Around noon on Tuesday, Sunny Mehta and the New Jersey Devils executed their second blockbuster trade in a week, shipping off Jacob Markstrom and Angus Crookshank to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves.
While the biggest note is that they escaped paying $6 million for the next two seasons for an aging, poor-performing goaltender in Markstrom, upon more reflection, the implications surrounding the Rodrigues and Boqvist acquisitions are pretty important.
In specific, and especially given how the Panthers ran with their depth in terms of contract costs, it's important as it relates to the future of $2.75 million forward Stefan Noesen.
Stefan Noesen's role on the New Jersey Devils is murky after the Evan Rodrigues trade
See, the Devils currently have 13 forwards under contract. Assuming that they're not keen on paying Noesen that $2.75 million to play a fourth-line role, which would be antithetical to how the Panthers ran their cap sheet, he's the clear odd man out. Even Nick Bjugstad at $1.75 million is a bit rich for the fourth-line role he's likely to play in. The Devils could still be making moves to upgrade the lineup and add more dynamic options across all lines.
The reality is, as currently constructed, there is no space for Noesen in the top twelve. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Arseny Gritsyuk are presumably, at this point in time, the top six locks. Connor Brown, Cody Glass, and Rodrigues are the three next most talented players. Given that they have three more players under $2 million AAV in Bjugstad, Boqvist, and Lenni Hameenaho, there simply isn't any room.
That being said, the expectation should perhaps be that Noesen is moved for some draft capital in the coming weeks. He's slowed tremendously, isn't a likely candidate for power play time anymore, and is coming off of major surgery. He does carry trade protections, admittedly, having a seven-team no-trade list. Contenders with open spots down low in their lineup who are looking for a layer of sandpaper may find him as an intriguing option. Rebuilding teams looking for veteran leadership may also find him as an intriguing option, especially if they need to get some salary on the books.
Moving on from Noesen seems like almost a guarantee at this point, given his salary relative to his role. The good news is there will be flexibility for the Devils.
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