The New Jersey Devils made three trades hours before the end of the Trade Deadline. The worst of which was sending forward P.A. Parenteau to the Nashville Predators for a sixth-round pick.
The New Jersey Devils were busy before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, making three deals to try and build assets for the future.
The issue is, the one player that could have brought a decent return, didn’t.
P.A. Parenteau came to the Devils for nothing to start the season. The team picked him up off waivers from the New York Islanders right before the season. Whatever he brought to the table would be considered extra.
The issue now is he brought a lot to the table for the Devils offensively. Fans thought that if the team became a seller, they could get a package similar to what the team got when they traded Lee Stempniak to the Boston Bruins (a second and a fourth-round pick).
Parenteau is dealing with a possible broken finger. That reality hurt his value, but should it really be this bad?
Did general manager Ray Shero overplay his hand, and wait too long on his asset? Was there a better deal on the table when the Devils thought they were still contenders? There is no way to know now, but it is hard to believe this was the best the team could have done.
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What makes the trade worse is this is already a talent-poor draft. A sixth-round pick in most years has very little chance to make it to the NHL. This year, that escalates.
Parenteau has 13 goals and 14 assists while playing on one of the worst offenses in the league. Those numbers aren’t anything to go home about, but just about every team in the league would love to have that for the price Parenteau is paid.
At the end of the day, Parenteau is a rental player. He is on his sixth team in four years. He was expendable. The problem is he had more perceived value than a pick at the end of the draft.
This move won’t make or break this team. They are still playing for next season, and if the team really like Parenteau, Shero can sign him back in the offseason. This trade was not a win by any means, but I guess it’s better than nothing.