New Jersey Devils Players Possibility Of Being Traded This Season
The New Jersey Devils are sellers this season. It’s been that way more often than not. It seems like every season it becomes open season on the Devils upcoming unrestricted free agents. Last season, everyone was available. The Devils ended up trading Blake Coleman, Taylor Hall, Wayne Simmonds, Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, and Louis Domingue before the trade deadline was over. They listened to offers on Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac (likely among others), but they decided to keep at least some of the veterans on the roster.
This season, the Devils have an insane amount of trade candidates thanks to 10 contracts going into unrestricted free agency at the end of this season.
This article won’t look at every single possible trade candidate but instead will only look at the ones who have been in rumors. Aaron Dell might get traded, as could Connor Carrick, but there’s no smoke around them right now.
This is looking at the main trade candidates on the team, and it will give a percentage chance they have to leave. There are many factors that could keep a player on the Devils. Maybe the team thinks they have a chance to be a part of the future. It’s possible the Devils want another look before deciding if they want a future with said player. Nothing is 100 percent in this sport. If the deal doesn’t make sense for the Devils, Tom Fitzgerald won’t make it.
With that said, there will be no player on this list that’s “100 percent getting traded” and there is no player that will be “100 percent not getting traded”. There is always leeway. That being said, the Devils are open for business once again this season. With just two weeks until the NHL trade deadline, and with the Buffalo Sabres making the first deal sending Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens to kick things off, we look at the possibility of every Devils trade candidate playing for another team by April 13th.
Kyle Palmieri
Chance He Gets Traded: 55%
Kyle Palmieri is the Devils’ most coveted asset right now. He’s in the most mock trades on blogs and websites across the hockey sphere. He’s been tied to the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins most notably. Both teams are dealing with major injuries. The easy decision is to say that Palmieri can fill a need lost by Anders Lee or Brad Marchand.
However, the Devils are also in deep talks with Palmieri on an extension. The rumors say things haven’t gone exactly to plan between the two, but that can change on a dime. We saw it happen with Chris Kreider last season, but the Devils probably aren’t coming out with a contract offer north of $45 million.
It’s clear that it’s more likely than not that Palmieri gets traded at the deadline. The reason the percentage is so low is the trade offers haven’t been great so far. The Devils would have jumped at someone offering more than a 1st-round pick. The offers probably look something like a 2nd-round pick and likely a low-level prospect with some upside. If the offers aren’t going to get better, then the Devils will likely be willing to move on a contract offer. They can also wait longer since rumors, as reported by The Athletic, say Palmieri’s modified no-trade clause includes “every Canadian team”. That shouldn’t be too problematic since there are plenty of American teams that would love Palmieri on their roster.
It’s likely Palmieri’s time is limited in New Jersey. He’s been a great representative of the franchise, but they have to think about the assets coming the other way.
Dmitry Kulikov
Chance He Gets Traded: 80%
The New Jersey Devils made a surprise signing of Dmitry Kulikov in the offseason. It was really overshadowed by the acquisitions of Andreas Johnsson, Ryan Murray, and Corey Crawford (remember him?). However, he’s been by far the best of the four offseason additions. Kulikov has been able to hold down a spot with P.K. Subban, and he’s made him look better than any partner of Subban in the past.
Subban’s CorsiFor% with Kulikov is north of 55%. Without Kulikov, Subban has been below 48%. He’s basically been below average without Kulikov this season. With him, he’s been able to gain confidence and play his game.
Still, teams are going to want defense, and Kulikov is one of the most underrated names on the market. A team will be willing to hit the Devils’ price when it’s all said and done. Brandon Montour, Mikael Granlund, and David Savard are other defensive names on the trade charts, but Kulikov might be the first to move based on the price.
In all, the Devils have no assets outside of salary cap space tied into Kulikov. He’s been one of the better assets for the Devils this season, and every game he seems to raise his trade value. There’s a better chance he moves than anyone else on the Devils. The market for him is there, and the Devils won’t be as tied to him as they are Palmieri. Even though he’s definitely helped Subban resurrect his career, and most Devils fans would be okay with an extension, he’s likely on his way out the door.
Ryan Murray
Chance He Gets Traded: 65%
Ryan Murray was an important piece for the Devils this offseason. He was supposed to come in and help fix P.K. Subban after a tumultuous first year in New Jersey. The experiment never worked out, and Murray ended up being scratched for more than a week while the Devils took an extended look at Will Butcher. Now, Murray is back in the lineup and playing fine with Sami Vatanen (more on him in a second), but he’s still someone that other teams will covet.
Murray is going to cost next to nothing for another team to acquire. That will lead to more teams negotiating for his services. The Devils only spent a 5th-round pick to get him in the offseason. Now, teams can just extend that asset slightly, and the Devils would probably make the move. They still have Butcher in tow, so they have an easy replacement for Murray on the left side of the defense. Plus, Fitzgerald comes out looking like a winner since all he did was upgrade his draft asset in the end.
The issue here is twofold. One, a team needs to be willing to take a chance on Murray while paying his $4.6 million salary. Obviously, the Devils have already paid a chunk of the salary, and the Devils can retain half of what’s left, but there are salary cap issues on top of teams trying not to spend extra dollars while fans aren’t at full capacity.
The Devils could end up being stuck with him, but if they trade their other defensive assets, it’s not that big of a deal. Again, he only cost a 5th-round pick in the first place. Maybe the Devils could give him an extended role with Subban when Kulikov leaves. Murray seems to be having trouble adjusting to Lindy Ruff’s demand from defensemen, so he might of just needed a reduction in ice time to perform. Either way, it’s very likely another team wants to give the former second-overall pick a chance.
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.
Nikita Gusev
Chances He Gets Traded: 40%
Would a team be willing to give Nikita Gusev a chance to play out the string if it cost them basically nothing in a trade? Yeah, probably. Are the Devils looking to give him away for nothing? That doesn’t seem to be the kind of deal the Devils and Tom Fitzgerald like to make. Gusev has been the worst player on the Devils this season. Full stop. Something has seemed incredibly off all season, and he can’t get out of his own way. There’s a possibility the pandemic is really taking a toll, or maybe the truncated start to the season made it impossible for him to get going.
There’s the possibility that nobody even wants Gusev at the trade deadline. He is owed north of $4 million this season. Teams aren’t trying to take on money like that, even if the Devils retained the maximum 50% of his contract.
The Devils are looking at a Wayne Simmonds-type deal at the maximum here. A future 5th-round pick for an asset they spent a 2nd and a 3rd on? It’s not a great return, obviously, but it’s probably the one they need to accept.
There’s a chance the Devils let Gusev play out the string in New Jersey. Maybe there’s a legitimate excuse for his complete plummet to the depths of the NHL. This is a player that was really good down the stretch last season. Now, he’s unplayable. Lindy Ruff hasn’t put him in the lineup since March 20th. He’s only played 20 games this year and he only has two goals. He’s still very talented, but when some of his advanced stats are literally worst in the league, the Devils have to look at their options.
Miles Wood
Chances He Gets Traded: 25%
There was some legitimate buzz surrounding Miles Wood this season. He’s been really good. He’s Lindy Ruff’s greatest work in his first year on the bench. He took an asset that was borderline unplayable last season, and turned him into a responsible goal scorer. Wood leads the Devils with 10 goals, and he’s been able to stay out of the penalty box for the most part. He still plays with the necessary edge to keep him contributing at all times, and Ruff found a way to use his speed to his advantage on every shift. He’s even avoided running into the goalie!
That might get teams looking Wood’s way and hoping to acquire his services. He brings a lot to the Devils, and he would be hard to pry from them. However, looking ahead, there’s a chance they lose him for nothing during the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. The Devils might look to get some assets for him now instead of waiting until another team takes him for free.
Wood has another year left on his contract after this year paying him an average of $2.75 million per season. The only issue here is Wood’s actual dollar amount goes up to $3.5 million next season. The Devils could cover some of that contract if the extra $750,000 is a problem for teams in a cash crunch.
This is incredibly unlikely because the Devils will want to try to keep their asset, which includes this offseason during the expansion draft. A team has to come with a really good offer to get the Devils to budge on Wood. He’s very valuable right now, and he’s still only 25 years old. He falls into the age group Fitzgerald said he wants to keep on this team while Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier grow.
P.K. Subban
Chances He Gets Traded: 20%
P.K. Subban is a player many fans just wish would go away, but he’s actually been playing well as of late. Will he ever live up to that $9 million salary cap hit? Absolutely not, but it’s time for fans to move past it. Unless the Devils are spending to the cap ceiling, how much he makes means absolutely nothing.
Teams are still circling the Subban wagon right now. There are rumors teams have made inquiries. The Devils will obviously listen to offers on Subban, but at that $9 million price tag, the return will likely be minimal at best. Subban is still an asset for the Devils, especially how Ruff is using him. As we said before, he’s been much better on the ice since he was paired with Kulikov. Having a player who’s willing to make the responsible plays next to him in Ruff’s system is key to his success.
Still, there’s always the chance a team comes with an offer from the top rope that make the Devils think. Subban is another candidate to head west in the expansion draft, so if someone is offering something of note, the Devils might be primed to take it. The Devils might have to expose a really good young player like Yegor Sharangovich, so losing Subban instead might be the better move, but getting assets for him could also be the right move in the long run.
This one has almost no chance of happening now. If anything, this is an offseason move as Subban still has one year left after this one. Teams would be much more willing to take on that salary when they have a clear indication of what’s happening.
Travis Zajac
Chances He Gets Traded: 40%
Like Andy Greene last season, this one is going to hurt. Travis Zajac was drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 NHL Draft. He’s been a member of the New Jersey Devils ever since. He just recently passed 1,000 games played, and he’s the last player on the team that’s played in the Stanley Cup Final as a member of the Devils. That 2012 run was something to remember, and it doesn’t happen if Zajac doesn’t score an overtime game winner in Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.
Zajac signed an eight-year, $46 million contract almost immediately after the 2013 collective bargaining agreement was signed. The Devils just lost Zach Parise, and Lou Lamoriello didn’t want another major asset to walk away for nothing (oh, just you wait Lou). That deal feels like forever ago. It’s actually aged nicely despite some bumps in the road along the way. Zajac is a very valuable forward for the Devils.
There are some things in the way of the Devils trading Zajac. First and foremost, he has a no-trade clause. That stopped any deals from happening last season. Zajac really seems to like living in New Jersey and spending his time with the Devils. He likely wouldn’t accept a deal to, say, Las Vegas. However, if the New York Islanders come calling, he might consider it since his family doesn’t have to move.
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The Devils also might want to consider just making him a Devil for life. There aren’t many like that in the NHL anymore, and those moments when they retire are incredibly special. Seeing things like Daniel Alfredsson with the Detroit Red Wings or Patrick Marleau with the Toronto Maple Leafs just end up being weird ends to wonderful careers. Sure, it’d be nice for Zajac to chase the Stanley Cup, but the likelihood he’d win it with whatever team traded for his is still extremely low. Maybe it’s better to keep him in New Jersey and enjoy the rest of his career.