New Jersey Devils: Four Potential Trade Destinations for Miles Wood

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With the New Jersey Devils ending the preseason on a high note, we have a whole work week to get through before Friday’s home opener. For the most part, it seems the Devil’s roster is set, but it’s always possible a few notable decisions and potential tweaks might be made over the next few days.

As is the case with all training camps, some players stood out more than others both positively and negatively, with one such example being winger Miles Wood. Despite an encouraging second half, Wood is coming off a discouraging 2018-19 campaign. He had what can essentially be described as an uninspiring training camp. Along with taking some frustrating penalties during the preseason—a trademark feature of Wood’s game many Devils fans and writers absolutely hate—he was also outplayed by many prospects that are vying to make the opening night roster.

When Head Coach John Hynes bluntly mentioned how “guys that think they’re on the team are getting outplayed” during training camp, many believed—although he didn’t mention any specific names—one of the players he was specifically alluding to was Miles Wood.

Bringing in Wayne Simmonds, having first-year pros like Jesper Boqvist and Nikita Gusev in the mix, along with prospects arguably ready to make the jump (that have already been cut but might have been for maneuverability reasons) like Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian, there’s good reason to believe Wood has (or is) become an expendable asset.

It’s not uncommon for teams to make final touches on their rosters via trade and the way things are panning out, Wood could find himself as the odd man out in New Jersey. Should that be the case, here are some teams Miles Wood could potentially be shipped off to in the coming days.

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Calgary Flames

Earlier in September, rumors (although largely unsubstantiated) began to surface involving a deal that would send defenseman TJ Brodie to the New Jersey Devils. The Calgary Flames have virtually no cap space going into the season and are in desperate need of relief.

The Devils could be in the market for a quality defenseman, especially since former 1st-round pick Ty Smith had a less-than-desirable preseason performance and was someone the organization had high hopes to make the opening night roster. He’s still currently there, but rumors say that he’s headed back to Spokane sooner rather than later.

Wood is a speedy physical forward, whose style of play suits Western Conference hockey. There’s no doubt he would be a decent fit with the Flames, but a one-for-one swap of Brodie ($4.65M AAV) and Wood ($2.75M AAV) might not create as much relief the Flames are probably seeking in a cap dump-type trade. There’s the possibility of incorporating a third team or the Devils acquiring a second player they could flip, find use for, or waive—Travis Hamonic, Michael Frolik—which would prompt the Flames to add extra incentive such as a quality prospect or draft pick(s). There are possibilities in making a move here.

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Buffalo Sabres

Miles Wood is originally from Buffalo, New York and it’s not uncommon to see players wind up back home. While this more or less commonly occurs through the free agency route, it is a factor some general managers consider when trading players to provide cap relief or if they become expendable. The Buffalo Sabres are trying to be recognized as an up-and-coming team that could use another established NHL forward on their roster to bolster their scoring depth. While cap space isn’t an issue for the Sabres, they’ve been the subject of rumors throughout the summer and are supposedly making defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen available.

Like Wood, Ristolainen might have become an excess asset on the Sabres blue line after drafting Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018, along with acquisitions of players like Brandon Montour and Colin Miller over the last year. Ristolainen does come with a hefty $5.4 million AAV and has two more years left on his contract after this coming season. Having said that, the Devils already acquired a Ristolainen-caliber player this offseason (PK Subban). While Ristolainen would cost much more than just Miles Wood, it’s not inconceivable to think the Devils could still send No. 44 to Western New York for a draft pick or two.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets experienced what can largely be described as a mass exodus of quality forwards this offseason. The team’s response was minimal in terms of reciprocating moves and there is plenty of room for improvement on the Columbus offense. They did surprisingly sign Gustav Nyquist, but that didn’t replace the lost production of Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel.

Wood plays that gritty hard-nosed style of play Head Coach John Tortorella likes and (in the right situation) can be versatile enough to play as a 4th-12th forward—another component Tortorella likes to have in players.

Don’t expect the Devils to get a Josh Anderson or Boone Jenner in a trade scenario with the Blue Jackets. They only have one third round pick over the next two drafts, so something along the lines of a mid-round pick or two is more likely in terms of a return. An asset from Columbus’ budding prospect pool is also a possibility and the two teams have previously traded before when the Devils dealt goaltender Keith Kinkaid to the Jackets at the 2019 trade deadline—and Shero has a track record of dealing with the same teams since becoming general manager of the New Jersey Devils.

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Anaheim Ducks

As previously mentioned with the Blue Jackets, Shero has a tendency to trade with the same team multiple times and has done so with the Anaheim Ducks during his tenure as New Jersey Devils general manager. The Ducks were goal-starved last season and could probably use any help they can get offensively. While the Ducks might be taking more of a rebuild-esque approach going into this coming season, Wood fits that bill for them, being just 24 years of age.

Don’t hold your breath on this resulting in an Adam Henrique reunion. A trade scenario with the Ducks is more or less about finding a team for Wood to play on where he could have a definitive role after falling out of favor in New Jersey.

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As noted when reviewing the Flames as a potential destination, Wood’s style of play makes him suitable for western conference hockey and he would have a (somewhat) familiar face in Henrique to help him get better acclimated to his new organization. On a team as offensively inept as Anaheim, Wood could potentially even land himself a top-six role to at least start the season and out of all the teams mentioned in this piece, Anaheim could ultimately wind up being the best fit in terms of finding a team where he’ll be appreciated and can elevate his game to the next level.

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