New Jersey Devils Trade Deadline Profile: Anaheim Ducks
By Nick Villano
The Anaheim Ducks have been in a freefall for a month now, but somehow they find themselves still in the race for the playoffs in the Western Conference. Could they make a move for the second season in a row with the New Jersey Devils?
Things have gone off the rails in a huge way for the Anaheim Ducks. They were 19-11-5 on December 17th. Since then, they’ve lost 19 of 21 games. Think about that for a second, the Devils have gone just about two months with two wins. That’s much worse than anything we’ve seen from the New Jersey Devils this season.
The Ducks finally responded by firing their coach Randy Carlyle and replacing him with GM Bob Murray. That’s a very Lou Lamoriello move, but that’s beyond the point. Murray is taking over a team that’s falling apart, yet, somehow, they are only eight points out of a playoff spot. They are in last place in the Western Conference, but a nice winning streak and they are back in it.
That’s why a move could be in the works. Especially with Murray now working as the coach, he will see some of these players up close. He could want to move them to change up the lineup.
Could the Devils be the team he wants to pick from to change things up? In most seasons, these teams would be a good fit, but it’s a little more complicated with both teams at the bottom of the standings and a lack of true assets worth moving.
It’s no secret what the Ducks strengths are. They have a great goaltender, maybe the best in the league (despite the record), and they have serious depth on defense. The latter of those two should be a target for the Devils, but what would it cost, and would the Ducks be willing to lose a prized defenseman for what the Devils have?
In a word, no. The Devils just don’t have the right assets to get a Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm or Brandon Montour. The Ducks won’t want to completely sell just yet (but maybe in a few weeks), and if they do sell off those assets, they will want young assets in return. The Devils aren’t in a place to give up young assets or draft picks.
So, let’s look past that. Who might the Ducks want from the Devils? Honestly, looking up and down this roster, the player that would fit best is Kyle Palmieri, ironically a player the Devils traded for. However, Palmieri is on such a great contract, he’s not the player to lose.
Two players that actually make sense would make VERY different trades. One player the Devils could dangle is Marcus Johansson. He’s a pure rental for other teams, but if the Ducks trade for him now, they could try to gain a few points to see if they can get back into this thing, and if they can’t they could swing him again before the trade deadline. He won’t come cheap, especially since the Ducks will likely be keeping their first-round pick.
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The other option is Pavel Zacha. This one would be very interesting. Zacha has been inconsistent this season, but for the last month he’s been optimistically good. He would help the Ducks below average penalty kill, could play on their bottom of the league power play and would help with their center depth. With Adam Henrique‘s role being diminished, Zacha could really help them with a very young center who still has ridiculous talent. They just really need to keep him on the right side of the ice.
Still, the move here feels much more like a Johansson for prospect type deal. Johansson gives them immediate scoring, and with the way he’s been playing as of late he could help immensely. So, the question is, what would the Devils ask for in return?
The first player they will ask about is Max Jones. He’s just 20 years old, a former first-round pick and he has no trouble scoring in the AHL. He came into the season as one of their 10 best prospects, but some hoped he’d be higher by now. There’s also Josh Mahura who’s held his own in the NHL, and is just 20 years old himself. The Ducks may want a little more in return than just Johansson if that’s who Ray Shero wants. If the Ducks were higher in the standings, this trade would make much more sense, but for a flier it’s a long shot.
dark. Next. Devils Trade Deadline Profile: Golden Knights
Still, we’re here to make a trade. So make a trade we will. The Devils will get forward Max Jones and the Ducks will get Johansson and a conditional 4th-round pick where the conditions are something like if they don’t make the playoffs they can swap picks, so the Devils still keep a pick in the round.
Again, other teams seem to fit better with the Devils, but with the Ducks and Devils history never underestimate the possibility these two teams could trade again.