Sami Vatanen
Chance He Gets Traded: 60%
Sami Vatanen’s likelihood of getting traded is just a little lower than Murray’s. He’s probably more coveted across the league based on how he performed in the bubble last season and the fact that he’s right handed. However, he’s been much better as of late, and the Devils might think his value will keep going up. The Devils played with fire last season when waiting for a Vatanen deal, but it worked out in spades. They ended up getting Janne Kuokkanen and a 3rd-round pick for him. Playing with fire a second time could get Fitzgerald burned.
The Devils also really like Vatanen. The social media team always uses him for content. Everyone in the locker room had nothing but nice things to say about him after he was signed late into training camp. He’s still a mess on the penalty kill, but his 5v5 numbers are evening out a little bit. They still aren’t “good”, but they are better than where they were a few weeks ago.
Still, teams are going to call on Vatanen. There are rumors he could be tied to a Palmieri deal as sort of a two-for-one special. If teams are looking to gain multiple assets from the Devils, Palmieri and Vatanen would be a really nice combo for a team that needs both assets without breaking the bank. It’s an interesting strategy in a pandemic year, and after the performance Boston showed on Sunday, they could use some more depth.
Vatanen isn’t going to bring the assets from last season, but he is still valuable. Teams like having him around, and he’d be good for a playoff run if he doesn’t have a lot of responsibility. The Devils might have some kind of deal with Vatanen about where he could go after signing him in the offseason. The team also could keep him since there really aren’t any NHL-ready right-handed defensemen behind him.