. It was important for him to find some security, but that wasn't all it was about. Not only could he see himself putting down roots with his family in New Jersey, but it also offered Haula one other thing that is vitally important to him.

He wants to win.

"I always talk about wanting to win, and I think that we have a group that is just only going to get better," Haula said, "That's exciting. I always talk about having a chance to compete for a Cup and I think this is a place where I'm going to have an opportunity to do that for multiple years to come. I'm just really excited about the direction of the team and where we're headed."

In his first season with New Jersey, Haula played an instrumental leadership role in a relatively young locker room and he helped guide the team to a year full of franchise-breaking moments. Although at 32 years old he's one of the elder statesmen on the team, he really connected with some of the younger players, particularly Jack Hughes. Haula spent much of the season skating alongside the 22-year-old Hughes, helping the young superstar in whatever area he needed. Whether it was taking the pressure off by being the faceoff man, doing the grinding work to retrieve pucks, Haula really does it all to everyone's benefit. Jack, he says, was one of the first teammates he texted when he officially signed his new deal.

"I can't say enough about him," Haula said of his admiration for Hughes, "and (I'm) just fortunate to play with a player like that. He's only going to get better, so I'm going to do whatever I can to help him and it's just super fun and exciting."

Go back to the end-of-season interviews and you know instantly that the feeling is mutual.

"I'm a huge Erik Haula fan," Hughes said in his final interview before the summer. "He came in and did a great job for us, providing that leadership and experience. There's a difference between being in the locker room, being a voice, and then not backing it up. He's been a gamer for us, played every game all year. He's fighting, scoring, penalty killing, on the power play - he's just a character guy and he fits really well in our locker room."

Haula is a person who wears his heart on his sleeve, he is candid and honest in all his interviews and it certainly came across that he's thrilled to continue his career in New Jersey. He gives his team everything he has, on every shift, every single day. He's wired like that, wanting to win so badly. To be able to find a spot here in New Jersey, where his emphatic desire to win matches up with the resurgence of the Devils, it is the perfect fit.

The best deals are ones where everyone leaves the negotiating table happy. Haula has his security, the Devils will continue to have his leadership and hard work, and Jack has his wingman.

As Haula said back in May: "It seems like the right spot for me. This is my family."

Welcome home.