The Devils Must Look Into Trading For Brock Boeser
By Dave Browne
It was reported that the Vancouver Canucks are exploring the possibility of trading All Star right winger Brock Boeser. Now that the interim label has been pulled from New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald and a head coach has been named, the Devils could focus on building a team that philosophically fits where they are headed.
Based on the introductory press conference for both Fitzgerald and Ruff, it appears as if they will play a style based on the team’s strength of speedy, talented young forwards. We could envision the Devils playing an uptempo style much like Ruff’s previously coached stint in Dallas. This is where a player like Boeser could come in and be a fixture on a rebuilding team.
Brock Boeser is exactly the type of player the Devils organization needs. At the ripe age of 23, he has already played in 197 games and has scored 75 goals, including a career high of 29 in 2017-18. He possesses a lethal shot that would compliment the likes of either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. His cap hit comes at a palatable $5.875 million and remains a restricted free agent when the contract is up.
Vancouver has some big decisions to make when they officially are in offseason mode. They have a combined 25.8 million tied down to the likes of Brandon Sutter, Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, Tyler Myers, and Michael Ferland, all of whom have full or modified no movement or trade clauses. They also have to divvy out big money to future restricted free agents Elias Petterson and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks also have only one goaltender under contract for the 2020-2021 and must decide if they want to re-sign the solid if unspectacular Jacob Markstrom.
If there is merit to the report of Boeser being floated around in trade talks, then Tom Fitzgerald must drop everything that he is doing and pick up the phone to facilitate a trade with Vancouver general manager Jim Benning. Make-believe trades are difficult, and often no one is ever particularly happy with the players involved. Work with us here.
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For starters, the Devils would have to part with one of their 1st-round picks. Ouch. That stings a little, but for this to work, we must realize that to get something of significant value, the Devils will have to do the same. The only question is which 1st-round pick they would have to give up. Of the three potential 1st-round picks, the Devils would have to realistically part with either their own or Arizona’s protected 1st-round pick. For argument’s sake, let’s say Arizona’s pick, barring they win the first-overall in the draft. So just for Benning to listen, pick 10 or 11 would have to be on the table.
A 1st-round pick is still not enough for Brock Boeser. Vancouver will unequivocally want a roster player in return who could help immediately. Defense will likely be a priority as Christopher Tanev will be too pricey to retain as an unrestricted free agent. Will Butcher has not been very effective since his rookie campaign, and a change of scenery could benefit him. So a top 10 pick and Will Butcher is trade number one.
As stated above, the Canucks are likely going to want a defenseman in return for Boeser. They need a right-handed defenseman, and there appears to be one player on New Jersey who fits that need. No, it is not PK Subban. His 9 million against the cap would defeat the purpose of trading Boeser. Damon Severson would be a player of interest for Vancouver should discussions happen. There may a few other moving parts in this good ole’ fashioned hockey trade, but the main players here are Boeser and Severson. It would be a gamble for the Devils to part with arguably their best defenseman on a good contract and weaken an already porous defense. Yet if the Devils want a player of Boeser’s caliber they would have to meet Vancouver’s trade demands.
In the last trade scenario, the Devils trade highly-touted defenseman Ty Smith. Smith is a player on the cusp of making it to the NHL, and would certainly be a cost-controlled asset Vancouver would covet. The Devils may also have to include Miles Wood or another asset to make this trade happen. It would be quite difficult to trade a top prospect the Devils fan base has been clamoring for ever since Smith almost made the team in 2018, but it’s conceivable that he would have to be included to make a trade happen.
In a perfect world, the Devils would not have to part with a potential top 10 pick, Damon Severson or Ty Smith. We especially may not want to part with the latter two because the team already has deficiencies on defense. But not every NHL general manager is Peter Chiarelli. Realistically the Devils would have to give up quite a bit to acquire an asset like Boeser even if that means they have to trade players that we don’t want to trade.
Brock Boeser’s skill set is something that the organization desperately needs. The Devils need pure goal scorers, and outside of Kyle Palmieri, the Devils do not have one. Whether Palmieri is in the Devils’ long term plans or not(teaser: be prepared for a lot of Palmieri content in 2021), the team needs young right wingers who possess the ability to score. Did I mention already that Boeser could put the puck in the net? Because he has a LETHAL shot. Boeser’s age fits right in the mold of the Devils’ core and would be a fixture in the Devils’ rebuild. Tom Fitzgerald, it’s time to get back to work. Give Jim Benning a call, we think he’d be willing to listen to what you have to offer.