William Nylander And 5 Other Players New Jersey Devils Could Trade For Today
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils are in need of a major spark. Being were in the middle of the season, and none of the team’s game-changing prospects are within reach, that can only happen in a trade. There are seven players the team could target that would make a real difference.
Something needs to change with the New Jersey Devils if they want to avoid this massive cycle of going back and forth between exhilarating wins and heart-breaking losses. The Devils are hurt by extreme inconsistency, which has the team playing under .500 hockey.
Since starting the season 4-0, the Devils are 4-9-2. Within that is a 1-6 road trip where they put up a combined score of 34-16. That’s very bad.
The Devils have evened things out since that road trip, but things are still not where they should be. This Devils team was supposed to fight for the playoffs all season long. Right now, they are fighting to keep themselves out of last place in the Eastern Conference.
Ray Shero has been the king of making trades when we least suspect it. That’s how we got Sami Vatanen last season, Taylor Hall the season before, and Kyle Palmieri the season before that. These three players are the core of the Devils future along with Nico Hischier. It is way too early to find a player who could do that, except for one exception we will get to, but there are players that can change the team this season.
The Devils have plenty of prospects they could move. In fact, there are more middle-of-the-pack prospects than they need. High-upside plays like Kevin Rooney, Brett Seney or Nick Lappin could be turned into legitimate NHL talent. So, who should the Devils go after first? Here are six names to watch.
WILLIAM NYLANDER
Let’s get this one out of the way. The Toronto Maple Leafs are fast approaching a deadline to sign the restricted free agent to a new deal. If they don’t sign him by December 1st, William Nylander is forced to sit out the entire season. That’s an impasse we haven’t seen in hockey in a long time.
When you consider Nylander’s age and likely contract demands, that has to come into play when considering a deal. Reports say that Nylander is asking for a deal in the $8 million per season range. Teams are reportedly willing to give him $7 million, and the Leafs offered him $6 million.
While $8 million per season is a lot to stomach, I think the Devils could stomach paying a 22-year-old dynamic winger upwards of $6.5 to $7 million. The Devils only trail the Carolina Hurricanes in cap space. Right now, they could easily fit Nylander in the cap now. Even if the Devils re-sign Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier to massive deals, that should still leave enough money. It would cost a lot, but the Devils have to at least consider it.