New Jersey Devils: 5 Most Important Pieces During Trade Deadline
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils sat by as some contenders started to make huge moves. The New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs all made major moves, adding players from the Western Conference. Every day, the Eastern Conference becomes even harder. As of this writing, the Devils have 79 points. That’s three behind the Carolina Hurricanes and four ahead of the New York Rangers. Those three teams have three regulation losses, and three overtime losses total in their combined last 10 games. So in 30 games, those three teams account for six losses.
The Devils and Hurricanes are reportedly steeped in a negotiation for the rights to Timo Meier. The San Jose Sharks are reportedly slow playing the process, so it will likely last until March 3rd. However, both teams need to get their pieces in order. They need to know what they have available.
The Devils will review the roster and decide which pieces are most important to this process. Which pieces are most important during the trade deadline? We will only look at pieces in New Jersey or playing with the Utica Comets for this process. Shakir Mukhamadullin might be a player the Sharks want, but we’re ignoring him for this exercise. Let’s start with the obvious one.
1. Alexander Holtz
Alexander Holtz is the player we’re all watching ahead of the trade deadline. He is currently playing in Utica, but he was injured in Monday’s loss to Toronto. That might impact his value in a trade after he took a crosscheck to the hip. It doesn’t look particularly serious, but one never knows how serious an injury could be in today’s game.
Holtz has been tied to the Sharks for a long time. His former teammate William Eklund was drafted by the Sharks in 2021. They made magic together in Sweden, and one expects them to do the same in California. Holtz is still a very good prospect despite his inability to become a lineup regular with the Devils.
He would be a centerpiece for a Meier deal if the Sharks desire him. Even if other deals, Holtz might make sense. It would have to be a superstar trade to take Holtz from the Devils.