The New Jersey Devils traded defenseman Sami Vatanen for a decent prospect with a massive ceiling in Janne Kuokkanen. Even though we were disappointed with the change in draft pick, it’s still a win overall.
The New Jersey Devils had some really bad luck to go along with their incompetence this season. Not only did they watch as P.K. Subban, Nikita Gusev and Jack Hughes struggle to get used to their new environment, they saw Taylor Hall play a tepid game and Cory Schneider fall off a cliff. They also spent too much time waiting for John Hynes to figure it out behind the bench, and then it eventually all cost Ray Shero his job.
It seems like that bad luck hit the Devils during the NHL Trade Deadline when they saw Sami Vatanen get hurt just days into February. It’s possible the rental defenseman was going to net them a 1st-round pick, but instead it got them a prospect in Janne Kuokkanen and a conditional pick. Frederick Claesson is a placeholder until the end of the season.
Janne Kuokkanen is the only piece that matters at this point, since Vatanen’s injury could leave the Devils with nothing in terms of draft capital. So, there’s going to be some pressure on Kuokkanen to perform.
Kuokkanen is playing well with the Charlotte Checkers right now. He has 42 points in 52 games. The real problem with him is he has a really nice shot, but he’s sat back to become a playmaker when it’s not really his best role. It’s probably a similar situation to what Nikita Gusev has been doing, so the Devils might be the right team for the Finnish player to get on the right track.
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He’s just 21 years old, so there’s still plenty of time to get him ready to play in the NHL. He’s only had 11 games of NHL action, and he’s had zero points. This is his third year in the AHL, and he’s finally looking like a player who could be better than his position. He was playing on the Checkers second line with Steven Lorentz and Dave Gust. He was playing on a line where he was lifting players up. With the talent currently on the Binghamton Devils, maybe they can lift him up.
Something everyone seems to talk about with Kuokkanen is his intelligence. From his draft profiles to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald speaking today, they always talk about things like awareness and patience.
Kuokkanen is going to fight for a spot on the New Jersey Devils as early as next preseason. We think he eventually loses out to the likes of Joey Anderson and Nick Merkley, but he’s close and that matters. Getting an asset so young and without conditions makes it easier if the conditions of the draft pick aren’t met.