Earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned in his latest “31 Thoughts” that the New Jersey Devils are willing to consider “hockey trades” in addition to dealing their pending unrestricted free agents. This little tidbit set the Devils blogosphere ablaze, prompting fans and writers to speculate an onslaught of moves the team might make over these next few weeks.
For this piece’s purpose, a “hockey trade” will be defined as one where the New Jersey Devils acquire players that could be readily inserted in the lineup, which the organization has control of beyond this season.
With the Devils being perpetual sellers for the longest time, rumors seem to annually surface about them being willing to make “hockey trades” as the deadline nears. Save the acquisition of Connor Carrick, who New Jersey received when they traded Ben Lovejoy to the Dallas Stars last trade deadline, no significant “hockey trade” has ever materialized for the Devils around this time of the season in recent years. Nonetheless, it’s a topic still worth pondering.
Especially considering how the Devil’s current management group is operating on an interim basis and might not even be at the helm this offseason, it makes these scenarios completely subjective. Whether it involves overhauling the defense or bolstering their depth at wing, these are some compelling players the New Jersey Devils can arguably acquire in a “hockey trade” scenario this month.