New Jersey Devils: 3 Trade Proposals To Move Needle For David Pastrnak

Trade 3

Then, there’s this trade. Looking at a previous superstar trade involving the Boston Bruins, we look at the Phil Kessel trade of 2009. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded two first-round picks and a second rounder for Kessel, trying to propel a franchise that hadn’t been good in half a decade. It obviously didn’t work, and the draft pick ended up being second overall in 2010 (getting them Tyler Seguin) and ninth overall in 2011 (getting them Dougie Hamilton). The Bruins and Maple Leafs basically both bungled that trade, as the Bruins traded both assets they got in the deal for below market value.

This one is built pretty much the same way. The Devils would give the Bruins a guaranteed second-overall pick and then the possibility to choose high in 2023. The Devils should be better in 2022-23 with Pastrnak, but they still don’t have a goalie. Until they find one, they always have the risk to pick high. The Devils would protect this in the top five since they already guaranteed the Bruins a top pick.

The Devils would ask for Jake DeBrusk in the deal. They’ve reportedly been interested in him in previous offseasons. It seems like the Bruins have been talking about a DeBrusk trade for years but never pull the trigger. It would be a little ironic for it to happen here. The Devils would likely still pull the trigger on this deal without DeBrusk.

These are three massive prices to pay, but there aren’t many players even close to as good as Pastrnak that comes available. The Devils have to throw everything they have to make a deal happen. If the Devils get Pastrnak, and they fix the goaltending situation, this is an instant contender. That is going to cost them dearly in terms of future assets. However, in the end, it would likely be worth it.