5 Players New Jersey Devils Should Consider Trading In Offseason
The New Jersey Devils are going to be looking to improve their team even more once the offseason comes around, and these players might be on the block.
The New Jersey Devils didn’t have that good of a season. They went into it with a lot of expectations but they failed to reach them. They have a couple of really good players to build around like Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt. They have a lot of work to do but they are better off than a lot of teams near the bottom of the NHL’s standings. They could be a couple of moves away from being in the playoffs if the young guys develop.
They have an interim tag on both their general manager and head coach right now so the first thing they need to do is figure out who is going to be in charge at those positions after the season is over. It is very important that they manage to find the right person for each of those positions. Tom Fitzgerald might be the guy to run the team as the general manager but it is hard to see them keeping Alain Nasreddine as the head coach.
They need a coach that will get the most out of their young players. They need to get these guys in a position to succeed so finding the right guys is the key. Once they do that, however, they need to start getting this roster the players it needs to be successful. There are obviously some untouchable players like the ones previously mentioned, but they might need to trade a really good player or two in order to move on. These are the five players to trade away if they have to make a move:
D. New Jersey Devils. Will Butcher. 1. player. 85.
Will Butcher has been very up and down since he signed with the New Jersey Devils a few summers ago. He has been good enough to be in the lineup in pretty much every game but sometimes he makes a lot of mistakes. One thing that he has been good at is moving the puck. He has 82 assists in 215 NHL games and those are mostly on Devils teams that aren’t very good.
He clearly has some offensive skills but none of them have been able to help the Devils get over the hump. He is a good player on the power play but he hasn’t even gotten the proper power-play ice over the past few seasons. The Devils might be smart to move Butcher for the right price once the summer comes around. They might even be able to get something decent for him from a contender looking to add a third or fourth defenseman.
They also might decide to keep him because of his potential. Either way, the Devils need to decide what to do with Butcher that will be best for the organization. He is a nice player to have in the organization, but trading him should at a minimum be a possibility.
New Jersey Devils. Miles Wood. 2. player. 85. . LW
Miles Wood gets a worse rap than he deserves. Let’s face it, he isn’t as bad as people make it out to seem. He plays a bigger role than he should, and that’s obviously a problem. He has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 68 games this past season. Those numbers are good for a speedy fourth liner, but less than good for a top-six winger. If he was on the fourth line of a good team, he would be respected so much more.
His course with the Devils might have already been run. It might be a smart idea to hang on to him to see what he can do in a limited role on a good team but they might be wise to let him go now as well. A true Stanley Cup contender like Washington, Pittsburgh, or Boston might really help Wood get the most out of his skill. He can use his speed to help in many ways for a team that uses him right.
The Devils might need to get rid of him because of the fact that he isn’t being used right. He is not the type of player that can get the max out of having Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes as their centerman, but the Devils coaching staff doesn’t seem to understand that. He had that awesome 19 goal season a few years ago as the Devils made the playoffs so he can clearly help a good team.
New Jersey Devils. Travis Zajac. 3. player. 85. . C
Travis Zajac is one of the better forwards in Devils’ history. He hasn’t been as offensively productive in recent years as he was in his younger days but he certainly used to be. He has had a great career with this team but he has only been in the playoffs once since the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. He was tied with Andy Greene for the longest-tenured players on the team but now that Greene has been traded, it is Zajac all by himself.
Zajac deserves another chance to win if he wants to. If he wants to stick this thing out with the Devils then he has every right to. If he wants a guaranteed chance at the playoffs, he could ask to be traded to a good team. A contender that needs a solid third-line center or if they are really good a fourth-line center should be willing to add Zajac to their mix. He can play great at even strength, on the power play, and short-handed.
Zajac is one of those players who can be a great leader off the ice as well. He has been that type of player for the Devils for a very long time. He has helped them both on and off the ice for a while now. Even when he was a younger player he was a great two-way player that you knew what you would get every single night. Hopefully, either with the Devils or someone else, Zajac gets another chance to win the Cup.
player. 85. . C. New Jersey Devils. Michael McLeod. 4
Michael McLeod is starting to run out of chances. The Devils drafted him with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft so they believed that he would be a good player for them for a long time. It hasn’t worked out that way as McLeod has struggled to stay in the NHL on a regular basis. He has been up and down from the NHL and AHL Binghamton Devils for a while now. He might be the type of player to package in a trade for depth at another position.
With Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Pavel Zacha, and Travis Zajac on the roster, it is hard to see McLeod ever getting consistent playing time at center. There are also some other players in the organization that might play center at some point ahead of McLeod as well. He hasn’t been great as a winger either so he might need a fresh start.
The Devils need help on the blue line and they need more depth at wing so trading McLeod to another team might work out. Another team might be able to take him in and get more out of him than the Devils have been able to. It would be cool to see both the Devils and McLeod take advantage of trade.
85. . G. New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider . 5. player
Cory Schneider has really struggled to stay consistent over the past few seasons. He has even spent time in the American Hockey League this season which is something nobody ever saw coming. He went from being one of the best goalies in the NHL for a long time to incapable of holding a full-time job in the NHL.
After this season, the Devils have two more years with Schneider at 6 million dollars on the books. If a team that has a lot of cap space that needs a stop-gap goalie, they might be willing to take on Schneider if the Devils sweeten the pot or retain on his contract. There is a possibility that they cut him if they are not able to find a deal that works but they should definitely try.
The Devils owe it to Schneider to try to put him in the best situation possible. He was such a good goaltender for a very long time but they weren’t able to put a good team in front of him. Now, he is a little bit older and hasn’t been himself. Hopefully, they are able to figure out something that is good for both him and the team.
Hot. Looking back at the 2017 Devils Draft. light
It is unclear how the Devils are going to be in the offseason. They might make a lot of moves and they might not. One thing that is for sure is that no matter what happens, people will probably keep their expectations under control this time around. They might trade a few of the players above and they might trade none of them. If they are offered a significant package for any of them, they should definitely think about it.