New Jersey Devils: 5 Players To Consider From Minnesota Wild

Jonas Brodin

Throughout these pieces, one thing will almost always be a constant. The New Jersey Devils are going to target as many left-handed defensemen as possible. It’s the Devils’ biggest need, and nothing else is remotely close. They need to find someone to put next to P.K. Subban, and Mirco Mueller is not it.

Jonas Brodin would be a massive upgrade for the Devils, and he isn’t costing an arm and a leg in salary. They could acquire him now and still have cap space to use as a weapon later. His cap hit next season is just $4.167 million on the final year of his contract. At 27 years old, he’s looking to cash in again on a long-term deal. He’s coming off a six-year deal he signed when he was 21 years old.

That might scare the Devils away, but it shouldn’t. Brodin is a stellar defenseman that’s been on the top of the Wild lines for as long as we can remember. Even if he’s on the “second line”, he should be the team’s top man on the left side. He led the team in 5v5 ice time during the series, putting in more than an hour’s worth of work at even strength. Only Matt Dumba played more at all strengths (100 minutes vs. 95).

Brodin and Dumba were a great pairing, but the Wild need to figure out where they want to go next. With an extremely aging core, a severe lack of talent, and a new philosophy in the front office, it appears as its time to turn some of their best players into assets. Brodin might be the best fit for the Devils on the entire roster.