Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils: 12 Gifts From Team This Christmas Season

By Nick Villano

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29: NJ Devil of the New Jersey Devils celebrates during the mascot showdown prior to the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Staples Center on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29: NJ Devil of the New Jersey Devils celebrates during the mascot showdown prior to the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Staples Center on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Gift #7: Ray Shero Is Our GM

What better gift is there than having one of the best general managers in the league? The Devils were blessed to have Lou Lamoriello for as long as they did, but it was clear he wasn’t ready to tear this team down and start from scratch. That’s exactly what Ray Shero has done to get the roster he has now.

Shero has been a shrewd negotiator. While most teams would look at the Devils situation with Ilya Kovalchuk and make a panic trade, Shero knew the implications of making a desperate move. As crazy as it sounds, getting nothing for the Russian sniper will probably help in the long run.

Then there was the moves Shero did make. We all know about the one-for-one deal to get Hall for Adam Larsson and sending picks to the Ducks in exchange for Kyle Palmieri, but he keeps hitting on all his moves.

This year, he traded two more picks to get Johansson into the room. He used Adam Henrique, an admitted fan favorite but flawed forward, to sure up this defense with Sami Vatanen. Not only that, but he refused to overspend for Kevin Shattenkirk.

Some may worry about him trying to build this team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, but if it ends with a Christmas gift of a future Stanley Cup title like they have, I’ll take it every day of the year.

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