Should New Jersey Devils Trade Marcus Johansson?

The New Jersey Devils are not in contention this season, but should they trade one of their best wingers Marcus Johansson or try to extend him beyond this season?

An interesting conversation between the team that calls the games for the New Jersey Devils after their 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon sparked some interest. Steve Cangialosi, Ken Daneyko and Bryce Salvador talked about the future of Devils forward Marcus Johansson during the post-game show on MSG.

They all seemed to agree that the New Jersey Devils should NOT trade the pending unrestricted free agent. These are three guys who are very good at their current occupation and two of the three actually suited up and played big roles for the Devils. They might know a thing or two about these kinds of things. They all seem confident that he loves it in New Jersey and that Ray Shero should consider keeping him.

I for one would love to see what it is like to have both Taylor Hall and Marcus Johansson healthy in the Devils’ lineup. It has been a rare sight in the two seasons that they have both been on the roster. Everybody knows what Hall is capable of, but they are now seeing what a healthy Johansson can do in a top-six role.

His two goals on Sunday helped the Devils defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been hot as of late and found themselves just one point out of a playoff spot going into the game. It is clear to most that when healthy Johansson can be a very productive top-six forward.

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With all of that said, I don’t see how you can let an unrestricted free agent walk for nothing. Even if he does like it here there is no guarantee that he will sign back after the first of July. They should really get something for him at this trade deadline if it is offered. If Brian Boyle set the market of a second-round pick for him, then Johansson could at least get a first or maybe a pretty good prospect.

If he likes it here so much he can always come back once the free agency window opens on July 1st. He would be a valuable asset to the young players on the team going forward, but the potential of him walking when they can get something for him is not great. He could really help out a Stanley Cup contender as a depth scorer down the stretch. You know he is hungry to win as his former team won the Stanley Cup just a year after trading him to the Devils.

Johansson has been a good, Devil but if he could net them some assets at the deadline then you would think Ray Shero pulls the trigger on it. The Devils are back in action on Tuesday when they visit St. Louis to take on the Blues to begin a midwestern road trip.