Assessing 5 New Jersey Devils Trades On Capfriendly’s Armchair GM
By Nick Villano
There have been a lot of people tying Patrik Laine to the New Jersey Devils. There were multiple trades between the Jets and Devils that centered around Laine. One that was interesting centered around Palmieri and Travis Zajac plus a lot of picks and prospects, but this is the one that at least seems like it’s on the right track. In any Laine trade, the Jets are going to demand either Damon Severson or Ty Smith. Obviously, Severson is more of a known commodity.
The 2021 1st-round pick throws a monkey wrench into this for the Devils, but that’s a must. This is an extremely defensive-heavy draft, and in any deal for Laine, the Jets will want a 1st rounder. They need to retool that defense, and the draft is a great place to do it.
Pavel Zacha is an interesting piece here. The Devils spent the sixth-overall pick on Zacha in 2015, but it’s clear he will never live up to that pick. However, he’s still a very valuable forward. He has a 50-point upside and he’s one of the best penalty killers in the league. There is a ton of value to Zacha in a deal for a superstar.
That 1st-round pick hurts. In all reality, the Devils probably say no to any Jets deal because of the necessity of said pick. The Jets won’t want a later 1st-round pick from a team like Boston or Carolina. They want a pick that could bottom out like the Erik Karlsson trade or the Matt Duchene trade. The Devils pick could do that, even with Laine on the team. It’s too big a risk, even if technically the Devils are the winners of this deal.
Who wins this trade: New Jersey Devils (but nobody says yes)