If you’re an owner of a GM or sports franchise, and you want to prove yourself as a threat to the league you’re playing in, you’re going to have to do one major thing: you must take the risk of giving up prospects to get the guys you need. GMs become prospect huggers, the people who try to justify the idea of saying these young kids will be the missing key that the team needs to succeed, only to be proven wrong when they don’t pan out and become bad players.
Brian Cashman is the perfect example of a prospect-hugger GM. Despite owning a billion-dollar franchise and not having won a World Series championship since 2009, he continues to choose loyalty over winning, and the Yankee fanbase rightfully calls him out because of that.
In the Devils’ 44-year history, they haven't had a GM who has been a prospect hugger, not even Tom Fitzgerald, who did acquire Timo Meier with the depth the Devils had. Now we must hope that continues now with Sunny Mehta as the new Devils GM. There’s a great chance he'll continue to take risks, as he said in his introductory press conference about being a poker player, and poker players are very well known for taking risks.
A good example to showcase this idea is the Devils' roster. Sure, Mehta has already improved the roster by acquiring Evan Rodrigues and Anthony Mantha, but they are still missing a big-name top-six player.
It’s still early August, and there are a couple of players, for whatever reason, who haven’t been traded yet. One of those top players is Dylan Larkin, who has been asking for new scenery since Detroit’s latest season not only sent them downhill but also got Steve Yzerman fired. Now, while it’s still clear where Larkin wants to go to a top contender, his list may not have changed, but that can change. Now let’s say halfway through the season, the Red Wings are awful and are looking to sell at the next NHL trade deadline on March 1.
The Devils, for all we know, will be at least decent enough next season and play well, but are still lacking that true star player. There is a big opportunity there to get Dylan Larkin, and you need to put that big offer on the table to get him.
What would Mehta offer as a trade package? The package that would work best to offer Dawson Mercer, Anton Silayev, and Alexander Command. Mercer is a player who also needs a change of scenery. For Silayev and Command, they could be great here, but you must take those risks when someone as special as Dylan Larkin is on the line, and the same could be said for any other special player at the deadline who's available.
Now there will still be factors to this, like whoever the new Red Wings are interested in trading with the Devils, if he likes this package, they can very well accept this offer for a trade, the Devils would finally get their main star, thus showcasing Sunny Mehta not being a prospect hugger, and not being afraid to deal our prospects to build a contending team in New Jersey.
Add us as a preferred source on Google