10. 2017 NHL Trade Deadline
Most fans would probably have the 2018 trade deadline as last, but 2017 was definitely a major, major disappointment. The Devils had some interesting assets that teams were looking to acquire. Teams were circling the Devils for a while because it was clear that Ray Shero was looking to reset some things, but he did not get the value many hoped.
Shero signed P.A. Parenteau to a PTO in the offseason, and he eventually earned himself a full-time contract. He ended up scoring 13 goals before the deadline, which made him an attractive asset ahead of the deadline. The Devils ended up sending him to Nashville for a 6th-round pick. The Predators didn’t even really use him, so it was a strange trade all around, but it was very bad on the Devils’ side.
The Devils also traded Kyle Quincey for Dalton Prout. Prout was a young defenseman who had some upside, but he had been terrible for two years straight at the time of the deal. The hope was at 26 years old, he could turn around whatever was ailing him. Prout ended up only playing 40 more NHL games, including 18 over two seasons with the Devils.
The Devils best move was getting a 4th-round pick for Vernon Fiddler, also a deal with the Nashville Predators. However, they used the pick as part of a package to get Mirco Mueller. So, there’s that. They also traded Sergey Kalinin for Victor Loov, which never made an impact for the Devils.
It was a bad deadline week when the Devils made so many moves that came with little or no value. This really didn’t help the rebuild at all.