Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

New Jersey Devils: Forward Trade Deadline Decisions

By David Holliday

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Travis Zajac #19 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers at 32 seconds of the first period at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: Travis Zajac #19 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers at 32 seconds of the first period at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
New Jersey Devils
Kyle Palmieri #21 of the New Jersey Devils (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Kyle Palmieri

Kyle Palmieri has had a rough year and his play with and without the puck has not been up to the standards he set for himself as a true first-line player the last five seasons. He does have 7 goals and 16 points in 32 games which would actually be only slightly behind his normal pace. Whether missing the normal training camp hurt him or perhaps  the odd and incredibly long offseason forced him to throw off his game, he needs to play more consistently.

If he did manage to, with the points he has acquired so far, this could have still been a huge season for Palmieri. This makes his value very hard to pinpoint. Goal scorers of this caliber are hard to find and he has low enough number on his contract’s cap hit that any team would easily fit him in. If he is moved, the Devils could eat half of the money making it a pro rated $2.3 million cap hit.

Another question for the team trading for him or for the Devils keeping him is the impending expansion draft. Does another team have room to protect him or is he a pure rental? The Devils if they do not move him would need to extend him and protect him because losing your best goal scorer over five years for nothing would be beyond foolish. As for the price of retaining him, which will be factored into if they keep or deal him, it is a tough nut to crack. Most players would be expecting a raise, but the Devils likely can not afford to get locked in long term. Would they be willing to pay him $5-6 million for 4-5 years? Would Palmieri be willing to take it?

All are questions that are going to hang over this team. At the age of 30, it is always hard to tell how long a player can keep up the high pace, a question that is harder to answer this season than last.

Palmieri should demand a high price at the deadline. The Devils should be asking for a 1st-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Teams should be willing to give them up in 2021 versus a future year due to some leagues only playing a small amount of games. A first-round pick for a solid goal scorer, especially if he slots into a middle six role on a good team, is a good move and if he did end up on a team like Boston or Pittsburgh, it might push them up the rankings in the league by a fair bit.

Home/Editorials