Vegas Golden Knights center Vadim Shipachyov is looking to get traded away from the surprise NHL expansion team. Should New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero make a call to try and acquire him?
The NHL has had an interesting start to the season. There are so many storylines happening all at once, some that would be obvious in other years are getting buried this year. One of those storylines is the absolute failure that has been Vadim Shipachyov in Las Vegas after he came over from the KHL.
As @FriedgeHNIC reported, VGK gave Shipachyov's agent permission to talk to teams about trade. Shipachyov has been assigned to CHI in AHL.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 26, 2017
The Vegas Golden Knights gave Shipachyov’s agent permission to seek a trade after he was sent down to the AHL for the second time this season. Should the New Jersey Devils make a call to see if they can make a trade happen?
Shipachyov’s value is in the toilet right now. There’s no way the Knights will be able to command more than a low-round draft pick in return for the Russian’s services. So the question remains, is he worth it?
Shipachyov is a dynamic center who proved he can score goals while playing alongside Ilya Kovalchuk for SKA St. Petersburg. He had 76 points in 50 games last season. He is a pure points producer, even if he hasn’t shown it this year.
The problem is, he may not be worth the risk. Obviously, a team isn’t giving much to get him, but the risk you take on the contract and the player may be too much. For one, he’s going to make a lot of money next year if he’s a bust. He’s carrying a $4.5 million cap hit on his two-year deal. That’s not just throwaway money.
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Also, how will he fit in the Devils locker room? Right now, the Devils are a fun team without distractions. The young kids are carrying the team while the veterans are keeping the mistakes to a minimum. While Shipachyov would bring a dynamic skill set to New Jersey, it may not be worth it if he could hurt the mindset of some of the kids.
Then there’s the whole “could go back to Russia at any time” issue with the deal. What happens if he dominates the NHL, and the KHL brings back the Brinks truck? Would he just leave like we’ve seen happen before?
Then there’s the fact that Chipachyov is mainly a center. The Devils just don’t need a center on this roster, especially when Travis Zajac and Brian Boyle come back.
There just doesn’t seem to be a fit in New Jersey for Shipachyov. While the team could probably get him a for a sixth-round pick, having the player could do more damage than good. The way the Devils are playing right now, it’s not worth the risk.