It is still summer, but hockey season is almost among us with pre-season not far off. With the New Jersey Devils addressing the center position from Jack Hughes, adding Wayne Simmonds to build skill and depth on the mid-6 right wing. Then you add John Hayden to be the gritty right winger on the bottom 6. Also the right defense was immediately bolstered via trade with PK Subban now the first pairing right handed defender.
The things that I see the Devils lacking is a reliable left handed defender that can move the puck and play a near 200 foot game. The Devils have guys like Mirco Mueller on the team that might not always pan out but due to the right circumstances a trade might occur to make the left side much better. However there are players Ray Shero might be going for if other teams are either too cash strapped or see potential in younger veteran players that can make the jump to play in Top 2 pairing minutes.
Another point of interest I find troubling is that if Cory Schneider can’t always be healthy and you have Mackenzie Blackwood, and Gilles Senn around on this team. There are a lot of teams that either have a plethora of defensemen that can’t stick on the team, or contracts that are due by July 1st in upcoming seasons. Well this is what Ray Shero’s calling card has been and always will be to add as much ammunition to this growing Devils roster. These are just hypothetical ideal trades that could be on Shero’s target.