New Jersey Devils: Ray Shero Must Acquire Legitimate Talent

The New Jersey Devils have begun a very pivotal offseason. Both Taylor Hall and General Manager Ray Shero, spoke to reporters yesterday on topics ranging from the team’s offseason game plan to the prospect of Taylor Hall re-signing this summer. Both individuals expressed a desire for the New Jersey Devils to acquire more talent. This is essential if Shero wants to re-sign Taylor Hall, who expressed his desire to play for a perennial contender at this stage in his career, along with wanting to speak with Shero before committing to the Devils long-term.

During Ray Shero’s first three offseasons as General Manager, he made some of his most important trades during his tenure with the New Jersey Devils. He acquired core players like Kyle Palmieri and Taylor Hall, along with forward Marcus Johansson, which collectively cost Shero defenseman Adam Larsson and four draft picks (two second and third-round picks each).

While Shero made some bargain deals to acquire players during the offseasons that became part of the team’s new foundation, he’s also made some costly blunders. In 2016, Shero squandered a third-round pick for right wing Beau Bennett in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bennett played one season with the New Jersey Devils, where he collected just eight goals and 19 points in 65 contests.

In the following offseason, Shero gave up a 2017 second and fourth-round pick for defenseman Mirco Mueller. In two seasons with New Jersey, Mueller has played a total of 81 games, where he tallied just one goal and 15 points. The 24-year old former first-round pick is a restricted free agent this summer and it remains to be seen whether Shero will tender a qualifying offer or let the Swiss defenseman walk.

With five selections in the second and third rounds of this year’s draft, it’s a safe bet Ray Shero will look to shake up his roster, as he’s always done in offseasons when New Jersey stockpiles picks. Throw in the added pressure of any moves Shero makes having a potential impact on Hall’s decision to commit long-term with the New Jersey Devils, it leaves little room to make trades that bring in ineffective players like Bennett and Mueller—especially if they come at the cost of second and third-round draft picks.

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One way to look at this matter is to consider where this team would be if players like Bennett and Mueller wound up being true diamond-in-the-rough finds—the Devils would have an extra top-nine forward and top-four defenseman at their disposal. I wouldn’t go as far to say this would have gotten the Devils further in last year’s playoffs or changed the outcome of this past season, but those players working out would have helped supplement the team’s secondary scoring depth and put them in a better position for returning to playoff contention in 2019-2020.

New Jersey—especially in their rebuilding state—isn’t an ideal destination for top-end free agents, which is why Shero’s biggest offseason moves may come in the form of trades. As previously mentioned, Shero packaged a second and third-round pick in his deals for Palmieri and Johansson—two top-six forwards that made immediate impacts on the team. When you see what teams like the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars traded for forwards like Gustav Nyquist and Mats Zuccarello, along with what the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres exchanged for defensemen like Nick Jensen and Brandon Montour, a second and third-round package is well within range to acquire legitimate NHL talent the New Jersey Devils need.

Taking these standards into consideration, there’s absolutely no need for Ray Shero to squander quality draft picks for hit-or-miss players that may or may not just need a change of scenery to finally establish themselves on an NHL roster.

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