3 New Jersey Devils Trade Targets Need To Add Grit and Sandpaper
With the first 31 of 82 regular season games in the books for the New Jersey Devils, they are looking to get out of a funk that has been puzzling, to say the least. One of the keys that have been missing is the presence of Nathan Bastian. His shoulder injury eliminated the impact of the BMW Line. Now, the Devils’ bottom six is missing serious grit and perseverance.
The recalibration of the team has been harder to figure out, especially after hearing veteran winger Ondrej Palat is out until the start of the 2023 calendar year. Bastian returning around March is a major possibility.
This Devils team has a lot of talented and skilled players, but there is little to no grit and sandpaper with former Mississauga Steelhead forward Nathan Bastian out for a bit. One of the options after the holiday break is to make a trade. There is a sense of survival of the fittest, and the Devils have to add some grit to this team very fast.
LW Nick Ritchie, Arizona Coyotes
Nick Ritchie, the Orangeville native of Ontario, Canada, has a 6’3″ frame and weighs 230 pounds. Now that’s some serious beef. He averages two to four hits a game and can be an effective bottom-six winger that can bully opposition players. Nick Ritchie has seven goals and 12 points in 26 games played this season for the Coyotes. He has the potential to be a two-way threat making the Devils a very scary team to play against before and after the trade deadline.
Any team going up against a Nico Hischier or a Jack Hughes with him around will suffer a lot of consequences with a crazy Chewbacca-like skater going after an opposition player. Even if the Devils don’t have him going out there to pound a guy, teams will think 3 times more than taking liberties as the Florida Panthers did on Nico Hischier.
RW Brett Ritchie, Calgary Flames
Yes, another Sasquatch with the same surname Ritchie. The Devils had faced Brett Ritchie before and saw him utilize his 6’4″, 220-pound body to throw three hits against what could be his future team. Ritchie has 48 hits in 24 games with five goals and seven points to go along with that grit and toughness.
He has no problem being an in-your-face player who will finish his checks and have no problem bullying his way to beat defenders. Not only does this set the tone, but this allows him to add offense through those gritty skills. He has speed and tenacity, which would help add a lot of emphasis to a Devil’s third or fourth line and won’t cost a team a lot in cap hit.
Brett had 21 hits in 7 playoff games and had 2 goals for the Calgary Flames in the 2021-22 playoffs. The Orangeville, Ontario native can also be a very solid low-cost, high-reward-type player under the New Jersey Devils to build a more aggressive team. He’s the kind of guy that will keep the opponents on their heels more often and help add that extra heavy hockey dose when the going gets tough.
C Adam Ruzicka, Calgary Flames
Yes, another Calgary Flames forward, but there’s a method to this madness. The native of Bratislava, Slovakia, is a 23-year-old center who can throw the body around, play with skill, and skate really well. Ruzicka stands at 6’4 and 202 pounds. He brings six goals and 17 points in 22 games played. Adam Ruzicka can beat you offensively and defensively and play that high-danger hockey game that the New Jersey Devils desperately need.
He knows what it takes to play alongside star forwards like Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary. This could definitely be a beautiful fit having Ruzicka on a line with either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, helping add a player with skill, talent, and intensity. He would be a nice complimentary piece to help winger Tomas Tatar and upcoming defenseman Simon Nemec to help go through the physical and rougher moments on the NHL schedule. It usually helps to have a fellow countryman in being able to relate to the style of play and knows how to play a certain way in a new environment.
Next. Devils Should Trade Mackenzie Blackwood. dark
Conclusion
The New Jersey Devils should make a move or two in adding a player with a similar cut of cloth that would look good on this team. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald will look to round out his team and help them get tougher, better, and sharper against a very high-stakes schedule. New Jersey can’t afford to be bumped around and hemmed in its own zone anymore. It’s only a matter of being able to readapt to one’s environment throughout the 2023 half of the 2022-2023 season.