4. 2016 NHL Trade Deadline
This was another situation where the Devils had some pretty menial assets but got some really good returns. They ended up making three deals, and all three ended up being wins. Let’s take them from “most important” to “least important”.
The Devils traded Eric Gelinas to the Colorado Avalanche for a 3rd-round pick. Gelinas was once considered the future on the blue line, but it became clear he needed a change of scenery (and honestly, it was just clear he wasn’t an NHL player). The pick was in 2017, and it ended up turning into Fabian Zetterlund, who’s in Binghamton and is an interesting player moving forward.
The Devils sent failed 1st-round pick Stefan Matteau to the Montreal Canadiens for Devante Smith-Pelley. At first, it looked like one of the great moves in the history of this franchise. He ended up scoring eight goals in the final 18 games of the season as a 23 year old. The Devils signed him to a two-year deal in the offseason, but he flamed out terribly the next season and the team ended up buying him out. Matteau has bounced around the league, and he never really stuck with one franchise.
The biggest move was getting a 2nd and 4th-round pick for Lee Stepniak. Stepniak started his Devils career as a PTO, but he wildly outplayed his expectations. He scored 16 goals in 63 games before Boston put together a package to bring him in. Basically, Shero turned a free asset into two decent picks.
Yeah, the Devils did lose that 2nd-round pick in the Mirco Mueller deal and that pick did turn into Mario Ferraro, but at the end of the day, Shero turned Stempniak into a really good package at the deadline.