Ranking Every New Jersey Devils Trade Deadline Since Ilya Kovalchuk Trade

3. 2011 NHL Trade Deadline

Some might not remember, but 2011 was the first year the Devils were actually sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline in what felt like decades. Lou Lamoriello really relished in the moment, taking advantage of teams that tried to take advantage of him for years prior.

It all started with the trade for Jamie Langenbrunner, who was the captain at the time. Lamoriello didn’t waste any time, sending him to the Dallas Stars in January. They got back a pick that eventually turned into Blake Coleman. Obviously, the Devils won that trade big.

The Devils traded for Jason Arnott in the offseason. They thought he’d bring in a veteran presence, so they sent a 2nd-round pick and Matt Halischuk to the Predators. When the season was clearly in the toilet, they turned Arnott into a little later 2nd-round pick in the same year and Dave Steckel. The Devils still got an NHL body in Steckel, who was a former 1st-round pick. Magnus Hellberg was used in the original Arnott deal. The Devils used that pick to make a move that’s ahead of this one.

There was a smaller move where Jay Leach and Steven Zalewski joined the Devils for Michael Swift and Patrick Davis. The Sharks and Devils basically swapped AHL players with some upside, but nobody really turned into anything. It was a depth move on both sides.

For being out of the seller game since the 90s, Lamoriello showed he could still take advantage of teams looking to make moves. He knew what he valued his players at, and he got that value.