New Jersey Devils: 5 Players Who Could Surprisingly Get Traded

Connor Carrick

This one is a surprise, but not because of his future standing with the Devils. Carrick is a piece that teams might be intrigued with because he does have term, and has fit into systems before. He came to the Devils in the Ben Lovejoy trade last season. After that, he was quite good.

He got seven points in 20 games, which is decent for a bottom-pairing defenseman on a team full of AHL players. His relative Corsi For and relative Fenwick For showed he was doing the best with what he’s been given.

This season, an injury pretty much derailed any momentum he was getting, and it caused the Devils to spend many nights playing Mirco Mueller ahead of him. He’s worked his way back into the lineup, but we’ve learned he’s a good depth piece.

Teams are willing to pay for defensive depth in the run towards the playoffs. He’s only making $1.5 million next season, and the Devils could retain some of that to make a trade happen. He’s not going to bring the Devils an amazing piece, but he can bring them something.

Carrick is a fine piece to keep, but what does that do for the Devils moving forward? They could use that slot to add pieces in the offseason, and it’s something for Ty Smith and Reilly Walsh to both fight for. Heck, it might even give Walsh motivation to sign. Will Butcher said he signed with the Devils for the opportunity. Speaking of which….