New Jersey Devils: Potential Trade Partners Without First Round Picks
The New Jersey Devils have major draft capitol over the next two years, and they could use that to pluck a great player from a team missing their 1st-round pick this season.
Over the next two drafts, the New Jersey Devils are in possession of four first-round picks. While it came at a cost, it’s an advantageous situation for any team. How an organization like New Jersey utilizes these coveted assets could make the difference between enduring another prolonged rebuild, or taking a few more steps toward becoming a genuine playoff contender.
Whoever New Jersey’s next general manager is will most certainly explore the trade route. Especially if the 2019-20 season gets cancelled or jumps right into the playoffs, teams currently without a 2020 1st-round pick may be willing and eager to swing deals where they regain such a cherished piece. Throw in how many of these organizations will face glaring salary cap issues this offseason—a salary cap that could wind up going down—along with other matters involving roster maneuverability, it could further compel them to do business with the New Jersey Devils.
Should that be the case, these five teams currently without a 2020 1st-round pick are possible trade partners. While you might find some of these scenarios highly unrealistic or outright outlandish, keep in mind any trades mentioned are purely speculative.
Boston Bruins
Having led the league with 100 points before the season’s suspension, the Boston Bruins traded their 2020 first-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for winger Ondrej Kase. Boston was a popular Stanley Cup favorite going into the playoffs, but like most top contenders, face a complicated salary cap situation. Although Boston is shedding over $14 million in salary (UFAs and RFAs) this offseason, the Bruins have RFAs Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, and Matt Grzelyck to re-sign and will surely make a new contract for free agent defenseman Torey Krug a top priority.
The aforementioned players will all command hefty pay raises that use the majority—if not all—of Boston’s offseason cap space. Throw in the potentially reduced salary cap and Charlie Coyle’s contract kicking in, Boston may find themselves over the adjusted threshold. If Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney is forced to shed salary, Jake DeBrusk probably could be had for a return involving one of New Jersey’s 1st-round picks.
Extra pieces would need to be thrown in, but especially if Boston winds up keeping Krug, they might be forced to part with one of their young defensemen if they’re in a cap crunch. Brandon Carlo is a possibility, along with (although admittedly a lot less likely) Charlie McAvoy.
New York Islanders
After trading the team’s 2020 1st, 2nd, and 2021 2nd-round pick for Andy Greene and center J.P. Pageau, New York Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello put a dent in his team’s supply of quality draft picks. Throw in the fact they have over $40 million tied to seven players through 2021-22, must re-sign RFAs Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock, Devon Toews, and (depending what happens with Ilya Sorokin) UFA netminder Thomas Greiss, it’s going to put Lamoriello in a tight spot.
According to CapFriendly, the Islanders will shed roughly $12 million in salary—probably not enough to re-sign all three of their RFAs, let alone give Greiss the hefty pay raise he’ll likely receive. While Barzal will be their top priority, retaining his services long-term could come at the expense of having to part ways with Pulock and/or Toews.
Any package New Jersey offers centered around one of their 1st-round picks aimed at giving New York cap relief would command a return of Pulock or Toews (possibly both?) at a minimum. Depending on what 1st-round pick the Devils offer, who’s to say New Jersey can’t pry someone like Anthony Beauvillier in addition to Pulock or Toews?
Pittsburgh Penguins
Like New York, the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have a first or second-round pick in this year’s draft. Collectively, Pittsburgh has around $20 million in salary coming off at season’s end, but have quite a few restricted free agents to re-sign, including goaltenders Matt Murray and Jarry Tristan.
Between the salary increases both will command, Marcus Peterson’s new contract kicking in, and looming possibility of the cap going down, it’s unlikely the organization won’t need some degree of cap relief. The retracted cap space may force Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford to trade one of his netminders. Despite his pivotal role in Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, Murray was ultimately outperformed by Tristan this season, but still may demand a lot more money than his counterpart.
The presence of Cory Schneider makes it unlikely the New Jersey Devils would swing a trade for Murray, however if it’s part of a broader series of events—Schneider getting traded, bought out, or Devils flipping Murray—the cap relief Pittsburgh would be getting, in addition to one of New Jersey’s 1st-round picks might warrant the Penguins to package another worthwhile asset with Murray. The Devils would make out well if they also acquired someone along the lines of Jared McCann, John Marino, or (in a more groundbreaking deal) Bryan Rust.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been mentioned fairly often in rumors or trade speculation involving the New Jersey Devils. Although they were recently trade partners in February, these teams are a perfect fit to pull a more substantial deal that alleviates the Lightning of cap space, while immensely improving New Jersey’s roster. With over $58 million committed to nine players through 2021-22, notable RFAs in need of new contracts, and barely any cap space to play with, Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois will inevitably have to unload some of his more prominent assets.
BriseBois would probably love to move someone like Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, or Ondrej Palat—all attainable in a deal involving one of New Jersey’s 1st-round picks—and reallocate that cap space toward re-signing RFA Mikhail Sergachev. Perhaps a return featuring one of New Jersey’s first-round picks could even get them another piece such as RFA Anthony Cirelli, in addition to one of the aforementioned trio of forwards.
A more unlikely scenario is if one of New Jersey’s 1st-round picks they acquired gets deferred to 2021 and Tampa’s negotiations with Sergachev go south, prompting them to explore trade opportunities. It would cost New Jersey more than just a first, but the prospect of acquiring a star-caliber defenseman like Sergachev is makes this situation worth mentioning.
Vancouver Canucks
As we all know, the Vancouver Canucks traded their 2020 1st-round pick to acquire JT Miller from Tampa Bay, who then dealt it to the New Jersey Devils for Blake Coleman. Could a trade scenario unfold sending Vancouver’s 2020 (possibly 2021) 1st-round pick full-circle? The Canucks will have a good amount of cap space this summer, along with a bulky (and potentially costly) offseason to-do list. They have decisions to make on UFAs Tyler Toffoli, Christopher Tanev, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom, in addition to RFAs Jake Virtanen, Adam Gaudette, and Troy Stecher.
Suppose Canucks General Manager Jim Benning doesn’t believe he’ll be able to re-sign Markstrom, while the New Jersey Devils—who are largely committed to Mackenzie Blackwood—take another shot at shopping Cory Schneider. Packaging one of their 1st-round picks with Schneider could entice teams to take on part or all of his $6 million AAV, while sending something worthwhile back to the Devils.
Depending on whether New Jersey retains salary in this speculative situation, they could send Schneider and Vancouver’s 2020 1st-round pick to the Canucks for a return focused around Tanner Pearson (which would help Vancouver fit any of Schneider’s salary) and/or one of their notable prospects—like Olli Juolevi or Kole Lind.
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Granted, this scenario is fiercely unlikely, but more unprecedented trades have happened in the past.