New Jersey Devils Could Keep P.A. Parenteau Past Trade Deadline
By Nick Villano
With the Trade Deadline approaching, many are pinpointing who is expendable on each NHL team. Many New Jersey Devils fans have pointed out P.A. Parenteau as an obvious trade choice.
The New Jersey Devils are still in a very tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. That fact is making the team’s stance come next week’s trade deadline confusing, but one thing many people are sure of is what will happen with P.A. Parenteau.
The Devils acquired the right wing right before the season when the New York Islanders put him on waivers. The investment into Parenteau is nothing so anything the Devils could get is all profit.
Also, he is a 33-year-old player with limited upside, so obviously he may want to go to a team not in the middle of a rebuild.
Still, the Devils should think about re-signing him rather than trading him.
He’s played well beyond everyone’s expectations this season, after teams literally put him on the scrap heap. It isn’t like he needed a bounce back, he scored 20 goals last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His status as a journeyman might hurt this argument. He has been with six teams since 2010. He never spent more than two seasons with one team. After his first taste of professional hockey with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2007, it took him three to make it back.
Parenteau is currently playing in the top six with the Devils, and he’s put up 26 points. He’s lit the lamp 13 times, including four times with the man advantage. If the Devils brought him back on a cheap two-year deal, and brought in another top-of-the-line talent, he could be the third-line scoring option this team so desperately needs.
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Teams will come knocking for Parenteau. His cap hit is just $1.33 million this season. Teams in cap trouble could still find a way to afford him for their run towards the playoffs. He’s shown with his consistent success that he can easily adapt to a new system. It is clear the Devils will get calls for their right winger.
Obviously, it won’t be the end of the world if the Devils trade away Parenteau. If the front office can get a good return for him from a team looking to make a run, then that outcome will be serviceable. The team could even look into bringing him back in the offseason. The point is, trading Parenteau isn’t the only option for the team. He has been good enough, and seems to get along well enough with the rest of the team that keeping him on could be beneficial.