New Jersey Devils: Case For And Against Trading Each Defenseman
The New Jersey Devils have a bad defense, nobody can argue against that. However, which defenseman should they keep past this season?
Defense has been an issue for the New Jersey Devils since their run of playoff runs ended back in 2013. Even when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012, that team wasn’t winning because of the blue line. They actually just had an insane strategy in the defensive zone.
It’s been a major problem, but it hasn’t been for a lack of effort. Over the past seven drafts, the Devils have used six picks in the top three rounds on defensemen. That brought them Steve Santini, Josh Jacobs, Reilly Walsh, Ty Smith, Nikita Okhotyuk and Daniil Misyul. Of course, some of those players are too young to judge, but Steve Santini and Josh Jacobs just never really showed NHL chops, and one of them is gone in the P.K. Subban trade.
Walsh and Smith could be on the team as soon as next season, so that would help, but they need time to develop. They might be ready to play in the NHL next year, but it’s definitely not something the Devils should rely upon (at least not for Walsh).
Now, the Devils have decisions to make. It’s clear that adding Subban was not the final piece it seems they made it out to be. He sure helps, but only in the right situation. This current situation is not that.
It would be silly for the Devils to keep all their defensemen, but it would be just dumb to trade multiple players we expect to see on the team next season. We go player by player to see the pros and cons of keeping or trading each player on the Devils blue line.
The Pros Of Trading P.K. Subban
It’s pretty obvious at this point that the P.K. Subban trade did not pay the dividends we thought it would, but are we already at the point where we are giving away the asset? The positives here are pretty obvious. They could unload at least some of his $9 million salary for the next two seasons. That gives the Devils the flexibility to go after another high-priced defenseman who needs a change of scenery.
Subban has been playing better, so we imagine his value has increased immensely since the beginning of the year. Also, being there’s only two years left on his deal instead of three, the assets the Devils get in return are better than if a team has to take on $27 million. If the Devils retain some of his salary and make him, say, a $6 million defenseman, a team might actually give up a decent prospect for him.
Honestly, trading Subban would allow the Devils to hit the reset button. They made the move to go all in, but it seems like the Devils went all in with an ace high, and there was a flush draw on the table. It probably wasn’t a bad move overall since Gusev is working out and Wayne Simmonds didn’t come with a lot of risk, but moving Subban could change the aspects of Ray Shero’s failed experiment.
The Cons Of Trading P.K. Subban
We’ve talked about this before. The Devils would look very bad if they started the season with all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the addition of Subban, just to trade him less than a year later. They acted like he was the missing piece, and the second it doesn’t work out they move him to the first team that says yes. That’s a horrible look.
Also, Subban is not a bad defenseman. Is he worth $9 million this season? Nobody is arguing that. However, the Devils don’t have a better option to put on their top line. Say what you want about Sami Vatanen (and we will later), but he’s having a much better season because we feel like he’s in the correct role. Subban would look a lot better if he wasn’t on a line with Andy Greene, but to be honest there just isn’t a better option on the left side.
Let’s say the Devils actually get someone who could play top-line minutes on the left side well, then Subban would be able to play his role. He’s here to boom the puck towards the net and let the hammer on someone when necessary. He’s still capable of playing on the top when put in the right system, which could be on the way with a new coach.
The Pros Of Trading Sami Vatanen
Well, Sami Vatanen seems like the most plausible trade candidate. He’s on the final year of his contract with the Devils, and he hasn’t agreed to any kind of extension as of yet. If the Devils don’t sign him, he could leave for nothing in the offseason. The Devils asset is worth too much for them to lose him for nothing.
He is likely the most valuable piece teams are going to call about, and a lot of teams are going to call about Vatanen. The Devils could get a really good package for him. Whoever is in charge of the trade deadline (we’re assuming Tom Fitzgerald, but we can’t be too sure) will be asking for a 1st-round pick minimum. They could get a really good prospect if they don’t ask to be in the 1st round. Either way, they are going to get insane value for Vatanen.
Also, Vatanen has been a little up and down with the Devils over his career. It’s fine if he’s sitting in his role that he’s in right now, but if he’s going to ask for a legitimate raise this offseason, then it may not be worth it. If Vatanen won’t sign on the dotted line unless he gets, say, $7 million per season on a five to six-year deal then it’s probably best to just get what you can for the asset now.
The Cons Of Trading Sami Vatanen
Vatanen is great in the role the Devils have him in right now. He’s having one of the best seasons we’ve seen from him in a Devils uniform. Two years ago, when the Devils last made the postseason, Vatanen carried the team there. Sure, Keith Kinkaid and Taylor Hall are going to get all the love for what they did, but without the Anaheim Ducks trade that sent Adam Henrique for Vatanen, the Devils don’t make the postseason.
The Devils can’t trade everyone, right? If they just send everyone away, then this rebuild will never end. If Vatanen is willing to re-sign with this team despite the uncertainty of the future of the franchise, why wouldn’t they? It sounds like something the team should strongly consider. Having a right side with Vatanen, Subban and Damon Severson, with Connor Carrick working himself in, gives the Devils a real advantage if they can get someone on the left side.
Also, we have to wonder what trading Vatanen would do to the Devils locker room. This is a player who really seemed to buy in to playing for the Devils the second he got here. Maybe we’re overstating things, and maybe the young kids won’t care at all, but it’s definitely something worth considering.
The Pros Of Trading Andy Greene
Andy Greene is another Devils player who’s on the final year of his contract. It seems universally known that the Devils will likely move on from the 37 year old. He still has value, as he’s playing over 20 minutes per night. That’s first-line time that most teams severely covet. The Devils could give Andy Greene the playoff run he deserves.
Speaking of deserves, maybe Greene does want that one last run to the Stanley Cup. He made the Finals with the Devils back in 2012, but hasn’t sniffed contention since. He was actually really good in that playoff year, playing 22 minutes a night over 24 contests. A team may look at that, and despite it being eight years ago (wow, really?) it could give them ideas of what he could do now.
Honestly, the Devils are going to lose Greene either way. This is similar to what the Devils dealt with last year with Ben Lovejoy. When they traded him, they got a 3rd-round pick AND a roster player. Greene could get a similar deal for the Devils, getting back some of the pick lost in the Subban and Nikita Gusev trades.
The Cons Of Trading Andy Greene
Andy Greene is the team captain, and trading your captain sometimes puts shockwaves throughout the locker room. We know that Fitzgerald spoke with Greene and Travis Zajac this week to see what they thought about the future direction of the team. If he said he doesn’t want to leave, and they push him to waive his no-trade clause anyway, it may not look great.
Also, there’s the aspect of having him play a few games in another uniform, which would be his only other jersey he ever puts on in the NHL. That changes a legacy. Look at how we see the Martin Brodeur stint in St. Louis. Obviously, Greene is not the greatest goaltender of all time, but the Devils and its fans take pride in the fact there are some all-time greats that spent their entire careers with the Devils. Greene went from undrafted defenseman to 14-year Devils great. Sending him to, say, Calgary for a few weeks seems futile.
The Pros Of Trading Damon Severson
If the New Jersey Devils would probably get more for Damon Severson than any other defenseman on the team. He has term, he is still very young relatively, and teams covet good right-handed defensemen. Severson is someone other teams covet, and they could pay handsomely for him.
Now, the question is, what is handsomely? Many Devils fans talk about calling the Toronto Maple Leafs and asking about Kasperi Kapanen, but that just doesn’t seem like enough. Other teams are going to be offering other young forwards to get themselves a young defenseman.
Severson is not having a good season by all accounts, but it’s also not as bad as it seems. Yes, Severson has made some detrimental mistakes that make fans pull their hair out, but looking at his season and stats from 30,000 feet, we see that he’s playing on the power play over Will Butcher and he’s had some game-changing plays. Basically, he’s inconsistent.
The other thing is him and Vatanen basically overlap. They are different players in style, yes, but they both best fill that second-line, right-handed defenseman role. If the Devils want to re-sign Vatanen, it seems like keep Severson is a bad idea overall, especially if they are spending over $10 million to do it.
The Cons Of Trading Damon Severson
The pros and cons might overlap, as Severson is still a very valuable defenseman. Just last year, Severson as the best blue liner on the roster. He had a great season on a terrible team, and it actually had a lot of people calling for the Devils trading Vatanen in the offseason. He may be inconsistent, but most second-line defensemen are.
He’s already signed for three more seasons at just $4.16 million per year. His base salary is rising in each season, but the Harris-Blitzer group has more money than anyone knows what to do with, so as long as the cap hit is low it’s great. Also, we don’t even know if some of these defensive prospects are going to work out. Reilly Walsh might not sign, Ty Smith left much to be desired in the preseason (although we’re not sure that mattered), Michael Vukojevic is far from NHL ready, like really far, Kevin Bahl is big, and that’s all we really know so far. Replacing a 25-year-old defenseman for a forward when the cupboard is bare may be a really bad idea.
The Pros Of Trading Will Butcher
Will Butcher was a very desirable piece when he was a college free agent three years ago, and the Devils won the prize because they had the spot to allow him to play right away. He was great in that first season in red and black, but he’s fallen off a bit. He just signed a three-year deal this past offseason, worth $3.73 million per season. The Devils actually took him off the power play, which was once his best role.
He still has a ton of value on the market. There just aren’t a ton of defensemen available, so the Devils stand in a very enviable position. Even with Butcher having a less-than-stellar season, teams are going to be looking to add a player of his caliber. He’s 25 years old, he got some votes for the Calder Trophy in 2018, and he even got some love for the Lady Bing Trophy that season. There are aspects of his game that are very desirable for teams. If someone has an opening on the power play, he’d be perfect.
The Cons Of Trading Will Butcher
Will Butcher has two seasons left on his contract, and he’s just 25 years old. It’s taken him some time to get used to the role he’s been placed, but it’s probably because he’s not in the right position to succeed. He’s been placed on lines with Connor Carrick and Mirco Mueller, and he’s not here to carry a line. Butcher needs to be able to pinch whenever he feels necessary, and he hasn’t been placed with a player that could make up for that, hurting the confidence. If they can just stick him with, say, Vatanen, then he can sync up into that role and excel.
The Devils would be selling Butcher at the bottom of his value. He has 17 points, which isn’t terrible for a defenseman, but he could be doing so much better. 16 of his 17 points came at even strength. If he was just able to even get second-line power play time, then his value could skyrocket.
Next. Devils Top 25 Prospects. dark
Also, this is one of the young players that seems to fit in with Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and eventually Jack Hughes. He’s like one of the veterans of that group. He gets to play a role as a 25-year-old defenseman while still easing into his role overall.