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Cory Schneider

East Notes: Green, Penguins, Schneider, Staal

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While Tampa Bay is believed to be the front-runner for Red Wings defenseman Mike Green, they aren’t the only team in the Atlantic interested in his services.  MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Maple Leafs have also shown an interest in bringing in the pending unrestricted free agent.  Toronto’s interest in adding some help on the back end is well-known but Green isn’t the typical defensive-minded blueliner that many have expected the Leafs to covet.  As a result of their recent trades, Toronto has quietly freed up enough cap space to absorb Green’s full $6MM contract without needing Detroit to retain which could give them a leg up on more cap-strapped squads.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • As Pittsburgh’s well-publicized center search continues, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports (Twitter link) that the Penguins have some interest in Avalanche pivot Carl Soderberg as a fallback option if they can’t land a more prominent target. Soderberg has had a bit of a bounce-back season with 24 points (11-13-24) in 56 games after recording just 14 in 80 contests last season.  However, he has two years remaining on his contract after this one with a $4.75MM cap hit, someone that Colorado would likely have to retain on to facilitate a move.
  • The Devils are getting closer to getting a key part of their team back in the lineup. Goaltender Cory Schneider participated in practice once again today and NHL.com’s Mike Morreale notes that he could return as soon as next week.  Keith Kinkaid has seen the lion’s share of the workload since Schneider was injured January 23rd and has struggled at times with the extra responsibility.  Once he gets the green light to return, veteran Eddie Lack will likely be returned to the minors.
  • Rangers blueliner Marc Staal will return to the lineup on Thursday for the first time since suffering a neck injury on February 3rd, the team announced (Twitter link). New York is currently carrying the minimum roster of 20 players so they will not need to make any moves to officially activate him off IR.

Minor Transactions: 2/4/18

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After a full slate of games Saturday, the NHL only has a three-game schedule on Super Bowl Sunday, the most interesting of which is the early game which matches up the Vegas Golden Knights with the Washington Capitals. With most teams having played last night, there may be quite a few roster moves made today to get ready for the new week.

  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned goaltender goaltender Ken Appleby to the Binghamton Devils and recalled goaltender Eddie Lack. Appleby was recalled back on Jan. 20 on emergency loan after backup goalie Keith Kinkaid went on injured reserve and starter Cory Schneider went down with a groin injury. Appleby played well in his three appearances as he had a 1.45 GAA and a .945 save percentage in that time. While Kinkaid has been activated, Schneider is still not skating yet. Lack, who has been injured recently, finally returned to Binghamton’s lineup and stopped 28 of 30 shots, and might be the preferred backup until Schneider returns to the team.
  • NHL.com’s Brian Hedger writes that the Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned defenseman Cameron Gaunce to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL after having been recalled Saturday. He did not play in last night’s game and still hasn’t made his NHL debut this season. The 27-year-old blueliner has two goals and 10 assists in 36 games for Cleveland. The assignment suggests that defenseman Ryan Murray might be ready to return for Columbus.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins swapped goaltenders today as the team has recalled Tristan Jarry from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette’s Jason Mackey. The team also assigned Casey DeSmith to their AHL team. Jarry has played 18 games for Pittsburgh this year, backing up Matt Murray. The 22-year-old has a 2.44 GAA and a .919 save percentage. DeSmith has also fared well in just seven appearances for the NHL club. He owns a 2.24 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
  • The New York Rangers announced that they have recalled forward Vinni Lettieri from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Lettieri was assigned to Hartford on Jan. 26. In 10 games for the Rangers, he has one goal and three assists. He has fared well in Hartford as he has 14 goals and 23 points in 35 AHL games. Lettieri should fill the roster spot for forward Jimmy Vesey, who isn’t expected to play Monday after taking a hit from Nashville’s Filip Forsberg.
  • The Boston Bruins announced they have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to the Providence Bruins Sunday. The 25-year-old forward was recalled on emergency loan Saturday. The diminutive forward did play in last night’s game, picking up an assist in 9:07 of playing time in the Bruins 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have assigned goaltender Adin Hill to the Tucson Roadrunners Sunday. He was recalled as an emergency replacement on Friday after starter Antti Raanta was in a car accident. Raanta wasn’t hurt, but was held out for precautionary reasons. Hill didn’t see any time. He has played in three games for Arizona, but has struggled with a 3.76 GAA. The 21-year-old has fared better with Tucson as he has 2.59 in 20 appearances.
  • NHL.com’s Alex Stepneski tweets the Dallas Stars have assigned goaltender Landon Bow to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Bow was recalled Saturday after starter Ben Bishop took a puck to the head. A concussion had been ruled out, but the team removed him for precautionary reasons. Bow’s assignment suggests Bishop will be ready for their next game.

Injury Updates: Devils, Senators, Red Wings

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The New Jersey Devils took some lumps during Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The team lost goaltender Keith Kinkaid 14 minutes into the game to a groin injury. Kinkaid, who was already filling in for the ill Cory Schneider, had already given up three goals in the first period and was likely in danger of being pulled. However, the team was saved by emergency backup Ken Appleby, who played 46 minutes of shutout hockey in his NHL debut. Kinkaid was placed on injured reserve today, along with forward Brian Gibbons, who broke his thumb after blocking a shot in the same game, according to TSN’s Amanda Stein.

Gibbons has been a success story in New Jersey this year. After two partial seasons with Pittsburgh in 2013-14 and Columbus the following year, Gibbons had trouble finding an NHL job and played the past two years in the AHL, including a 16-goal season for the Albany Devils last year with no promotion. However, he made the Devils squad this year and has already played in a career-high 45 games so far with solid numbers of 12 goals and 11 assists.

As for the goaltending situation, Appleby is currently the only healthy goaltender on New Jersey’s roster. However, The Record’s Andrew Gross reports that Schneider, who has missed two of the last three games with a stomach illness, practiced today, suggesting he might be close to a return. The Devils play Monday against the Detroit Red Wings. There is no update on how much time either Kinkaid or Gibbons will miss.

  • CapFriendly reported that the Ottawa Senators placed center Jean-Gabriel Pageau on injured reserve last night with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss a few games. The Senators will likely rely on youngster Filip Chlapik to replace him. Despite being considered a likely trade candidate at the upcoming trade deadline, the 25-year-old center has been struggling to produce offensively as he has just six goals and nine assists in 42 games this year. His strength is as a face-off specialist, where he has a 53.1 percent success rate (282 face-offs won out of 531).
  • The Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill’s gave an update today on some injured players. Blashill said the team will be without defenseman Trevor Daley on Monday and Tuesday and is the veteran blueliner is questionable for Thursday. He suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Forward Luke Glendening, who hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 20, is out for Monday’s game against New Jersey with a hand injury, but is a possibility for Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Blashill added that wing Justin Abdelkader, who has already missed three games with a lower-body injury, is a possibility to return for Thursday’s game, while center Darren Helm (lower-body injury) will not be back before the All-Star break.

 

2017-18 Primer: New Jersey Devils

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With the NHL season now just a few weeks away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the New Jersey Devils.

Last Season: 28-40-14 record (70 points), eighth in Metropolitan Division (missed playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $10.37MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: F Marcus Johansson (trade, Washington), F Brian Boyle (free agency, Toront0), F Drew Stafford (free agency, Boston), D Mirco Mueller (trade, San Jose), D Will Butcher (free agency, Colorado)

Key Departures: F Beau Bennett (free agency, St. Louis), F Mike Cammalleri (buyout), F P.A. Parenteau (PTO, Detroit), F Jacob Josefson (free agency, Buffalo), F Devante Smith-Pelly (buyout)

[Related: New Jersey Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Nico HischierPlayer To Watch: F Nico Hischier – There is no one else more exciting than the number one overall pick. The Devils won a lottery to move up in the draft, and it will pay off immediately as Hischier looks ready to impress right out of the gate. The 18-year old Swiss-born center scored in his first preseason game after stripping a Washington Capitals’ player, something Devils fans will hope to see more of this year.

Though some still see Nolan Patrick as the player most likely to make an immediate impact out of this year’s draft class, Hischier is ready for the big time. His ability to be forgotten in the neutral zone and cause turnovers is uncanny, and he has all the offensive finish to rack up points in his first season. It’s unclear who he’ll play with at this point, but with some of the talented wingers that New Jersey has it could be an impressive group.

Hischier is only 18 though, and despite his high draft stock isn’t as much of a lock as some former top picks. He’s still small enough to worry about him breaking down in a season—though much like Mitch Marner or Johnny Gaudreau he rarely gets hit—and is by no means a lock down defender yet. While there is clearly potential for him to grow into one, he’ll have to be sheltered somewhat this season.

Key Storyline: Even though the Devils haven’t been competitive since going to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011-12, doesn’t mean they’re exactly in a rebuild. The core of their team remains in the middle to latter part of their careers, and they need success quickly or else risk wasting the entire prime of Cory Schneider. Now 31, Schneider has yet to experience the postseason with the Devils despite putting up incredible numbers in his first three years.

Last year was a different story, as Schneider struggled mightily at times and ended the season with a .908 save percentage, easily the worst of his career. There were times that Keith Kinkaid looked like he might wrestle away at least part of the starting gig, but the Devils will need their starter to return to form this year.

There is a lot to like going forward for the Devils, with Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Micheal McLeod, John Quenneville and Damon Severson making up the next core of the team, but there is will also be a need to win now or start selling off assets. Adam Henrique and Taylor Hall are two and three years away from free agency respectively, and right in their prime. If it doesn’t work now, the team should start thinking about moving them to bring back as much value as possible, before potentially seeing them walk away on the open market.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $57,037,501 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Nico Hischier (Three years remaining, $925K)
D Will Butcher (Two years remaining, $925K)
D Michael Kapla (One year remaining, $925K)
F Pavel Zacha (Two years remaining, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Hischier: $2.85MM
Butcher: $2.85MM
Zacha: $850K
Total: $6.55MM

It turned into a solid summer for the Devils as they won the draft lottery and used that first-overall pick to select Hischier, a talented Swiss center, who put up 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. He is expected to break camp with the team and have an immediate impact. With recent injuries, Hischier could take over as the second-line center and start his career in a great position. The hope is he will help lead this team to the playoffs sooner rather than later.

Butcher has been a more recent signing sensation as the Devils also won the offseason bidding for the Hobey Baker Award winner after he became a free agent several weeks ago. Butcher picked the Devils with the hopes of getting immediate playing time, since no one is truly sure if he is an NHL impact player. The 22-year-old blueliner put up outstanding numbers as a junior and senior at the University of Denver, but chose not to sign with the team that drafted him, the Colorado Avalanche. With the Devils biggest weakness being their defense, the team is thrilled to bring him on board.

Zacha, the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, finished his first full season in New Jersey, playing in 70 games, while putting up eight goals and 16 assists for the year. While those numbers look disappointing, he didn’t play a lot of minutes last year (14:18) and didn’t play with much talent next to him, although he looked good playing alongside Taylor Hall at points during the season. He should take that next step this year. Kapla, like Butcher arrives to join the team’s defense from college. He played four years for the University of Massachusetts – Lowell and signed a two year deal immediately after ending his senior year. That first year consisted of five games. Already on year two of his deal, Kapla must prove he is an NHL defenseman this year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Ryane Clowe ($4.85MM, UFA)
D John Moore ($1.67MM, UFA)
D Dalton Prout ($1.575MM, UFA)
F Drew Stafford ($800K, UFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($660K, RFA)

The group is not filled with impact players, so the Devils have little to worry about in the short term. They will likely rejoice once’s Clowe’s contract comes off the books. The veteran signed a five-year deal back in 2013 and only played two years, before being forced to retire due to concussion issues. Moore is an offensive defenseman (22 points in 63 games last year), but is totally inept on the defensive end. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the team went in a different direction on defense next year.

Prout, who the team picked up at the trade deadline for veteran Kyle Quincey, only played 14 games for the Devils and it might take all season to determine whether or not he has value. Stafford, who just signed recently to a one-year deal, could easily be a bargaining chip at the trade deadline. After putting up 21 goals two seasons ago while with the Winnipeg Jets, his value dropped as he scored just eight goals between the Jets and the Boston Bruins last season. The Devils, however, are counting on a bounce-back season, which could eventually net them some more young talent. Noesen, who signed a one-year, two-way contract will try to make the roster this year after scoring six goals in 32 games for New Jersey last season.

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New Jersey Notes: Schneider, Zacha, Henrique

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Up until this past year, the New Jersey Devils’ goalie Cory Schneider has been one of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Then with the help of one of the worst defenses in the league, Schneider saw his performances drop badly last year. The 31-year-old veteran posted a 1.97 GAA in 45 games in his first year in New Jersey in 2013-14. He followed that up with a 2.26 in 69 games and then a 2.15 GAA in 58 games in 2015-16. His play during those years was often what kept the Devils competitive.

Last year’s 2.82 GAA does not seem to be indicative of the career the netminder has had up to now. Yet, NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that this will be a pivotal year for the goaltender who is under pressure to prove that last year was a fluke. His .908 save percentage was not only a career-worst, but also one of the worst in the league. There were even rumblings the Devils should trade the veteran goaltender, but even with their offensive additions of Marcus Johansson and first-overall pick Nico Hischier, the team is not likely to score enough goals.

A bounce-back season is needed to re-establish his identity, otherwise the $30MM the team still owes him over the next five years will likely haunt instead.

  • The Devils have high hopes that prospect Pavel Zacha is ready for a breakout season this year, writes Gretz in a separate piece. The 20-year-old wing who was the sixth-overall pick in 2015, is coming off his first full season in the NHL. While his eight goals and 16 assists were modest in his first year, the team believes Zacha could have a big year. After struggling in the first half of the season last year with just seven points in 37 games, he showed improvement in the second half, putting up 17 points in the final 33 games. And with the injury to Travis Zajac who is expected to miss the next four to six months, the team may look to Zacha to fill the void as the 20-year-old played both center and wing for the team last year.
  • While there was talk of possibly moving center Adam Henrique to the wing position to make room for some of the young centers like Hischier and Zacha, the injury to Zacha guarantees that Henrique will stay in the middle, writes Jesse Kinney of the Hockey Writers.

Should Vegas Corner Goalie Market?

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With the recent trade of Mike Smith to Calgary, the market for starting goaltenders is dwindling even further. An interesting dynamic for the Vegas Golden Knights as they choose their team will be whether they opt to select every quality goalie out there in order to flip them to other teams. There are quite a few available – Marc-Andre Fleury of Pittsburgh, Eddie Lack (and Cam Ward) of Carolina, Calvin Pickard of Colorado, Antti Raanta of New York, Petr Mrazek of Detroit, Roberto Luongo of Florida, Jaroslav Halak of the Islanders, Michal Neuvirth of Philadelphia, Peter Budaj of Tampa Bay, and Philipp Grubauer of Washington, with a few interesting prospects also exposed.  As we’ve seen in the past few seasons, dealing a goaltender for anything remotely resembling fair value can be an enormous challenge. The salary cap has really warped the value of a solid starting goaltender in a way that has not been totally beneficial to the players.

One down season and a tender’s value goes down quite heavily. The top ten goalies in the league always seem to find a home on the rare occasion they hit unrestricted free agency, but that has been a rare occurrence. Many might point to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final when they isolate a particular moment that the highly-paid goaltender became an oddity. In that Final, Michael Leighton, third-string for Philadelphia, faced off against the very pedestrian Antti Niemi, who was then  sacrificed for cap reasons. With the whole league watching, these teams ascended to hockey’s main stage with relative no names in the crease. While that moment may have been particularly damaging, the moment for me was the fiasco that was the Luongo and Cory Schneider trade saga in Vancouver, which lasted parts of 2 seasons. Then Canucks GM Mike Gillis had a terrible time finding a suitor for Luongo before finally being forced to ship Schneider off in the 2013 offseason for a 9th round pick. This too, was terrible value, considering that Schneider was one of the best young goalies in the league and coming off a scorching season where he had a .937 save percentage. This ordeal took place less than two years after Luongo had taken the team to its first Final since 1994. Granted, Luongo’s contract was considered a bit of an albatross, but it very publicly cemented the value of goaltenders on the trade market as minimal.

Looking forward to the present day, and the last two goaltenders have been traded for rather uninspiring returns. Arizona’s Smith only fetched a 3rd rounder, and Ben Bishop only netted a 4th from Dallas. GM George McPhee could end up hosting a goaltender buffet, with few paying customers. He would be wise to gauge the interest of other teams before deciding on their selections in net. They obviously want to draft a solid starter and a few young goaltenders as future cornerstones. They need to draft 3, and it’s difficult to envision them drafting less than 4 with the enticing names available out there. But if they decide to go into 5 or 6 goaltender territory, McPhee could manufacture a logjam that could be difficult to sort out. After all, only the WInnipeg Jets are truly desperate for a starting goaltender, and that’s assuming they don’t want one of Brian Elliott, Mike Condon, or another UFA to be their partner for Connor Hellebuyck. Philadelphia could be interested in a younger asset, and there are always teams who will desperately seek a starter mid-season when a keeper inevitably goes down to injury. That said, the market simply doesn’t favor the strategy of going all-in in net.

Injury Notes: Stamkos, Borowiecki, Kinkaid

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Steven Stamkos was again skating with teammates this morning, as he inches his way back to the lineup. While there is a good chance the Tampa Bay Lightning captain will return to the ice this season he might not be as effective right away. That’s what Zach Parise told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times a few weeks ago, speaking from experience. Parise had the same surgery on his knee in November of 2010, and though he returned later that year as well, didn’t feel right until the following Christmas.

I’d say it took probably a year and a half to get back to feeling back to normal. That’s what my therapist said, six months to heal, a year you feel better. But to get back to that level for me, I feel like it was almost the following Christmas.

So Stamkos, who may get a chance to help his team in a playoff race—the Lightning are just four points out with 17 games left to play—likely won’t be the elite offensive presence he’s proven to be over the past eight years. Fear not Lightning fans, though Parise says he didn’t feel right until Christmas, he still scored 30 goals and 69 points the year following surgery. It wasn’t all bad.

Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils

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With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

The New Jersey Devils are not a playoff team this season. Did anyone expect them to be? Probably not. Las Vegas odds-maker Bovada predicted they would finish 13th in the Eastern Conference with 83 points and they’re currently 12th and on pace for 85 points, so at least there’s been some improvement over the projections. However, New Jersey trails the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Florida Panthers for the final wild card slot in the Eastern Conference, with little chance of catching any of them. And that’s okay.

The Devils have great young forwards in Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, and Adam Henrique locked-up long term at a reasonable rate. They also have invaluable veterans Travis Zajac, Mike Cammalleri, and Andy Greene in the fold for a while longer, along with star goalie Cory Schneider. Youngsters Damon Severson, Pavel Zacha, and Miles Wood have all had solid seasons too and more help is on the way soon in high-end forward prospects John Quenneville, Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian and goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood. The future is bright in New Jersey, and it will only grow brighter with the Devils’ whopping 14 picks in the first four rounds of the next two drafts and $22MM in salary cap space going into next season.

As far as this year goes, New Jersey can be content with getting what they can from their pending unrestricted free agents (as they already did with Vernon Fiddler) and dealing struggling depth players as they continue to stockpile picks and prospects and have another lottery pick in their sights.

Record

23-21-10, 7th in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

Current Cap Space: $27,529,323
Deadline Cap Space: $41,293,985
46/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, BOS 2nd, COL 3rd, SJ 3rd, NJ 4th, NSH 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th
2018: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, FLA 2nd, NJ 3rd, TOR 3rd, NJ 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th

Trade Chips

In what may end up being the shrewdest move by any NHL GM this season, Ray Shero picked up P.A. Parenteau off of waivers from the rival Islanders prior to puck drop on the 2016-17 season. The Isles signed Parenteau to an affordable one-year deal this summer, only to cut him in camp. Not only has he been one the Devils’ best offensive players this season, with 12 goals and 12 assists in 52 games, but he came free and will almost surely be dealt away for a nice return. That’s called turning a profit for Shero. Last year, the Islanders netted 2nd-round and 4th-round picks from the Boston Bruins for Lee Stempniak, who had 41 points at the deadline. Expect Parenteau, who should have 30+ points by March 1st, to go for a similar price in what is very much a seller’s trade market. A similar situation could be had for Kyle Quincey, who was a last-minute free agent addition to the team on a cheap one-year contract, but is quietly  having his best season since leaving the Colorado Avalanche in 2012. Quincey won’t bring back the same return as Parenteau, but holds value to teams in need of veteran depth on the blue line. The $1.25MM cap hits (worth less than $400K at the deadline) will only help in moving both players.

Jacob Josefson, Sergey Kalinin, and Seth Helgeson all appear to have hit a wall in their development. If the Devils can find takers for any and all of them, don’t be surprised if they jump at the opportunity to move on from disappointing investments.

Players To Watch

RW P.A. Parenteau, D Kyle Quincey, G Keith Kinkaid, C Jacob Josefson, C Sergey Kalinin

Team Needs

1) Top-Pair Defenseman – As good as New Jersey’s forward core and forward prospect depth is shaping up to be and as solid as they are in net, this team will never be a contender without major changes on the blue line. The 22-year-old Severson has been a pleasant surprise this season and the always-reliable captain Greene is a mainstay, but beyond that the Devils are hopeless on defense. Severson has been great, but doesn’t project to be a star without help. Greene has slowed down and become injury-prone. Ben Lovejoy, John Moore, and Jonathon Merrill are serviceable players, but not top-four defensemen on many teams. Steven Santini is still developing and Helgeson appears to have stopped developing. The entire prospect system is void of any really promising defensive prospects. If a young, high-ceiling defenseman or an established All-Star caliber player hits the trade market this month and the Devils have the pieces to get such a player, don’t expect Shero to hesitate in pulling the trigger. One potential candidate: a sign-and-trade scenario with the St. Louis Blues to get Kevin Shattenkirk. 

2) More Defensemen – For all of the reasons above, if the Devils are offered defensive prospects for players like Parenteau, Quincey, Kincaid, or others, they should jump on them. The blue line needs reloading and it starts at the development stage. New Jersey may have a top-ten pick on the horizon that they can use on a defenseman, but it never hurts to add some depth where there is an obvious lack of talent.

3) Bottom-Six Forward – In a preview of this week’s “Expansion Issues“, the Devils are currently short on qualifying forwards to expose in the upcoming Expansion Draft. Without adding another player to the mix, they risk having to expose a veteran like Zajac or Cammalleri. Josefson or Beau Bennett would qualify for exposure if given an extension, but the Devils may want to trade (or protect) one or both. Adding a throwaway bottom-six forward who they can expose to the Vegas Knights and then likely send to the AHL next year is a likely move.

 

Pacific Division Snapshots: Marleau, Miller, Oilers D

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Prior to the start of the season, it seemed to be virtually a foregone conclusion that it would be Patrick Marleau’s last in San Jose. After all, the veteran of 19 NHL campaigns will turn 38 before opening night in 2017-18 and will reportedly be seeking a multiyear pact this summer as a free agent. However, a recent hot streak that has seen Marleau record seven goals in his last five games may have moved the needle some on the likelihood he remains in Northern California. According to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area, his return may ultimately hinge entirely on his willingness to accept a one-year deal worth something in the neighborhood of $3MM to $4MM.

Kurz compares the current situation with Marleau to that of Dan Boyle, who hit free agency at the age of 37 in the summer of 2014 and left the Sharks because the two sides couldn’t agree on the length of a new deal. Boyle would ink a two-year deal with the New York Rangers and as Kurz writes, the longtime Sharks blue liner was “devastated” to leave the Bay Area. Marleau has tallied 19 goals in 52 games this season and could attract multiyear offers on the open market this summer based on that strong production, in which case it’s probable he won’t be donning a Sharks jersey in 2017-18.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Like Marleau, it seemed likely that Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller would have a new home by the time the 2017-18 season started. The Canucks were expected by many to be a lottery team in 2016-17 and with Miller in the final year of his deal he would have represented an interesting rental asset the team could have cashed in to advance their rebuild. However, with Vancouver surprisingly still in the playoff hunt and with Miller turning in a solid performance between the pipes, the chances of the 36-year-old sticking around for another year or two have increased, as Ben Kuzma writes in a piece for the Vancouver Sun. Kuzma notes that good teams need quality play in net, pointing out the difference between former Canucks bench boss Alain Vigneault and the recently fired Ken Hitchcock of St. Louis. Vigneault, who has been fortunate to have Henrik Lundqvist, Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo man the pipes during his coaching career, just inked a two-year extension and received a raise to $4MM annually. The Blues have received lackluster play in goal this season and that fact played a role in Hitch’s termination. If Miller is willing to take a short-term deal to stay with Vancouver, he could provide a solid bridge to top prospect Thatcher Demko.
  • While the Oilers have received better play from their blue line in 2016-17, the team’s top-four has struggled of late, leading David Staples of the Edmonton Journal to suggest shuffling not just the defense corps but also the club’s forward lines. Staples tracks contributions that lead to scoring chances for and mistakes which lead to scoring chances against, and of late too many of the team’s key players are responsible for more of the latter than the former. The scribe feels the team could elevate Matt Benning and/or Brandon Davidson into the top-four, spreading the defensive responsibilities around some. Up front Staples thinks it’s time to split up Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, perhaps putting the struggling Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on McDavid’s wing. Ultimately, if the team continues to struggle, it’s possible Edmonton will circle back to the trade market to seek additional depth.

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