New Jersey Devils: 3 Trade Deadline Deals With St. Louis Blues
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils are looking to make a deal at the trade deadline. After the New York Rangers made a move for Vladimir Tarasenko, the rivals could pursue the same team.
It’s all hands on deck for Timo Meier, right? The San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils seem like they are on a collision course. However, four or five teams are still in on Meier. So, if the Devils miss out on the biggest piece of the trade market, there are other options.
The New York Rangers already went after that other option. The Devils rivals spent a first-round pick and a few other pieces to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko. We liked Tarasenko in the past, but he seemed like the wrong move for the Devils now. He’s having a bad season in the underlying numbers, and the Devils wanted to go after a player who was less of a rental.
The Blues aren’t done with trade options. Ryan O’Reilly says he doesn’t want to get traded, but he might not have a choice. What would it cost to bring the former Conn Smythe winner to the Devils?
Ryan O’Reilly is not the player he was when the Blues acquired him. Back then, the Blues traded Tage Thompson, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, plus a first and second-round pick in different NHL Drafts. Thompson is now a superstar with the Buffalo Sabres (although it took a while). As you can see, this isn’t nearly that return.
The Devils have a plethora of defensive prospects, and they have a decision to make with Reilly Walsh. He’s at the end of his entry-level contract and doesn’t really have a path to the NHL. Trading him for a rental makes sense. Other prospects, not so much. Walsh is the outlier for Tom Fitzgerald.
O’Reilly doesn’t have the speed he once had, but he can still do a lot right. He’s one of the smartest hockey players out there. He can win faceoffs and then get in a scoring position for Jack Hughes. He could be the third-line center the Devils have been searching for to play in between Dawson Mercer and Tomas Tatar.