New Jersey Devils Should Bring Johnny Hockey Back Home
By Dave Browne
New Jersey will never be confused for the hockey hot bed that is Canada, but the sport has grown significantly since the New Jersey Devils moved to the Garden State. That future appears even brighter. New Jersey has produced a lot of good NHL talent over the years, including Jim Dowd, Bobby Ryan, James van Riemsdyk, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Connor Clifton, Joakim Ryan, and Tony DeAngelo.
Another high profile player who was not born in New Jersey but grew up in the state is John Carlson. Yes, the same John Carlson for whom the Devils bypassed in the 2008 draft for Mattias Tedenby. Lastly, one of the most prolific NHL goal scorers the state has produced is Johnny Gaudreau, also known as ‘Johnny Hockey.’ Okay, the nickname is a little gimmicky, but he was given the name for a reason. He is one of the most talented players in the entire league.
The Calgary Flames have been linked to pending unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall for quite some time now. There has been some whispering that the Calgary native Hall would love to play near his home and Calgary has the salary cap space to make such a move.
If the Flames were to make such a splash signing the top offensive free agent available, then Gaudreau would likely be moved as a result. Say Hall signs a contract where the AAV is $8.5 million, there is no way that the Flames would commit to paying three left wingers a combined nearly $23 million in Hall, Gaudreau ($6.7 million) and Matthew Tkachuk ($7 million).
This is where the Devils could come in and make a splash to acquire the New Jersey native. He would bring quite an impressive resume to a club starving for goals and could become an instant fan favorite. The Devils are built on speed, and Gaudreau brings exactly that. He would thrive playing with two-way center Nico Hischier. In 464 career games, Gaudreau has 445 points which include 151 goals, and two 30+ goal seasons. His 294 assists suggest he is more than just a goal scorer. His Corsi percentage is well over 50%, showing that his team is better 5 on 5 with him on the ice.
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There are a few things that could make the Devils a bit wary about making a trade for Gaudreau. One is his contract, which has two years left with a $6.7 million AAV. The salary cap is not an issue for the Devils, but does the team want to trade assets for a 27-year-old winger with only two years left on his contract? If the window to win a Stanley Cup was open in the next two seasons, it would be worth the assets. However, for a team merely looking to be competitive, one has to wonder if this is the trade to make. If the team decides Gaudreau is part of the team’s future, and there is interest on Gaudreau’s side, then that should not be an issue.
Also, We all know a trade for Gaudreau presents a potential log jam at left wing. The Devils have Nikita Gusev, Jesper Boqvist, and Nolan Foote all in the organization, therefore left wing is not necessarily a need. However, Gusev is not a lock to be a part of the organization’s future as he is an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season, and in any trade to acquire Gaudreau, the Devils may have to trade one of Boqvist or Foote. With that being said, Gaudreau brings an element to the left wing position that no one else in the organization could bring. Having too much talent is never a bad thing, especially one with game-breaking ability such as Gaudraeu.
Lastly is Gaudreau’s size. He sits 5’9 and roughly 165 pounds. The Devils already have an abundance of smaller players on their team. Do they really want to add another player who fits that same mold? The short answer is yes because you want to add as much talent as possible. However, the team may look to add more size across the lineup as stated by general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
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The Devils have the luxury of having an abundance of salary cap space and draft picks to facilitate a trade with many teams across the NHL. With so many holes on its roster, the Devils could go in so many different directions. If Calgary decides to shake things up during the off-season, or sign Taylor Hall; Tom Fitzgerald would be wise to kick the tires on Gaudreau. Needless to say, Devils fans would embrace the New Jersey native with open arms. Let’s bring ‘Johnny Hockey’ home back to Jersey.