New Jersey Devils: Grading 2019 Offseason Moves a Year Later

On June 22nd, 2019, the New Jersey Devils traded Jeremy Davies, Steven Santini, and a 2nd-round draft pick to the Nashville Predators for former Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban. Subban was on a steep and steady decline in the years leading up to this move, and his decline worsened with the Devils. Despite flashes of very exciting hockey from Subban, he failed to achieve any sort of consistency in a Devils jersey. He was a defensive liability and caused difficulty in the depth chart, as Devils coaching staff struggled to find the best defensive pairings.

With a player like Subban, fans can hope for offensive production to make up for some shaky defensive play. Devils fans did not see that counteraction. Subban’s point totals at the end of the New Jersey Devils season were 7 goals and 11 assists in 68 games.

Fans also hoped Subban would be the star powerplay quarterback that would finally give the Devils a lethal powerplay. This was not the case with Subban, as he struggled to hold his spot on the first powerplay unit and eventually lost it to Sami Vatanen of all players. It was the cherry on top of a strange season.

The Devils, however, could use any defense they could get. The part of this deal that makes it a full failure is the fact that Ray Shero took on 100 percent of Subban’s cap hit. Subban’s cap hit is $9 million and expires in 2022. This can and will potentially restrict the Devils from making big signings in the future as part of their elongated rebuild. The Devils suffering a $9 million cap hit for 18 points and unreliable defense is nothing short of a travesty. That is what makes this deal an abject failure.