With the New Jersey Devils currently sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference and 24th in the league, it’s safe to say the Devils are out of the playoff race for the 2014-2015 season. Given that the team is out of the playoff picture and is starving for talented prospects in the system, one would assume the team will be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. Some potential names that could be on their way out of New Jersey in the next few weeks are Marek Zidlicky and Jaromir Jagr.
Broad Street Buzz
After the Devils recent surprising string of success, the team has come back down to earth (
like we all expected they would
) and lost their last two games in embarrassing fashion. With a tough string of road games coming up for New Jersey, this weekend could be the final nail in the coffin that leads GM Lou Lamoriello to
.
With rumors swirling about where and when Jagr could be traded along with new comments on this subject from both Jagr and Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, I felt it was time to revisit the potential suitors for Jaromir Jagr.
The Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the first team that comes to mind for me when thinking of a Jagr trade because he’s already played there and they are an Eastern Conference Stanley Cup contender. The fact that they are in the Eastern Conference is vital because per TSN’s Darren Dreger Jagr wants to, “help an Eastern Conference contender.”
"“He wants to help an Eastern Conference contender. He has stopped short of asking [Devils GM] Lou Lamoriello for a trade, because he, like everyone else, is very respectful of Lou Lamoriello. Lamoriello believes that the Devils are still in the postseason fight, so Jagr does not want to bail. But they intend on revisiting the situation, probably a week down the road, to see where the Devils are at that point.”"
The Penguins would also make sense because they have been ravaged by injuries this season and currently sit 2nd in the Metropolitan Division, but are 5th in the Eastern Conference. If they hope to make it deep into the playoffs and get past the strong Atlantic Division teams, they will probably look to add a rental player like Jagr at the deadline.
The New York Islanders
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The New York Islanders have had a good 2014-2015 season thus far as they sit just above the Pens in 1st place in the Metropolitan Division and 4th in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders would welcome Jagr to New York with open arms due to his prior playoff experience and offensive abilities which would help them while
remains out after being told he would miss six to eight weeks on January 26th with a detached retina. Jagr would be able to slip into the Isles top 6 and power-play unit, both of which are something Jagr wishes to be on should he be traded.
The Nashville Predators
While Nashville does not fully satisfy Jagr’s prior public requests for a trade destination, I do still see Nashville as a potential trade partner with New Jersey. Nashville is the best team in the league right now, but they are young and could use a seasoned playoff veteran like Jagr to lead a team poised to make a deep playoff run. While Nashville isn’t in the Eastern Conference, they are one of the closer Western Conference teams to the east coast and I don’t think it would be too far-fetched to think Jagr could be convinced to go to arguably the team with the best chance of getting him another Stanley Cup.
It’s only a matter of time before Jagr should be on his way out of New Jersey even if Lou seems to believe they still have a chance of making the playoffs. With the Sabres and Jets making a blockbuster trade today, I feel this could be the first of many dominoes to fall which will result in a very active trade deadline. As always keep checking Pucks & Pitchforks for all things Devils related.