New Jersey Devils Give Tyce Thompson A Shot… Somewhere Else
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils have been known as a franchise that knows when to fold ’em. Tom Fitzgerald has traded players who are talented but don’t fit the mold anymore. He has done it in trades that look like a clear loss. However, the trade makes sense for the Devils in ways that might not make sense at first.
The Devils did it when they traded Pavel Zacha to the Boston Bruins for Erik Haula. That one actually worked out for everyone. Zacha is killing it in Boston as the top-line center on one of the best teams in the NHL. The Devils did it with Boston again this offseason, trading defenseman Reilly Walsh for forward Shane Bowers. Bowers didn’t really have much of a chance at making the NHL, and Walsh was likely looking for a long-term NHL shot. With John Marino, Dougie Hamilton, and eventually Simon Nemec all here long-term, Walsh didn’t have a chance to be an NHL regular. So, the Devils sent him “home” to Boston (although he’s been playing in Providence).
It seems the Devils did it again, trading once-promising prospect Tyce Thompson to the New York Islanders for Arnaud Durandeau. Durandeau is a 24-year-old forward with one goal and three assists in the AHL this season. He is going to spend the year at Utica despite being a former teammate of Timo Meier and Nico Hischier.
Thompson was great in college, playing for Providence College. He came to the Devils after his junior season, where he was the team captain and led them in all offensive categories. He was third in the NCAA in points with 44 his sophomore year.
The Devils had high hopes for Thompson. He was brought directly to the NHL from college in 2021. He failed to stay healthy, which would be a theme for his professional career. Injuries would pile up over the past three seasons, and he never really got a true shot in the NHL. He was given 11 games with the Devils, and he has one point to show for it.
The brother of Buffalo Sabres superstar Tage Thompson doesn’t seem like the late bloomer that his brother turned out to be. He’s already 24 years old, so he’s leaving the prospect stages of his career. After a fairly impressive preseason, the Devils still allowed him to go on waivers. It felt like a lock that some team would claim him, but he ended up going to the AHL.
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Thompson is from Oyster Bay, New York, so the Devils are sending him home. This will do well in bringing good publicity to Fitzgerald, which is better in the long run. Removing players who don’t fit instead of forcing them to stick around because of arbitrary NHL rules will go far in future negotiations. It might even help them sign future free agents. Imagine if a Thompson or Walsh move is what helps a team know how great it is to be in New Jersey.