5 Moves New Jersey Devils Can Make To ‘Win Now’
A couple of weeks ago, the New Jersey Devils shocked the hockey world by parting ways with then General Manager Ray Shero and naming longtime Shero protege Tom Fitzgerald in his place on an interim basis. The move came at a time where the team was just starting to get into a groove right before the All-Star Break, confusing just about everyone. Owner Joshua Harris stood with Fitzgerald in front of the media to try to explain the reasoning behind the divorce. Harris basically gave the same old cliché answers that you would expect from someone in the hockey world. To sum it up, “We’re just not getting it done”.
The Devils have “not got it done” in a long time. If getting it done is winning the Stanley Cup, it is coming up on twenty years(!). If it is in reference to consistent playoff appearances, they have not made the playoffs in consecutive years since the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Ray Shero made the moves, but for some reason it just never clicked. He had a 25% success rate on getting the Devils to the playoffs. After the barren wasteland that Lou Lamoriello left, Shero seemed to have done well. There was no chance for him to have a consistent contender within a couple of years of the oldest roster in the NHL in 2014-15. But alas, he had one year where he did it. But it still wasn’t enough.
In a society where winning is everything and patience is incredibly thin, some could say Ray Shero never got a true attempt. Josh Harris and David Blitzer made a clear statement that winning was needed and it was needed immediately. Well, since the firing the Devils have been outscored 25-14 and have a 1-3-1 record. This isn’t including the Tampa Bay Lightning game that came mere hours after Shero’s firing. It also looks better now that the Devils put up five goals of their own last night against Nashville. The “getting it done” still isn’t happening and it doesn’t look like it will be anytime soon. But there are some moves that Tom Fitzgerald can make to help the Devils to “win now”.
Now the “win now” is incredibly stretched. There are a few moves that he should make that he can’t until the offseason. So Harris and Blitzer need to be even more patient for these moves to take place. Even if these moves are made it isn’t a guarantee that the Devils will win now. We’ve seen that this season. After all of the positive moves Shero made, the Devils are at the bottom. It is possible that it helps and also possible that it doesn’t work out. In any case, here are five moves the New Jersey Devils can make to help the cause to “win now”.
1. Hire Gerard Gallant
Why in the world the Vegas Golden Knights fired Gerard Gallant is still a mystery. They weren’t spiraling like the Devils or tanking like the Detroit Red Wings. Gallant was given an expansion team and took it to the Stanley Cup Finals in the first year of its existence. The Jack Adams Award winner then followed it up with another playoff berth and was only knocked out due to that controversial call.
The Golden Knights have never faced adversity until that point. Now, the first time they saw something wrong in the regular season, the scapegoat was Gallant. Much like he was when the Florida Panthers thought it was all his fault and literally left him at the airport. That firing came after a year Gallant led the team to the playoffs in his first full season as a team.
When Gallant is given a team with talented players and a competent goalie, those teams thrive. Mackenzie Blackwood has shown that he can be a competent goalie. The Devils have talented players and it seems like they just need a head coach that can get them over the hump. Gallant seems like the no brainer when it comes to the vacancy. Yes, Alain Nassredine has done an okay job, but the team seems like it really isn’t going to go to that next level Gallant could take them. The only time Gallant had no success with a team he coached was when he was behind the bench for the mid 2000s Columbus Blue Jackets whose starting goalie was Marc Denis and leading scorer was David Vyborny. Yikes.
Most of the fans have called for Gallant’s hiring. A great way to give a reason for fans to even care about the rest of this reason is to hire Gallant and have him show what he can do. Maybe with him behind the bench everything fans thought that this season would be can finally click. The Shero firing press conference left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. Time for ownership to step up and atone for the left field move and bring in someone who has proven he has what it takes to succeed.
2. Sign Alex Pietrangelo or Torey Krug
The one position that the Devils desperately needed to address coming into the offseason was getting a top-tier defenseman. They went out and traded for P.K. Subban and it obviously has not worked out to the liking of anyone. Subban has been serviceable but has not been Norris caliber Subban people know he can be. The defense even with Subban seemed to be missing a piece, even maybe two. Ty Smith wasn’t ready for the show this year so that left the Devils with limited options for the bottom pair and seventh defenseman.
The lack of defensive depth has been very glaring when it comes to what has gone wrong this year. Damon Severson has taken a step back in terms of production and defensive play. Will Butcher has had an up and down year from the get go. Sami Vatanen has been steady and seems like to be a trade piece that could potentially get a first round pick for. You know what you’re getting with Andy Greene with some own goals sprinkled in there. Connor Carrick has been hurt most of the year and has struggled to stay in the lineup. Meanwhile, Mirco Mueller has been horrific all year and sometimes doesn’t realize he is playing the sport of hockey until the puck is in the net behind him.
The Devils need someone who can come onto the scene and provide offensive ability and leadership. They have the cap space to make multiple splashes in free agency. The first splash they need to make to help the blueline is to make a hard push for Alex Pietrangelo or Torey Krug. Pietrangelo just captained the Blues to their first championship while producing points and being defensively responsible. He will ask for a raise from his six and a half million AAV now. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if the Devils offer him a deal that has an AAV of nine million or more.
It may be an overpayment but to get a player of Pietrangelo’s caliber, but it will be worth the penny. Same thing with Krug. He will get less than Pietrangelo, but a defenseman that can put up 50 points a year will be worth it for the offensively depraved Devils. They just have to hope Krug hits the open market. As for Pietrangelo, the Blues have less than $8 million in cap space, so it will be a challenge for the captain to come back.
3. Sign Braden Holtby or Robin Lehner
Another glaring issue the Devils face and have faced for the last few years has been goaltending. The fall from grace Cory Schneider had was unexpected and very quick. So quick that it took a lot of people by surprise. What surprised people even more was that Ray Shero didn’t address the issue sooner. Keith Kinkaid had a great run and now finds himself in the AHL. Eddie Lack was dependable while within the organization but can’t compete due to medical issues. Mackenzie Blackwood has emerged as a dependable number one-a type goalie but sometimes has nights you wonder if he is going to be able to last. The other option? Louie Domingue who some nights can stop 59 of 60 shots and the other knocks the puck into the net with his own blocker out of the air.
There seems to be two options on this years free agent market that the Devils can sign to help the team “win now”; Braden Holtby and Robin Lehner. Both players have either won or were a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in their career (Lehner came in third in voting last season). No Devil has won the award since Martin Brodeur won in 2007-08. Blackwood shows potential of being someone who can win the award one day, but it seems like a lofty goal given his ceiling. However, the Devils don’t need a goalie that can win the Vezina on a consistent basis, they just need someone who can be consistent.
Holtby has fallen off just a tad in recent years. However, he helped back stop the 2017-18 Stanley Cup Champions Washington Capitals making game saving stops. He has similar career stats to Sergei Bobrovsky but probably won’t command as much as Bobrovsky. Bob has a ten million AAV, something Holtby shouldn’t even consider asking for. A contact within the range of six and a half to eight million AAV seems reasonable for a goalie of Holtby’s stature. Being at the age of thirty however is a red flag for giving out a long-term contract. The Devils could offer Holtby a three-year, $8 million deal and have Holtby help Blackwood in his development and by the time the contract is over, Blackwood can take over full time when he is absolutely ready.
Robin Lehner has been solid for the last two seasons. Seeming to come into his own as a member of the New York Islanders and having a drastic lifestyle change earning him the Masterton award. Lehner before hand was very inconsistent as a member of the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres. Lehner won’t break the bank like Holtby, but he doesn’t come with the resume as Holtby does. You cannot go wrong with either player, however. The only thing that is the wrong choice, is having Blackwood and Domingue be the two options. The goaltending position must be looked at. Overpaying may be a must to have stability, but it is stability none the less.
4. Re-Sign Sami Vatanen
Sami Vatanen should be on the New Jersey Devils until he retires. Vatanen has finally showed us what he can do when he is on top of his game. He has cooled off as of late however that has seemingly dropped his trade value just a bit. If the Devils cannot get more than a first round pick AND a prospect, they should hold onto Vatanen. He is a top four right-handed defenseman that can provide offense from the blueline and be responsible in his own end. He is a pending UFA that will command a raise from his current salary. Currently 28 years old, getting a six-year contract will seemingly be his only chance to cash in.
The Devils are the right team to have him cash in on. If Vatanen walks, there will always be a dark cloud over his head. He was the guy the Devils got by trading away folk hero and fan favorite Adam Henrique. Vatanen has a lot to prove and it should be a Devils uniform he wears when he proves it. It is no coincidence that the Devils made the playoffs when he first came onto the scene. Yes, Taylor Hall played a huge part in it, but the defense was better off with Vatanen there than when he was in Anaheim.
If the Devils don’t pull the trigger on the aforementioned Pietrangelo or Krug, removing Vatanen from the scenario will leave the team in much more peril than it is already in. If they do not add anything to the blueline, it will be Subban, Severson, Butcher, Mueller, and Carrick as players either under contract or team control for next season. That will note bode well at all next season. With Vatanen you at the very least have a competent four in Subban, Severson, Butcher, and Vatanen. Without Sami, the defense is much weaker and quite frankly, bleaker.
5. Trade for Max Domi or Anthony Mantha
These two names are only here as a dream. Both the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings are in interesting positions. The Canadiens have seemingly everyone in an RFA year, including Domi. As well as the Detroit Red Wings, including Mantha. The Devils have plenty of cap space that they can use as an asset. Adding a contract along with getting a player like Domi and Mantha would be beneficial to the Devils. Taking on the contract of a Karl Alzner or a Justin Abdelkader could possibly entice the Canadiens or Red Wings to part ways with Domi and Mantha.
Domi has been surrounded by trade rumors since he was traded from the Arizona Coyotes. He may be the least likely of the two to be traded. Mantha is on a team that is at minimum five years away from sniffing the post season. The Red Wings and General Manager Steve Yzerman may be more inclined to move away from Mantha to get something for him to get rid of a bad contract. Taking on Abdelkader’s contract would be an enticing part to any deal. At 32 years old with three years left after this season making just shy of $4 million, that will be an albatross contract to move by the time Abdelkader is 34.
Even if it is not Mantha the Devils get, acquiring a young winger along with a bad contract isn’t as bad a move as some may think.