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New Jersey Devils Seeing Dividends of Blake Coleman Trade This Season

By Nick Villano

Blake Coleman #20 of the New Jersey Devils defends against Ondrej Palat #18 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period of Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on April 21, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ondrej Palat;Blake Coleman
Blake Coleman #20 of the New Jersey Devils defends against Ondrej Palat #18 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period of Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on April 21, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ondrej Palat;Blake Coleman /
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The New Jersey Devils rebuild came with a lot of low points. Losing players like Andy Greene, Travis Zajac, and Taylor Hall brought mixed feelings. One trade that really had Devils fans split was the deal that sent Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2020, the Lightning offered a first-round pick (one that was originally the Vancouver Canucks) and Nolan Foote for Coleman.

One of the main reasons fans were so split was Coleman still had another year left after his deal was over. The Devils very rarely sold on players who had multiple years left, but Tom Fitzgerald had taken over for Ray Shero after he was shockingly fired in January of that year.

The return was more than fair. Coleman was definitely coming into his own. He had 21 goals in 57 games with the Devils before the trade happened. He struggled to start with the Lightning, and then the world stopped, including the NHL, for the pandemic. Coleman was given time to evaluate his place in Tampa, and he was able to carve out a great role on a Stanley Cup winner.

Tampa got two Stanley Cups out of Coleman before he left for a huge contract in Calgary. The Lightning definitely got everything they could have wanted from the Coleman deal. Even thought at the time most fans would say Fitzgerald did a good job on the return, how would they feel now?

It’s been three years since the trade, and Foote is still not an NHL regular. He might be this year, but that’s hardly a guarantee. The first-round pick turned out to be the 20th overall pick. The Devils made the shocking move of taking Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Of course, as we fast forward to training camp 2023, the Blake Coleman deal is finally going to come through for the NHL roster. Foote is expected to take an NHL role starting this season. The front office is very high on him. He will get every chance to take on the role left vacant by Miles Wood, who signed with Colorado.

Meanwhile, Mukhamadullin is now with another franchise. The Devils didn’t give up on him. On the contrary, the San Jose Sharks seem to have prioritized him in the Timo Meier trade. The Devils sent a very of pieces to California, including NHL regular Fabian Zetterlund. However, the gem of the trade (outside the first-round picks) will be Mukhamadullin.

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Still, the Devils get Meier out of the deal. He is one of the best power forwards in the game. Plus, he signed an eight-year deal with the Devils.

It seems like this deal seems to have given both teams the value they desired. It’s rare to find a win-win trade in the NHL, but this is as close as it comes.

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