The New Jersey Devils are showing they intend to be active this offseason. Not long after acquiring defenseman P.K. Subban, the team traded prospect John Quenneville to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward John Hayden, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.
While the Devils used available cap room to acquire Subban for at a small cost, that isn’t the case in this deal. The deal is likely a chance to swap two players who have struggled to succeed at the NHL level. The 24-year-old Hayden has had a number of chances to prove himself in Chicago, but hasn’t been able to win a job. He was even given a six-game trial on the Blackhawks’ power play last season, but couldn’t do anything with it. The 6-foot-3 forward, played four years at Yale University, and while he’s appeared in 113 NHL games already, he has scored just eight goals and likely wasn’t going to have much of a chance to make Chicago’s lineup. He is on a cheap deal at $750K for the 2019-20 season before becoming a restricted free agent.
The 23-year-old Quenneville is in a similar boat as he has failed to force his way into a New Jersey lineup that had plenty of openings. He has only appeared in 33 NHL games and has scored just two goals after being selected in the first-round by the Devils in 2014. He has thrived in the AHL, however, scoring 18 goals in 37 games last season with the Binghamton Devils.
Bowman is a joke he needs to be fired ASAP
But Quenneville>Hayden…
Quennville is a wildcard, like perlini and stroke were. He is worth the risk based on us trading a 4th liner for him. I am stoked the Hawks were able to get Vlasic at 43!
leprechaun… how is this deal the deal breaker?
It’s almost as if he inherited great players and did his best to mess it up.
leprechaun please back up your comment. I think it is a good move. Why not take a chance on someone with a higher potential ceiling? Hayden will do well in NJ I think. Better system for his type of play. He won’t ever be more than a bottom 6 player so doesn’t hurt if Quenneville doesn’t work out. A lot of players out there to fill the role.
I’m with leprechaun on this move
I’m the Leprechaun!
Hayden was completely ineffective in his career. He gets traded for a younger, 1st rd talent: Fire Bowman.
Bowman could win 10 cups in a row, and these idiots would say he needs to be fired because he didnt go undefeated.