New Jersey Devils: Niklas Hjalmarsson An Interesting Trade Option

One name that hasn’t been brought up much in trade talks is Arizona Coyotes Nikla Hjalmarsson, but he could be the right option for the right price for the New Jersey Devils.

The New Jersey Devils defense looks bad now, but in a few years, even without any moves, it could look very, very good. Ty Smith will be on the team next season. Reilly Walsh looks like he could be a really good player in the future. Jeremy Davies came out of nowhere to give them another option. Will Butcher and Damon Severson are still just 24 years old. In five years, The Devils could make no moves for any defensemen and still look like this on the back end:

Smith (24 years old)-Severson (29)
Butcher (29)-Walsh (25)
Davies (27)-Connor Carrick (30)/Jeremy Groleau (24)
Andy Greene (41) Kidding.

That’s an entire blue line either entering their prime or in the middle of their prime. That’s not bad at all. However, if the Devils want to put a competitive defense on the ice today, those players aren’t ready to make that kind of commitment.

That’s why a veteran defenseman signed to a short-term deal may be the perfect fit. We’ve spoken about signing current Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, but maybe a trade could work out better.

The Arizona Coyotes are always one of the most active teams every offseason. They gave the Devils a 5th-round pick for Scott Wedgewood mid-season one year. Expect them to be just as busy this offseason. One move they might look for is someone to take on Niklas Hjalmarsson.

He does a lot of what the Devils aren’t great at right now, even though a player of his stature isn’t always great post 30 years old. Hjalmarsson blocks a ton of shots, he’s a true stay-at-home defenseman and he isn’t looking to score points. He gets them sometimes, but it’s not a major part of his game.

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However, the Devils have Butcher, Severson, Smith and to degree Sami Vatanen who all provide that. Hjalmarsson could be the player you stick on that blue line and know he’s going to make the right decision.

What would Hjalmarsson cost to trade for? It’s been two years since the Coyotes gave up Connor Murray and Laurent Dauphin to get him. Again, he’s on the wrong side of 30, but his contract isn’t that bad. He’s owed $5 million over the next two season. That feels like the same price he’d get on the open market today.

The Coyotes might be willing to do the trade for a pick and Mirco Mueller. They get to take another shot on a former 1st-round pick and one of the Devils 2nd rounders. As long as it’s not the Devils first 2nd-round pick, it could work.

The Devils need to fix their defense, and there’s few options in the free agency class with a lot of teams looking for them. The best free agents include the big fish in Erik Karlsson, some medium sized fish in Jake Gardiner and Stralman, then there’s a treasure trove of players you want to avoid at all costs (Tyler Myers, Alex Edler, Ben Lovejoy, Niklas Kronwall). It seems very easy for the Devils to completely strike out on everyone, but with Smith ready to go this year, a short-term option may be the right one.

Hjalmarsson would be a consultation prize, but he’s a really good consultation prize. He still has a few years left in him, then you can let him go when the kids are ready to go. Maybe this season he is a rich man’s Andy Greene, but that could really work on the top line. If the Devils add Hjalmarsson and lose Mueller this offseason, they could put out these lines:

New Jersey Devils Top 25 Prospects. dark. Next

Vatanen-Hjalmarsson
Butcher-Severson
Greene-Smith

Life could be a lot worse on the blue line. Then, you could have Carrick and Steve Santini as extras. It’s not the Devils strength, but that’s not a blue line that’s losing you games or leaving your goaltenders out to dry.

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