New Jersey Devils: 3 Trade Targets On Calgary Flames
The New Jersey Devils need help. With Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier out at least for now, the team looks lost. Could a trade with a team in free fall like the Calgary Flames fix their issues?
The New Jersey Devils came into this season with two obvious holes. The goaltending is average at best. It became clear in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Akira Schmid saved the team when Vitek Vanecek couldn’t do the job, but that only lasted one series. Now, with the Devils staring a drop in the standings that Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier will have to dig them out of when they return, something might need to be done about the last line of defense.
Speaking of defense, that has been just as bad. The Devils give up the third most goals per game in the league. No team is going to play well giving up close to four goals per game. It needs to change. Can this team change that with its current roster?
Losing Damon Severson and Ryan Graves in one offseason was always going to hurt. The hope was some combination of Luke Hughes, Kevin Bahl, Simon Nemec, and veterans Brendan Smith and Colin Miller could put together enough positive performances that it would provide the semblance of a good defense. So far, not so much.
So, it’s time to look at the possible outside contributors who could help. Let’s start with the Calgary Flames, who already have players asking for a lifeline.
Nikita Zadorov
Our Charlie Borges Jr. and Joe Stanislau both wrote about Zadorov, so we’re not going to waste a ton of time here. Adding Zadorov doesn’t immediately fix the right side of the defense, but it does allow the Devils to move Luke Hughes to the right side, where he played a little in college. Stopping the puck is just as important as scoring, so adding to defense will help just as much as adding another scorer.
Daniel Vladar
Devils fans want Tom Fitzgerald to make a big splash when it comes to the goaltender position. After Connor Hellebuyck signed a massive deal with the Winnipeg Jets, it was time to look at other options. We’ve heard the same names over and over again. John Gibson comes up biweekly. Juuse Saros hears the trade rumors just as much. However, it’s much more likely the Devils go after a goalie on the outs than a superstar midseason.
Daniel Vladar could allow the Devils to send Akira Schmid to the minors so he can get consistent playing time. That’s what helped him last season be so sharp in the postseason. Do you think he’d be that good if he was getting inconsistent starts like he is right now? Probably not. Goaltending is about rhythm.
We were tempted to try to fix the Devils situation with a trade fro Jakob Markstrom, but the contract just doesn’t make sense at this point. Vladar has one year left after this one with a $2.2 million cap hit. Markstrom has two years left with a $6 million hit.
This is a pure depth move. Vladar wouldn’t really do much better than Schmid, but he would allow Schmid to go to the AHL. Nobody is asking Vladar to be the starter come playoff time, but could he at least be better than he’s been on the Flames?
Noah Hanifin
Noah Hanifin is a player that’s been all over the place in his production. He was drafted to be a superstar on the blueline, but that never really came to fruition. It’s not to say he’s not really good, but he never made the upper echelon of defenders. That’s why he was traded by the Carolina Hurricanes to the Calgary Flames, and it’s why his name has been mentioned in trade talks again.
Hanifin is better than Zadorov, but people are talking about Zadorov because he has an active trade demand. However, Hanifin had a previous trade demand that was rescinded while the two sides worked on a possible contract extension. That has to be dead in the water now, right? Hanifin was reconsidering his position because a new coach was in place. Now that the results are worse, it might be time for a divorce.
Hanifin has one year left on his deal, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Flames might have a very high price on Hanifin, but we don’t think they are going to get that. He’s just a question mark from multiple fronts (fitting in with a new team, future contract demands, his ceiling, etc.).
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Would this fix everything? Probably not. The Devils need Hughes and Hischier back, hoping a great offense can be the best defense. But, Hanifin can just help them, you know, have a good defense. The cost would have to be worked out, but the Devils have the pieces to move the needle for the Flames.