Assessing 5 New Jersey Devils Trades On Capfriendly’s Armchair GM
By Nick Villano
This is not a deal we expected to see on the list, but honestly, it makes a lot of sense. The Boston Bruins get a major upgrade over John Moore, who is quickly becoming one of the worst contracts on the team. It feels a lot like the deal the Bruins made to get Ondrej Kase. They sent a 1st-round pick, Axel Anderson, and a 1st-round pick to get Kase. Kase himself is not worth a 1st rounder, but add in the fact the Bruins get out of the David Backes contract, and he’s worth a whole lot more.
The Devils have Will Butcher signed for two more seasons, as he gets a raise to $4.1 million in 2021-22. The Devils would send his deal to the Bruins to take on Moore, who still has three years on it with a price of $2.75 million each season. Butcher is better than Moore, and he actually gets into the Bruins lineup while they get two years to evaluate him.
However, is that worth a 1st-round pick to the Bruins? That seems like a steep price for them to pay to get a slight improvement on the blue line. It shows this deal was made by a Devils fan. It’s clearly in New Jersey’s favor. The Bruins would be better served holding on to that 1st-round pick and seeing who is available at the trade deadline.
What this trade does team us is the Devils aren’t going to drop Butcher for just anything. He struggled last season, but if they give him power play time and put him in a better position, Butcher could easily bounce back.
Who wins this trade: New Jersey Devils