Prediction: Travis Zajac Will Be First Domino To Fall
This one is incomplete since the first domino to fall hasn’t fallen yet. Travis Zajac still has a no-move clause, and there is no indication he wants to get traded in the middle of a pandemic. Maybe he would be willing to go to the New York Islanders since he wouldn’t have to move, he wouldn’t have to worry about visa issues, and he can play for a Stanley Cup with the man who drafted him, Lou Lamoriello.
Zajac would be a great piece in a contending team’s bottom six. He can still play against the best competition and hold his own. He showed that as he played against Sidney Crosby in the Devils’ most recent three-game set against the Penguins. This, despite being flanked by two rookies in Janne Kuokkanen and Yegor Sharangovich.
Zajac could still be the first domino to fall, but that is seeming more and more unlikely. The Devils are trying to sell multiple assets, including Kyle Palmieri, Nikita Gusev, Dmitry Kulikov, and Ryan Murray. The market seems to be barren due to the pandemic impacting profits and quarantines taking out Canadian teams for the most part.
Still, maybe this prediction can come true. Anything can happen from now until April 12th. Zajac could be the first piece moved, but it’s likely he’s going to block most moves. That leaves the Devils in a weird spot, and they might decide to just keep him for the end of the season and allow him to choose his next destination.