The New Jersey Devils have issues on the fourth line. After Curtis Lazar went down, it showcased the lack of depth the Devils have at center. Justin Dowling is an interesting player in a vacuum, but it's a problem to have him in the lineup every night. Kurtis MacDermid playing for Nathan Bastian basically adds the same amount of grit but removes 100% of Bastian's offense. Now, Tomas Tatar is reportedly injured after suffering something on Friday night. Tatar is out of the lineup on Saturday night, but we won't know much more until postgame.
The Devils could do something bold with the roster once they get some days off, but for now, they should look at who might be available around the league. One player who has been named in rumors is Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander. It's pretty obvious why.
The Canucks just re-signed him to a three-year deal worth $9 million in October. This was two months ago, but he's been relegated to the fourth line for the better part of this season. It shows immediate buyer's remorse, and this could work in the Devils favor.
While the Devils specifically weren't named as tied to Canucks trade talks, our brethren at The Canuck Way mentioned the Devils as a trade partner.
"Prying Hoglander from the Canucks would not only give the Devils an immediate dose of speed and injury relief, but a young depth piece who can continue to thrive with the current group of players in New Jersey. Hoglander is still only 24, and the Devils are likely to buy out or trade Palat after the season."Jon Bailey, The Canuck Way
This is an interesting point, as the Devils wouldn't be just trading for a throwaway forward. Hoglander has a ton of talent and earned that contract. He also has had a weird NHL career where he has had trouble with consistency. He was even sent to the AHL after two full years in the NHL. He had 24 goals just last season, so this is a player who can build from what he's been.
But this season, he's been stapled to the fourth line. He has five points and two goals in 22 games. There's no two ways around it; he's been bad.
The other issue is the Devils cap situation. Even with LTIR, they have very little money. Adding Hoglander at full cap seems off the board this season. They could afford his $3 million in future years, but this year it's hard to swallow without money going the other way.
The deal could happen, but it would likely happen closer to the trade deadline when the Devils have to eat less of those dollars right away. It could also help the Devils offense, which has spurts of struggles where they get shutout.