5 Pieces New Jersey Devils Can "Sell" At NHL Trade Deadline
By Nick Villano
Brendan Smith
Brendan Smith is a controversial name among Devils fans. The defenseman has struggled in the Lindy Ruff system, but he's a highly respected player around the league. Teams would love to add him as depth, and that comes with a price. Nobody is giving a first for Smith, but he could fetch an asset for the Devils. If the team is looking toward the future, playing Smith has no real gain.
Adding Smith to a team with playoff aspirations that's looking to add some physicality to its game would be desirable. What's that worth? It all depends on when Smith gets moved and to who. We've seen teams overpay when the pieces start to fall.
The Devils are already dealing with fewer assets than usual. They still owe the Sharks a high draft pick, which if they sell would be a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. That was a part of the Timo Meier trade. No, Meier is not on this list, but losing those picks makes becoming a seller much easier. The Devils also sent this year's fourth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for Curtis Lazar, but everyone would do that trade again and again.
Smith might get the Devils a middle-round pick, and that could be enough to push the Devils. This would open a spot for Santeri Hatakka, who looked really good in his short time in the NHL.