The New Jersey Devils have a scoring problem. For weeks, the process has been there, but they haven't been able to turn big chances into goals. On Saturday night, they did net three past the Washington Capitals' netminder, Logan Thompson. However, they still lost in overtime. It was another example of the process not leading to results.
There were some things to hang the Devils’ hat on. Jesper Bratt not only ended his scoreless streak, but he scored twice. One was even on the power play. That was as important a result as any. Cody Glass scored the third goal of the game for the Devils in the third period, which showed this team is capable of coming back from a late deficit.
It wasn’t two points in the standings, but getting the overtime loss at least helps them keep pace with the bottom feeders of the Eastern Conference, and a playoff spot still seems likely. There’s a lot of time between now and April, and the Devils seem like the team that most needs a trade in the entire league.
The Devils have been tied to just about everyone. They were reportedly in the driver’s seat for a Quinn Hughes trade, but for one reason or another, they couldn’t pull the trigger. They’ve been tied to Nashville Predators’ stars Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly, but Andrew Brunette has his team back in the playoff race. They’ve been tied to Blake Coleman, Brayden Schenn, and Philip Danault.
However, none of those players move the needle in the way that another player that’s finally been tied to the Devils would. Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports that St. Louis Blues sniper Jordan Kyrou is available, and the Devils are on the short list of teams going after him.
However, Johnston does pour some water on the Devils' attempt to get a deal done. Because of factors beyond the Devils control, a deal might not be coming before March.
"Trading Kyrou is a whole lot more complicated now that he’s got a massive say in the process courtesy of his no-trade clause. A down year production-wise doesn’t help things, either. As a result, if a deal like this were to ever happen, it’s far more likely to go down in the offseason. That allows more suitors to enter the conversation and would give the player time to make a decision."Chris Johnston, The Athletic
While that is true that Kyrou's situation gives him both power over the process and an ability to delay this as long as he wants, the Devils, and Tom Fitzgerald especially, need to push this process along.
Kyrou in every other season would be the perfect addition to the Devils. He’s only 27 years old, so he should be highly effective for a few more years at a minimum, coinciding with the Devils perceived contention window. He is a scorer, which would help a team that cannot score for the life of them. He’s been a 30-goal scorer for three straight seasons. Even if he’s not on pace for that this season, that is most likely due to his situation rather than a loss in skill.
Kyrou has been incredible in underlying statistics, although they haven’t translated on the ice. That’s largely due to an 8.56 on-ice shooting percentage and a .887 on-ice save percentage. Kyrou is watching everyone around him fail while he does his best to carry the squad. He’s also shooting under 11%, which he hasn’t done as a full-time NHLer.
This man needs a trade, and the Devils need this man. It’s going to cost a lot, but it will cost less than it would have in the offseason. His trade protection gives him the power and allows the Devils to selectively choose their proposed trade. He is signed through 2031, so the Blues hold a lot of power with that, and the Devils would have to move money to fit his $8.125 million cap hit, but this is the type of move that makes sense to “move” heaven and earth to make happen.