The New Jersey Devils will be sellers in this week’s NHL Trade Deadline. There isn’t much the team could look to move, but some players could bring a decent return with such a small market of teams selling.
The New Jersey Devils’ loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday makes a playoff run near impossible. With the Boston Bruins winning on Sunday, that puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in the final Wild Card spot, eight points ahead of the Devils.
It’s time to look towards next season. Luckily, the result came with a few days remaining before the Trade Deadline.
The Devils have few assets that could help teams down the stretch that they would actually be willing to part with.
So, what would the Devils’ trade assets actually get them on the open market?
P.A. Parenteau
P.A. Parenteau is the Devils best and most obvious trade chip. He’s one of the team’s only scoring option outside their top line. He has 13 goals and 14 assists on a team that seems allergic to goals.
He has a cheap contract, making just $1.25 million dollars this season.
Teams will definitely call General Manager Ray Shero to see what Parenteau will cost. It will likely be somewhere close to what Lee Stempniak brought back in 2015. Shero could get a second-round pick and an additional pick either this year or next. Not a bad return for a guy who they picked off waivers preseason.
The teams going for Parenteau will likely be the ones locked into a playoff spot who need a scorer on the third line. The San Jose Sharks are a perfect fit. They only have four players with double-digit goals, one of which is a defenseman (Brett Burns). The big issue is they don’t have a second-round pick this year, so they would have to sweeten the pot, on top of giving up picks in 2018.
The Montreal Canadiens are another team who could be trade partners. Parenteau would immediately become their second-leading goal scorer, and the Canadiens have two second-round picks this year.
Kyle Quincey
Another player the Devils picked up for free right before the season. Kyle Quincey will be coveted because of the lack of depth at the defensive position.
It is hard to even decipher which teams could call Shero on Quincey. He is cheap. He is a rental, so the Devils will look to move him. He won’t cost too much because of his injuries this season.
The price for Quincey will likely be a draft pick in the mid-round range. A third-round pick should easily get him to a contender. A prospect that is about two years away, but with good upside could also do the trick.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are an obvious choice to go after Quincey. They lost depth after injuries to Kris Letang, Olli Maata, Justin Schultz and Trevor Daley. While most, if not all, will likely return in time for the playoffs, injuries are a funny thing in hockey. With the two teams in different playoff positions, and the unlikely nature that he re-signs, the Devils wouldn’t mind trading within the division.
Michael Cammalleri
This trade is more complicated, if possible.
Michael Cammalleri is still signed for two more years at $5 million per season. That makes many teams at the top of the standings out of the running.
Cammalleri is going through one of the worst stretches of his career. It has been so bad that he was benched for a home-and-home series with the New York Islanders last week. He also has an injury history as long as a shopping list. He only has 10 goals this season, but his talent is unquestionable.
He is definitely tradable, but his return is hard to peg. The Devils would have to retain some salary in any deal. How much money they retain will likely point to what they get in return.
Cammy would probably have to bring prospects in return rather than draft picks. It doesn’t have to be a player who is highly touted, but at least someone who could help the team by the end of next season.
The St. Louis Blues could use someone to push them over the top. They are currently holding on to a playoff spot, despite being just outside the top ten in goals per game.
The Ottawa Senators could also use a scoring punch. A return to Canada could help Cammalleri find his scoring touch.
Beau Bennett
Beau Bennett is another player with an injury history that the Devils could trade.
His is only paid through this season, but can only become a restricted free agent after the season.
He is only 25 years old, so most teams would covet a player of his type. The Devils may not even shop him, however. Shero brought him to the Devils after liking what he saw when he was with the Penguins.
The Devils traded a third-round pick for Bennett, even after he missed the Stanley Cup Finals. The team would need something better than they gave up to give up on him.
My prediction is he won’t get traded because his injury will dilute his value.
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Seth Helgeson
The Devils showed they are willing to part with Seth Helgeson when they put him on waivers last week.
He could become a depth defenseman in the market. He won’t get much more than a sixth or seventh round pick at this point. He’s already 26 years old and only has 50 NHL games under his belt.
The Devils may have to trade to a team within the division to make it work. Both the Washington Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets could use depth on their blue line. If they strike out elsewhere, the Devils may get a call, and an extra pick in this year’s draft.
Keith Kinkaid
The Devils will look for a suitor for Keith Kinkaid. The team probably doesn’t have aspirations to re-sign him at the end of the season, and there are two players in the AHL (Scott Wedgewood, Mackenzie Blackwood) who could be the backup for the next few years.
Kinkaid had much more trade value last month, but a few bad games in a row severely hurt that. Kinkaid will probably bring a mid to late round pick from a team looking for a backup.
The Boston Bruins may look to move on from Anton Khudobin. The Sharks could also look for someone a little more reliable to back up Martin Jones.
There could be other moves, but they aren’t as likely. The Devils should have very few players that are actually traded this week, but there are deals to be made. Here’s to an exciting week.