Trade Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils
With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the New Jersey Devils.
It’s been quite a disappointing season for the New Jersey Devils who looked to be a contender before the season started. The team was planning to do everything it could to prove to soon-to-be free-agent Taylor Hall that they would be contenders. They struck the jackpot at the draft, netting top pick Jack Hughes and then traded for defenseman P.K. Subban and KHL star Nikita Gusev, while signing Wayne Simmonds as a free-agent. However, it all backfired as all of their offseason acquisitions have struggled and Hall, in the meantime, has been traded to Arizona, while general manager Ray Shero has been fired as well. With the team looking to undergo a rebuild, the team are extremely likely to move on from a number of players at the trade deadline.
Record
21-26-10, eighth in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$28.697MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2020: NJ 1st, ARZ 1st*, NJ 4th, BOS 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th
2021: NJ 1st, NJ 3rd, ARZ 3rd**, NJ 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th
* If Arizona’s pick falls in the top three, then the Devils will get Arizona’s 2021 first-round pick.
** The 2021 third-round pick is conditional and can upgrade into a second-round pick if Arizona wins a playoff round this year or if Taylor Hall re-signs with the Coyotes.
Trade Chips
The team isn’t overloaded with pending UFAs, but one name that is likely to garner significant attention is defenseman Sami Vatanen. The blueliner is in the final year of his contract and with the rate that defensemen are getting injured, Vatanen’s price could be rising. The 28-year-old may not post big offensive numbers, but he is a solid second-pairing defenseman, who is averaging 21:45 of ice time with the Devils and should be able to offer a significant upgrade to many playoff teams. Vatanen has five goals and 23 points, which is pretty good for the blueliner, but also adds some physicality with 80 hits already this year to go with 50 blocked shots. Unfortunately for the Devils, bad timing hits as well, as Vatanen was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury on Thursday. However, he is eligible to come off whenever he is ready, so the team hopes he may be back on the ice on Sunday or soon thereafter, which shouldn’t limit his trade value.
The team also is likely to consider moving Simmonds, who signed just a one-year deal with the Devils, and could provide a team with some bottom-six depth. While his skills have declined significantly over the last few years, the 31-year-old still can give a playoff team some much-needed physicality, although his $5MM price tag could be a challenge for many playoff teams to take on, although New Jersey does have the cap space to retain half of Simmonds salary, making a $2.5MM contract more palatable. His leadership skills in the locker room shouldn’t be dismissed either. Simmonds has just seven goals and 23 points this season, but does have 120 hits this season.
Andy Greene‘s $5MM expiring contract is another option for playoff teams looking for a veteran blueliner who could make a difference in the playoffs. Once again, the Devils could retain half his salary if needed, but even at $2.5MM, several teams may balk at that. However, despite already being 37 years old, Greene could give a team a top penalty killing blueliner and play between 20-22 minutes a game, making him a valuable commodity.
Five Players To Watch For: F Blake Coleman, D Andy Greene, F Kyle Palmieri, F Wayne Simmonds, D Sami Vatanen
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks: While the Hall trade brought back a first and a conditional third-round pick (which could become a second in 2021), the Devils moved several picks, including two second-rounders for Subban and a second and a third-rounder for Gusev, leaving the team that is looking to rebuild with a shortage of draft picks. That likely will be their top focus.
2) Young Players: The team is building around their two star centers in Nico Hischier and Hughes, so they need to find as many young players and prospects who can step in as soon as possible to hasten the team’s rebuild. Especially if the Devils trade off a number of their players, New Jersey will have to replace them as quickly as possible.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eastern Notes: Skinner, Gallagher, Drouin, Palmieri, Boqvist
The Buffalo Sabres got some good news as forward Jeff Skinner practiced with the team Sunday and is now considered day-to-day, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. Skinner suffered an upper-body injury in late December and was deemed to be out three to four weeks.
Skinner, however, had already been skating on his own before the all-star break and many had hoped he might be ready for Tuesday’s game against Ottawa. Head coach Ralph Krueger said that he hopes that Skinner will be available on Tuesday. Skinner has been a bit of a disappointment so far this year after signing an eight-year, $72MM contract in the offseason with just 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games, a far cry from his 40-goal season last year. If Skinner is ready to play Tuesday, Buffalo will have to activate him off of injured reserve.
- Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said that while none of his injured trio are expected to play on Monday against the Washington Capitals, two of his players are close to returning, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Forward Brendan Gallagher, who has missed nine of the team’s past 10 games with a head injury, still needs to be cleared by doctors, but Julien said he feels good and should be back in a few days. Jonathan Drouin is also supposed to be ready to return within the week, but Julien said he had no idea when that would be. Drouin has missed 31 straight games after having surgery on his wrist. Paul Byron is out “longer term.”
- The New Jersey Devils are expecting to get back a key player as well as forward Kyle Palmieri returned to practice Sunday and is expected to play Monday against Ottawa, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Palmieri missed four games before the break and missed the All-Star Game as well, with a foot injury. The 28-year-old has 16 goals and 31 points in 44 games for the Devils.
- Stein also adds that New Jersey Devils rookie forward Jesper Boqvist, who was assigned to the Binghamton Devils in the AHL before the break so he could continue playing while the team was off, will remain there for the time being to get some extra playing time. The 21-year-old has just four goals and no assists in 34 NHL games and has one goal in three games with Binghamton.
Injury Notes: Johns, Strome, Palmieri
The Dallas Stars have recalled Stephen Johns from his assignment in the minor leagues, but the veteran defenseman remains on long-term injured reserve for the time being. Johns is trying to work his way back from post-traumatic headaches that have kept him out for more than a year.
Johns did make his return to game action for the Texas Stars, playing in two games for the AHL club. Even though he’s never been a very dangerous offensive player, he recorded four points in those two games and was a +5. His return would be a real boost for a Dallas team looking like potential Stanley Cup contenders at this point in the season.
- Dylan Strome has been placed on injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll miss any more time than expected. The designation is retroactive to January 7th, meaning he can be activated at any time. The team has brought up Brandon Hagel in the meantime. The 21-year old Hagel has 13 goals in 38 games this season for the Rockford IceHogs.
- Michael McLeod is up for the New Jersey Devils, who placed Kyle Palmieri on injured reserve. Palmieri was supposed to be the Devils’ All-Star representative but has already been ruled out thanks to a left foot injury. McLeod, the 12th overall pick from 2016, has 18 points in 32 games for the Binghamton Devils this season.
Snapshots: Crosby, Hischier, Sandin
The Pittsburgh Penguins were 10-6-1 after winning the last game Sidney Crosby played this season, back in the early part of November. When the captain went down to core muscle surgery he had been putting off since training camp, many wondered how the team—with several other key players already on the sideline—would stay in the playoff race.
Not only did the Penguins stay in the race, but they ended up going 18-6-4 without Crosby and now are about to get their captain back while sitting firmly in a playoff position. Crosby will make his return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild and try to continue his point-per-game pace. If he does, it would be the 15th consecutive season that Crosby reaches that milestone.
- Nico Hischier may not get the kind of press that other first-overall draft picks do, but he is still having a strong start to his career. After scoring 52 and 47 points in each of his first two seasons, Hischier is on pace for a new career-high this year. That play has been rewarded, as the 21-year old center will replace Kyle Palmieri at the upcoming All-Star game as the representative from the New Jersey Devils. Palmieri will miss the game with a foot injury.
- With Rasmus Sandin taking over for Morgan Rielly in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup tonight, the young defenseman will get another game closer to burning the first year of his entry-level deal. Sandin will play in his seventh NHL contest tonight; when he plays in ten his deal will kick in and have him on track to become a restricted free agent in 2022.
Eastern Notes: Trouba, Panik, Palmieri, Hughes, Johnsson
The Department of Player Safety announced that New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn Saturday. The incident happened during the third period when Dunn circled around the Rangers’ net with Trouba following who proceeded to slash at Dunn. That started a shoving match, which eventually led to a fight.
Trouba received a five-minute penalty for slashing and a 10-game misconduct, while Dunn received a two-minute penalty for roughing. Trouba has been in trouble before as he received a two-game suspension back in 2017 after a hit to the head of Mark Stone.
- No lost time on the ice for Washington Capitals forward Richard Panik. The forward was back at practice Sunday with a full face shield after being cut in the lower lip by the stick of New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. In fact, Panik said that his lower lip was separated from his gums and required 20 stitches. Fortunately, his teeth are fine.
- The New Jersey Devils have lost one forward and gained another. NHL.com’s Amanda Stein reports that forward Kyle Palmieri is out Sunday for their game against Tampa Bay. The forward suffered a lower-body injury during Saturday’s game against Washington. He did block a shot off his foot and was reportedly hurting on the bench, but didn’t leave the game. No indication on how serious the injury is, however. The 28-year-old has 16 goals this season. However, the team announced it is expecting to get center Jack Hughes back in the lineup. The 18-year-old has missed five games with an upper-body injury.
- Toronto Maple Leafs head coach said that the team will be activating forward Andreas Johnsson off of injured reserve and he is expected to take warm-ups before today’s game against Florida and will be a game-time decision, according to TSN’s Mark Masters. The has been out since Dec. 4 with a leg injury and should be able to provide the Maple Leafs with some offensive depth as he has six goals and 16 points through 30 games. The Maple Leafs added that the team has placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on IR to make room for Johnsson. Muzzin has been out with a broken foot since Dec. 27.
Trade Rumors: Calgary, Baertschi, Sandin
The Calgary Flames recently opened up significant salary cap space by trading away veteran forward Michael Frolik and his $4.3MM cap hit. The move occurred on Thursday and by Saturday the word was out that Calgary GM Brad Treliving was already on the hunt to fill that space. The Flames would like help up front and now have nearly $5MM to make and addition or perhaps even two. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Treliving and company are not interested in the rental market. The team’s preference is to add a player with term as opposed to using up their newfound cap space on a short-term commitment, especially as they continue to sit outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Friedman feels that, if the Flames are comfortable with Elias Lindholm remaining at center, their trade focus will be on adding a right wing. While it is often hard to predict which term players may be available, some top-six right wing options that Calgary can afford and may be available could include New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri, Montreal’s Joel Armia, Anaheim’s Ondrej Kase, or the Rangers’ Pavel Buchnevich. Of course, the team could also look into negotiating an extension with an available rental prior to making a deal, which would open up options like L.A.’s Tyler Toffoli or Florida’s Mike Hoffman or Evgenii Dadonov.
- While one might assume that the Montreal Canadiens, currently in 13th in the Eastern Conference, would be sellers this season, the team proved otherwise this week by acquiring defenseman Marco Scandella and signing forward Ilya Kovalchuk. Friedman reports that the team was also considering Vancouver Canucks forward Sven Baertschi before pulling the trigger on Kovalchuk, although continued interest cannot be completely ruled out. It’s easy to forget about Baertschi’s availability, as the Canucks have kept him buried in the AHL for all but six games this season and have performed fine without him, currently riding the league’s longest winning streak in fact. Baertschi, who recorded 106 points in 216 games with the Canucks over the past four seasons, has been slowed by injuries in his career but productive when healthy. He has shown as much this year, scoring at an elite pace in the AHL. The risk-reward winger cleared waivers earlier this season, but as he continues to stay healthy and score in the minors, the Canadiens will not be the only team with interest. If Vancouver is willing to retain part of Baerstschi’s $3.367 cap hit through next season, that will only increase the likelihood that another team opts to take a chance on him.
- While there has been some speculation that the red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs could turn to the trade market to add depth on the blue line, especially in light of recent injuries, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston believes that the team may opt to fill the void internally instead. With Rasmus Sandin excelling overseas at the World Junior Championship, Johnston believes that Toronto’s opinion on playing the young defenseman this season has changed. Johnston does not believe that keeping Sandin under ten games of NHL action, so as to allow his entry-level contract to slide one more year, is a priority anymore for the team. He believes that when Sandin returns to Toronto, he will become a viable option for the remainder of the season. Sanin has already played in four games this season, so it would not take much time for him to burn the first year of his contract, but it may be worth it if the Leafs can solidify their back end.
NHL All-Star Selections Announced
Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:
Atlantic Division
G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)
Metropolitan Division
G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Central Division
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:
Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner
Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie
Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine
Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty
Depleted Devils Missing Several Players
The New Jersey Devils have lost four straight games and are firmly positioned at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. That lack of success has only been furthered by injury lately, as the team is missing a huge chunk of their regular skaters. Team reporter Amanda Stein details all those who are missing practice today as the team prepares for their trip to Washington. Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, Kevin Rooney, Nathan Bastian, Sami Vatanen, Pavel Zacha, Will Butcher and Mirco Mueller are all absent. John Quenneville and Kyle Palmieri who have missed games recently due to injury both took part.
The Devils will take on the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers in a back-to-back situation over the next two days, and very well could find themselves slipping even further down the standings over the next month. With so many injuries and other key players shipped out at the deadline, it appears as though New Jersey might have another good shot at the draft lottery this season. They are currently ahead of just Ottawa, Detroit and Los Angeles in the “Lose for Hughes” race.
Hall’s absence is the most notable obviously, as the reigning Hart Trophy winner continues his rehab from minor knee surgery. With just a single season left on his current contract, many have wondered about Hall’s future in New Jersey. GM Ray Shero unequivocally told Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) that he did not consider trading his offensive star at the deadline, and that he will approach Hall this summer to try and work out a contract extension.
Miles Wood Out Four Weeks With Broken Ankle
The New Jersey Devils issued an update on several injured players today, highlighted by the news that Miles Wood will be out for four weeks with a fractured ankle. The injury will not require surgery. Kyle Palmieri is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, Jesper Bratt is day-to-day and Pavel Zacha has resumed skating but is still avoiding contact. Taylor Hall, who hasn’t played since before Christmas, was still not skating today.
It’s not entirely bad news, as the Devils are expected to get Sami Vatanen back in the lineup after missing the last 14 games with a concussion. The team has also recalled both Nick Lappin and Blake Pietila from the minor leagues, though Egor Yakovlev is expected to skate as a forward in tonight’s game.
NHL Announces All-Star Skills Competitors
The NHL All-Star Skills Competition is scheduled for this evening, and though Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have both pulled out due to illness and injury there are still an incredible amount of talented players taking part. Most notable however may be the final entrant in the fastest skater competition: Kendall Coyne. A member of the US Women’s National Team, Coyne will take MacKinnon’s place after the Colorado Avalanche forward suffered a foot injury this week. The Olympic gold medalist is known for her speed and posted a 14.226 yesterday during event testing according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Though that wouldn’t have been enough to dethrone Connor McDavid last year, it would have put her ahead of Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin and Josh Bailey in the competition. We’ll see what Coyne can do tonight, along with the rest of the competitors: