Trade Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils
Although we’re less than three months into the season, the trade deadline is already just three weeks away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New Jersey Devils.
The New Jersey Devils are near the bottom of the East Division in seventh place, only holding a significant lead over the struggling Buffalo Sabres. The team has been undergoing a solid rebuild and this trade deadline will be no different with several players likely available to be had. Last year, the Devils made quite a few successful deals, picking up an extra two first-rounders to add more talent to their young prospect pool. Expect more of the same this year.
Record
13-16-4, .448, 7th in East Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$22.7MM in full-season space ($36.67MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: NJ 1st, NYI 2nd, NJ 3rd, ARZ 3rd, NJ 4th, BUF 5th, NJ 6th, ARZ 7th
2022: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, NJ 3rd, NJ 4th, NJ 5th, CLB 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th
Trade Chips
The biggest name on the trade list is veteran forward Kyle Palmieri, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season. While the team could consider inking Palmieri to a long-term extension, generally long-term deals for players 30 or older rarely work out and Palmieri just hit 30, suggesting that the team might be better off moving him. The winger has been a major piece to the team’s core over the last six years and Palmieri has been as consistent as you can get, scoring at least 24 goals every season — except this one. This year has seen Palmieri’s numbers slide as he has just seven goals and 16 points in 32 games. Some of that can be attributed to playing on a weak team. However there should be quite a few teams who might be willing to pay significantly to get their hands on Palmieri.
The Devils also have another forward who could be on his way out. The team traded for KHL star Nikita Gusev a year ago in hopes of adding an elite scorer to their team. The season didn’t work out, but Gusev had a solid rookie campaign, scoring 13 goals and 44 points. However, things are different one year later. With a new head coach, Gusev’s ice time has dropped more than a minute and the 28-year-old has just two goals and five points in 20 games. With one year remaining on his two-year deal, teams might be eager to bring in Gusev and hope he can spark their team’s offense. At $4.5MM, that might be a costly gamble, but New Jersey has plenty of cap room to retain half that salary.
The Devils also have a number of solid defensemen who could find themselves moved at the trade deadline. The team has Ryan Murray, Dmitry Kulikov and Sami Vatanen available and all three likely could be had for middle-round draft picks. All three will be unrestricted free agents next season. Kulikov ($1.15MM) and Vatanen ($2MM) are both reasonably priced with Murray making $4.6MM for the remainder of the year. However, all could help contending teams with depth — something everyone is looking for for the stretch run.
Others to Watch For: F Andreas Johnsson, D P.K. Subban, F Miles Wood
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks – The team has coveted picks more than anything else over the last few years and would like to keep adding top-end picks. The Devils traded away their own second-rounder when it acquired Gusev from the Vegas Golden Knights and wouldn’t mind getting more draft capital. Regardless, with a young core in place and developing around Jack Hughes, the more young talent it can add over the next couple of years will only strengthen the team’s long-term success.
2) Young NHL-ready prospects — The team did pick up a few young players last season at the trade deadline, namely Janne Kuokkanen and Nolan Foote. Kuokkanen has been a pleasant surprise, while Foote has looked good in the AHL. The Devils wouldn’t mind picking up a few more of those types of players who might be able to work their way onto the roster or add depth in their minor league team. With plenty of their young talent ready to develop, bringing in prospects who are close to contributing might be a better than just draft picks.
Trade Candidate: Dmitry Kulikov
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue our closer look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and April 12th.
For the past few years, Dmitry Kulikov’s contract made it a foregone conclusion that he wouldn’t be going anywhere at the trade deadline as teams didn’t want a depth defenseman making more than $4MM. But the 30-year-old isn’t on that contract now and is now carrying a much more reasonable price tag. Between that and the fact that the Devils are well out of the playoff picture, Kulikov the veteran blueliner could certainly be on the move in the coming weeks.
Contract
Kulikov is on a one-year, $1.15MM contract. The deal does not contain any form of trade protection.
2020-21
While it hasn’t been a great year for New Jersey, Kulikov has had a decent season overall. He sits fourth on New Jersey in ice time by defensemen and has split time between the second and third pairings. He also has played heavy minutes on the penalty kill, anchoring their top unit.
From an offensive perspective, Kulikov hasn’t done much. While he has never been a top-notch point producer (his career high is 28), this has been his worst season in terms of points per game as he sits at just 0.06 (two assists in 31 contests). While offense has never been his calling card, teams typically are expecting a bit more than that from even their stay-at-home options.
One element that may be intriguing to some teams is Kulikov’s possession numbers which are the best of his career and one of the best on the Devils. With half of a shortened season under his belt, it is a bit of a small sample size but as front offices become more analytically inclined, that’s something that will work in his favor as a lot of depth defensive blueliners aren’t typically on the positive side of possession.
Season Stats
31 GP, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -2 rating, 22 PIMS, 34 shots, 19:25 TOI, 54.0 CF%
Potential Suitors
While Kulikov has spent time on the second pairing with New Jersey, prospective buyers and playoff teams will likely view him as a more of a depth option, one that can play closer to 16 minutes per game.
In the East, the Islanders have some cap room with Anders Lee on LTIR and done for the year. Clearly, their focus will be on adding a forward but assuming they don’t spend all of their flexibility on that upgrade, GM Lou Lamoriello – a fan of extra defensive depth – could turn his focus to someone like Kulikov. The Rangers and Flyers – teams tied in points but heading in opposite directions at the moment – could also stand to add some depth on the back end if they’re still in the race closer to April 12th.
As for the Central, Chicago is another team with plenty of LTIR room. While they’re not necessarily in a spot where they’d be wise to spend big on rentals at the deadline, adding a capable veteran or two for a low price to give them some extra depth would be wise and Kulikov certainly fits that type of idea.
In the North Division, Winnipeg could stand to add more depth and has some familiarity with Kulikov from his time there so that can’t entirely be ruled out. Montreal is in a money-in, money-out situation but with Ben Chiarot out and Victor Mete struggling this season, there is a definite need for a short-term boost. Calgary could use a boost on their third pairing with Nikita Nesterov scuffling offensively and they have enough cap flexibility that they may not need a salary offset.
St. Louis makes sense from the West Division with Carl Gunnarsson out for the year; Kulikov would, in theory, replace him. The Blues will lose some of their LTIR flexibility once Colton Parayko returns although Oskar Sundqvist (ACL surgery) can be transferred there at any time. Colorado is currently using Jacob MacDonald on an emergency loan, a role that Kulikov could certainly upgrade on.
Likelihood Of A Trade
With the Devils well outside of the playoff picture, there isn’t much of a need to keep someone like Kulikov around, as much of a decent fit as he has been. There are always teams looking for defensive depth for the stretch run and as one of the more affordable ones out there in terms of cap hit and salary, that works in New Jersey’s favor. As a result, there’s a very good chance he moves with a mid-round pick coming the other way sometime in the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Talks Not Progressing Between Devils And Kyle Palmieri
- Negotiations between the Devils and pending UFA winger Kyle Palmieri don’t appear to be going well. In the latest Insider Trading from TSN (video link), Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic indicated that the two sides are “struggling to find common ground on a contract”. The veteran is in the midst of a fairly quiet season with just six goals and nine assists in 29 games this season but has had at least 24 tallies in each of the past five seasons. While the free agent market wasn’t kind to wingers last fall, the 30-year-old projects to be one of the top ones available and still should be able to command a raise on his current $4.65MM AAV.
New Jersey Devils Sign Aarne Talvitie
The New Jersey Devils have added another college prospect to the mix, signing Aarne Talvitie to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal begins in the 2021-22 season, but the young forward has signed an AHL contract for the rest of this year and will join the Binghamton Devils after a short quarantine.
Talvitie, 22, was a sixth-round selection of the Devils back in 2017 and is coming off his junior season at Penn State. In 21 games this season he recorded seven goals and 13 points but also contributed just as much in the defensive zone where he routinely shadowed opponents. That two-way game has become Talvitie’s calling card, as it was during the 2019 World Juniors when he captained Finland to a gold medal.
During that tournament, despite Finland having top NHL draft picks like Kaapo Kakko, Rasmus Kupari, and Eeli Tolvanen, it was Talvitie that drew rave reviews for his play. He led the Finns with four goals and trailed only Aleksi Hoponiemi in scoring.
By that point, it was clear that Talvitie would have an NHL contract waiting for him whenever he chose to leave school and now he has finally signed it. He will be foregoing his senior year to start his professional journey, testing himself first at the AHL level.
New Jersey Devils Sign Tyce Thompson
10:35am: And just like that the Devils have made it official. The two-year entry-level contract does indeed start with the 2020-21 season. Thompson has reported to the team to begin his quarantine.
10:15am: According to AHL reporter Mark Divver, the New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with prospect Tyce Thompson on his entry-level contract that will begin this season. Thompson is expected to report to the team today and could play in the NHL as soon as he is through the league’s protocols.
Thompson, 21, recently finished his junior season at Providence College, where he recorded 25 points in 25 games and was nominated for the Hobey Baker award. Originally selected 96th overall in 2019, the young winger was a star in all three years of college, totaling 94 points in 101 games. That included a 44-point campaign in 2019-20 that really opened eyes around the league, suggesting that he could have more NHL upside than originally believed.
The 6’1″ winger is the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson, who was selected much earlier perhaps because he is six inches taller. The younger Thompson has all the same history of offensive success and has now thrown himself into the mix for an NHL opportunity in the short-term. Even if that chance doesn’t come this season, the Devils certainly aren’t so full with talented forwards that Thompson will be blocked next year. Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri, and Nikita Gusev are all unrestricted free agents this summer, leaving a sizable gap upfront that will have to be filled internally.
New Jersey Devils Sign Michael Vukojevic
The New Jersey Devils have signed one of their draft picks, inking Michael Vukojevic to a three-year entry-level contract that will start in the 2021-22 season. Vukojevic has been playing on an AHL contract with the Binghamton Devils this season as he waited for the OHL to return to play.
Selected 82nd overall in 2019, the 19-year-old defenseman has been quite impressive for Binghamton, recording five points in seven games so far this season. The 6’3″ Vukojevic could be considered a mid-round steal for the Devils, given that at times in the past he’s been considered a top prospect with a lot more upside than you can normally find in the third round. He took part in the 2019 CHL Top Prospects game that included names like Bowen Byram, Kirby Dach, and Dylan Cozens, has competed at both the U18 World Junior Championship and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for Canada, and was ranked 55th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Though there are obvious warts to his game, the Devils obviously believe that Vukojevic was worthy of an NHL deal. He would have become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June, but will now be able to return to Binghamton next season and refine his performance. When (or if) the OHL returns this season, he’ll need to be sent back to the Kitchener Rangers.
Nico Hischier Undergoes Surgery
The New Jersey Devils have finally given an update on the health of captain Nico Hischier, announcing that he underwent successful surgery to repair the frontal sinus fracture that he suffered on February 27. He has been on injured reserve since March 4 and is still expected to be out for the next three weeks. Hischier has cleared the concussion protocol from the event.
It’s been a tough season for the 22-year-old Hischier, despite being handed the captaincy in February. He started the year on the injured reserve list thanks to an offseason leg injury and has had two different stints on the COVID Protocol list. This latest injury, suffered when a P.K. Subban slapshot deflected up a stick and into his face, means he has played just five games this season. Three more weeks means he’ll return with only about 20 games in the Devils’ season and when they’re completely out of the playoff race.
It was supposed to be another strong development year for the young core in New Jersey, but thanks to injury Hischier hasn’t been part of it. While Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes, and Ty Smith lead the way, the captain has had to watch from the sidelines. When he returns, you can bet Hischier will be eager to contribute and show that his ceiling is much higher than the 50-point pace he’s shown so far in his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Notes: Eichel, Pietrangelo, Bruins, COVID
Jack Eichel is leaving Buffalo… to get a second opinion on his injury. The Sabres superstar has been dealing with a lingering upper-body injury this season, which was aggravated on Sunday according to The Athletic’s John Vogl. Eichel returned to Buffalo while his team took on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and now as they head home, Eichel is leaving to see a specialist. It is still unknown what exactly is bothering Eichel and there have been contrasting reports as to its severity. While head coach Ralph Krueger stated that Eichel may miss only a week, other sources claim that the injury could be much more severe. Seeking a second opinion is certainly not an indication that this is an ailment that only requires a week of rest. Fortunately (?), the Sabres’ season is already lost and they have no reason to bypass proper treatment and rehab for Eichel in order to rush him back to action. While the All-Star center surely would like to return and improve upon a dismal season by his standards, there should be no pressure from the team. Perhaps only Krueger, the optimistic voice on Eichel’s injury, stands to gain from his quick return, as the head coach’s seat is very hot.
- Alex Pietrangelo has also left his team, abandoning the Golden Knights’ road trip in order to return to Las Vegas, head coach Peter DeBoer tells NHL.com’s Danny Webster. Pietrangelo is out “for the foreseeable future” due to an upper-body injury. Pietrangelo left the Knights’ Saturday tilt with the San Jose Sharks after blocking a shot and did not suit up on Monday. While the team has not disclosed the specific injury that their big off-season addition suffered, it is believed to be related to his left hand or wrist. DeBoer stated that he does not think that Pietrangelo will be out “long, long-term” but did say that there is not timetable for his return.
- The Boston Bruins have suffered through consistent injuries all season long and there is still a lack of concrete information on their extended absences. GM Don Sweeney spoke to the media and attempted to provide some insight, but had few details to offer. Forward Ondrej Kase, acquired at the 2020 trade deadline, has been out since the Bruins’ second game of the season after suffering his third head injury in a calendar year. He has resumed skating and is “eager to play”, but there is still no timetable for his return as they work him back cautiously from another concussion. Kase was expected to provide secondary scoring for the Bruins this season, which has again been a struggle for the team, and they will likely have to make a call on adding a forward at the trade deadline before they get to see much of Kase back in action. Sweeney also addressed the status of another injury-prone player, Kevan Miller. Miller missed all of last season with a fractured kneecap and recently suffered a “setback from a volume standpoint”, likely overworking his surgically-repaired knee. An absence from Miller, even just due to rest, is not unexpected but Sweeney stated that he too has not timeframe for a return. Jeremy Lauzon, who suffered a broken hand late last month, was given more of a ascertainable timeline to return, but according to Sweeney he appears to be on track to return later in his four-to-six-week window. Lauzon has already missed over two weeks following surgery, but he reportedly will still not be re-evaluated for another four weeks. As for Brandon Carlo, whose recent head injury was well-publicized, Sweeney offered no update other than to say he is feeling better, but not skating.
- The NHL has done a tremendous job of working their COVID Protocol Related Absences list down to just a handful of names over the past week or so. The league finally appears to have a handle on the virus, just in time for many players to soon start receiving vaccines. However, Coronavirus continues to rear its ugly head in other corners of the hockey world. On Wednesday night, an AHL game between the Binghamton Devils and Lehigh Valley Phantoms was suspended after the first period due to COVID-19 protocols affecting the Devils, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports. At the college level, the ECAC announced that Clarkson University, ranked second in the conference and 14th nationally, will be forced to end their season due to COVID. Not only will Clarkson miss out on both the ECAC and NCAA Tournaments, but the ECAC is now left with just three teams playing two games to determine a conference champ, with their Ivy League members also not competing this season. Clarkson becomes the second program, after Merrimack College, forced to end their season prematurely due to COVID.
New Jersey Devils Sign Graeme Clarke
Saturday: Official now, the Devils have signed Clarke to his three-year ELC which is set to begin next season. The team notes in their release that Clarke is currently playing with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils and should remain there for the time being.
Friday: Though the team hasn’t officially announced it yet, Graeme Clarke has signed his entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils. PuckPedia was the first to report the deal, which is a three-year contract that carries a cap hit of $850K. The deal will kick in for the 2021-22 season.
Clarke, 19, was selected with the 80th overall pick in 2019 and like many other prospects has been just trying to get games in wherever he can. In December, he agreed to a loan overseas and played six games in the Slovakian professional league, recording a single point. In early February, while still waiting on the OHL to return, he inked an AHL deal with the Binghamton Devils where he has played in four games. Though he still doesn’t have a point, just getting some on-ice experience is a huge step for a player that saw his 2019-20 season shortened drastically.
In October of 2019, just a few months after being selected by the Devils, Clarke suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. He’d end up playing just 16 games with the Ottawa 67’s thanks to the rehab and early shutdown, meaning it was nearly a lost development year for the young winger. Now, even with a handful of games at the AHL level, his path is still stunted. When the OHL returns in some fashion, Clarke will be forced to return to junior.
The Devils meanwhile still obviously believe in his talent, enough to sign him to an entry-level deal. Had they not, his draft rights would have expired in June.
Devils’ Nico Hischier Placed On Injured Reserve
An unlucky season for newly-minted New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier continues. The Devils have announced that Hischier has been placed on the injured reserve as a result of injuries suffered when he was struck in the face with the puck in a February 27 match-up with the Washington Capitals. He is considered week-to-week.
This latest incident for Hischier occurred on Saturday when a high slap shot from teammate P.K. Subban hit Hischier square in the visor, knocking him out of the game. Hischier has not played since and the Devils have revealed that he has been in concussion protocol and will continue to undergo observation. Additionally, Hischier suffered a “sinus fracture”, a broken nose or facial bone.
This is Hischier’s third separate health issue so far this season. He got a late start to the season due to a leg injury, only to land on the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list with many of his teammates before he could even return to action. Hischier finally returned to the lineup on February 20 and, thanks to a condensed schedule, was able to play in five games before this latest injury occurred only a week later. Altogether, he has missed 13 games – or 72% – of New Jersey’s season so far and there is now out for another indefinite period of time.
The Devils will continue to have to rely on their many young players to step up in Hischier’s place as they have so far this season. One of the early highlights for New Jersey this season has been Janne Kuokkanen, who has six points in 13 games. While it may not seem like much, it is in fact tied for fifth-most among Devils forwards. Kuokkanen has been promoted back to the active roster from the taxi squad to take Hischier’s place in the lineup.