New Jersey Devils: Assessing CapFriendly Trades Before Trade Deadline

The New Jersey Devils are sellers at the trade deadline. That much is clear. One thing that makes it extremely clear is going through CapFriendly’s Armchair GM tool. It’s a place where regular people can make fake trades that work under the salary cap. While a lot of the moves involve claiming Nikita Gusev on waivers today, which is understandable, the main thing is looking at some of the deadline deals for the Devils’ main pieces.

The Devils have multiple trade options this season. There are a few players who haven’t worked in Lindy Ruff’s system that would absolutely work elsewhere. One being Gusev himself, who passed through waivers on Friday. There are plenty of others, and they have fans of other teams hoping they could take advantage of the failings of the Devils this season. There are always some interesting trades on the Armchair GM tool, as well as some outright crazy ones.

We tried to eliminate the crazy ones and took some very level-headed moves to see how other fanbases see the Devils’ assets. Is this another trade deadline that shapes the future? Look what the Devils did last season. They added current roster players in Janne Kuokkanen and Nick Merkley and future stars in Dawson Mercer, Nolan Foote, Kevin Bahl, and Shakir Mukhamadullin.

The Devils have a lot of assets, but they don’t have top-end assets like they did last season. There is no Taylor Hall or Blake Coleman leaving the team this season. However, players like Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Murray, Sami Vatanen, and Travis Zajac can get a decent return on expiring contracts. The Devils need to figure out what the future holds. First and foremost, they need to get the best possible return for the future, because they aren’t winning anything now.

Kyle Palmieri is the prize for the Devils this season. They reportedly tried to get a deal done before it became clear they needed to trade him, but it seems like they are pretty far apart on a contract. This means that a trade is likely impending, so enjoy Palmieri in a Devils uniform while we still can. Could they find an agreement in the offseason and reunite after a trade? Sure, it’s possible, but that only happens on rare occasions, and they usually go back to teams that are traditional contenders.

The Devils are looking to say goodbye to a really good player who’s having a down season. There were reports they were looking for two 1st-round picks in the offseason, but that’s not his value now. Is it possible to get one 1st rounder in a weak draft that nobody has been able to scout? Yeah, but they are probably in better shape going for a prospect and 2nd-round pick since there’s a little more of a guarantee there.

This deal proposed by CapFriendly user Allghilliedup88 makes some sense. The Devils need to add to their defensive prospects since none of them have stood out except for Ty Smith. Reilly Walsh, Bahl, and Michael Vukojevic have been fine in Binghamton, but the team has been awful on the actual defense thing this season.

It makes sense to take a chance on Bode Wilde. Now that Oliver Wahlstrom has graduated to the NHL, he’s probably their best prospect. That doesn’t make him a great prospect, as the Islanders pool is weak. However, he has a ton of upside. He has pretty good size and he has an impressive skill set. He’s never been able to really put things together, but he could be someone who can flip a switch and be really good. The Devils would be smart to take a chance on him and then add a 2nd-round pick.

Dmitry Kulikov has quickly become one of the most desired defensemen on the trade market. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason with the Devils, and he had to know it was possible he could be one of the way out if the team didn’t live up to expectations. Still, he’s by far the best of the Devils’ offseason acquisitions. Of the four players the Devils brought in this offseason, one retired, two have spent time as healthy scratches this season, and the other is Kulikov. He’s been great with P.K. Subban, and he would make a great addition to any team.

While there is a small chance the Devils could think it’s best to re-sign Kulikov, it is much more likely the Devils move him at the trade deadline. He’s a defenseman who could jump into any lineup and play well. Teams are going to want him, and it seems like the teams in the North Division make a lot of sense. We mocked him to the Winnipeg Jets earlier this week, but this one has CapFriendly user CLR mocking him to the Montreal Canadiens.

Jordan Weal really makes this deal interesting. The Devils would be taking salary off the Canadiens’ books and they would probably slightly upgrade their standing on draft choice. Teams probably want to stick around the “3rd-round pick” range, but the Devils hold much more value for Kulikov. The Canadiens coming in and offering a veteran who could play the rest of the season and a pick the Devils currently don’t have might be enough to make this deal work.

The Devils are in an interesting position with Miles Wood. He is the perfect player for Lindy Ruff’s system, but Ruff is only going to be here for a limited time. So, should the Devils take advantage of Miles Wood’s value while it’s at an all-time high? If this is the trade, then absolutely.

It’s not a crazy thought. Wood is only 25 years old and he’s signed for another year beyond this one at a very affordable $2.75 million. The Maple Leafs are looking to add a forward at the deadline, and they’ve been tied to everyone from Taylor Hall to Mikael Granlund. However, Wood might fit better than any “superstar” would because he could play a lot of roles and he doesn’t need power-play time to provide offense.

Wood has 11 goals in 35 games this season. He’d be on a 23ish goal pace over an 82-game season. Teams would love to add his combination of speed and touchness. His ability to beat icings would be a great asset in the playoffs. Teams are going to want him in the Devils make him available.

CapFriendly user A123 (likely a burner) makes this deal along with a few others for the Maple Leafs’ stretch run. Robertson is a really good prospect that would immediately fit into what the Devils are trying to do now and in the future. He can beat goalies from anywhere on the ice, and he’s only 19 years old. This would really speed up the Devils’ rebuild, and they would find someone who could play next to Hughes or Hischier.

This one takes some explaining. To see Borocop’s explanation, go here. Anyway, they get Jake Gardiner in a trade with the Hurricanes that sends Evgeni Dadonov to Carolina. They then take on Kris Russel’s deal for some pieces, but they get a 2nd-round pick in the process. They send that pick and Gardiner to the Devils to give Nikita Gusev a look.

That seems like a wild amount to trade for a player that was on waivers just days ago, but Gardiner was on waivers a few days ago too. Gusev does fit in with a team like Ottawa, but with the quarantine period and no playoffs, this seems unlikely to say the least. They wouldn’t get a good look at Gusev before deciding whether or not to re-sign him.

Gusev needs a different play style. He’s just not fast enough to make sense on the Devils. The Devils power play is too bad for him to succeed. It’s a comicosm of bad fits. The Senators would give Gusev a chance to play his game, and he could recoup his value before free agency. He is a good player in a system that doesn’t fit. He needs something that will slow things down for him.

Gardiner is a player that makes sense for the Devils. He is a little overpaid, but the Devils likely won’t be near the cap ceiling for a long time so it won’t matter. Getting a pick too is just icing on the cake. Even if the pick was a 3rd or 4th-round pick, this would be a nice trade.