Assessing 5 New Jersey Devils Trades On Capfriendly’s Armchair GM
By Nick Villano
This one really has us thinking. Rickard Rakell’s value is not what it was two seasons ago, but he is still a good player that would upgrade the Devils offense. He’s not that far off from back-to-back 30-goal seasons. He’d be an interesting winger to add to Nico Hischier‘s line. Putting him in a position to succeed could bring him back to his peak after a few seasons with a sputtering offense.
The price is significant for the Devils. Jesper Boqvist is a player they are really high on, but he struggled last season in his first year in the NHL. He only had four goals in the NHL, and he eventually spent the rest of the season in the minors. He looked really good in the minors, and it would be interesting if he was given a second shot in the NHL after gaining some confidence. Adding in Janne Kuokkanen makes this deal a little too pricey for the Devils.
If this was two years from now and a team came to the Devils with a 30-year-old scorer for two top prospects, this is a deal that could happen. It’s just not the right time for the Devils to spend this much on a player like that. It’s not the right time, but it’s also not the worst value play. People seemed to like Boqvist, but they severely underestimated his value to the Devils.
Who wins this trade: Anaheim Ducks