New Jersey Devils: 5 Moves That Would Unnecessarily Speed Up Rebuild
By Nick Villano
The Devils will pay the Seattle Kraken a 2nd-round pick to take P.K. Subban from the Devils. They will also throw in a young, NHL-ready prospect like Nathan Bastian. This is a deal that will make both teams happy. The Devils have seen Subban improve this season, but at $9 million, it’s too great a pill to swallow. They need to find a team that can take on the final year of his deal, and the Kraken are the perfect team to make that happen.
The Kraken might like Subban anyway. He’s one of the most marketable stars in the NHL. His social media presence might be just what the Kraken needs to gain popularity. He will sell jerseys and get people excited for hockey in Seattle. He will go to all of the events, his charity will have a major presence in the area, and he’s never going to say no to a marketing opportunity. For a team that’s looking for everything from the top down, this is a great move.
Getting that $9 million off the books gives the Devils a chance to make the moves previously explained. There’s no way the Devils can go all in like this when there is that kind of contract on the books. It probably makes a lot more sense to go all in for the 2022-23 season since Subban comes off the books for free, but that’s not the exercise we’re doing right now.
The Devils could compete with Subban the hockey player. If they decide to keep him, they might even be smart to re-sign him to a much, much cheaper deal. However, to compete for something now, they will need to get Seattle to take him.