New Jersey Devils 2015 First Round Pick: Who’s Worth Trading It For?

Dec 20, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing James van Riemsdyk (21) with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers at Air Canada Centre. The Flyers beat the Maple Leafs 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

James van Riemsdyk

by David Berger

The 25-year-old winger from Middletown, New Jersey would be my first choice as a return for the Devils’ 2015 first-round pick. It would likely take a bit more than just that pick to pry James van Riemsdyk out of Toronto, but he would be well worth it. Last season, JVR posted 30 goals and 31 assists and this season he’s on pace to hit those numbers again. With the uncertainty of what’s going on in Toronto, it would make sense for the Devils to attempt to acquire van Riemsdyk.

It’s no secret that the Devils need good, young forwards especially after the departure of both Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. What would be interesting about that is the fact that the Devils would be bringing JVR “home.” The Devils are pretty much a big joke when it comes to players wanting to leave them to go to their hometown/country team. First it was Parise, then Kovalchuk and then David Clarkson. It would be great to have someone actually reverse the roles for once – even if it was via trade.

Trading for James van Riemsdyk would be a great move because it would give the Devils a legitimate star on the rise to pair with Adam Henrique on the top line. New Jersey has very good depth forwards and a few top six forwards, but they’re short on true goal scorers. Mike Cammalleri is the only player currently on the team who puts the puck in the net on a consistent basis. Picking up JVR to go with Henrique, Cammalleri and hopefully another addition would make the Devils a scoring threat. They have defensive forwards, they have depth forwards, now they need top line forwards. JVR would be a great start.

Next: Another Winger From Toronto