10. Trading John Marino
It’s hard to evaluate a move that’s just “losing a player for picks” in terms of on-ice impact, but as was the case with Holtz, John Marino was a question mark the Devils had no interest in gambling on. There’s a good chance that Marino bounces back after dealing with multiple injuries he tried playing through, but the fact is he was on the ice for 71 goals against. Only 10 players were on the ice for more goals against at 5v5 (via Natural Stat Trick), and Marino ended up missing eight games to boot. The Devils might not consider this “addition by subtraction,” but they clearly felt they got an upgrade in Pesce. It also removes any possibility of a logjam.
11. Re-Signing Nick DeSimone
We discussed the importance of depth on defense when Jonathan Kovacevic’s trade came up. The same is true here, but Nick DeSimone is deep depth on the roster. Surprisingly, the Devils re-signed him before the free agency hit after claiming him off waivers last season. He was pretty decent with the Devils, but he was playing for a team that had nothing left in the tank after injuries and losses had taken their toll. In 11 games with the Devils, he was only on the ice for two 5v5 goals, yet he witnessed 10 goals for the good guys. There are a lot of factors that impact that, but it’s a positive, which is what the Devils want with their depth. Like Kovacevic, DeSimone will still get some time, as there will always be defensive injuries in this league.