If there were any questions about Sunny Mehta’s allegiance to the New Jersey Devils, Tuesday’s trade with his former team, the Florida Panthers, should dispel any concerns.
The Devils and Panthers swapped pieces that, frankly, did New Jersey a huge solid.
Mehta preyed on his former boss’ desperation, dumping Jacob Markstrom’s contract on the Panthers. But what the Devils got in return makes this deal a total fleecing.
The Devils got back Evan Rodrigues, one of the most coveted forwards in the league. Rodrigues carved a name for himself during Florida’s three-straight Stanley Cup runs. At one point, Rodrigues stepped up into the Panthers’ top line, showing that he’s more than just a versatile depth forward.
The addition of Jesper Boqvist was a necessary evil for the Panthers, as they needed to clear enough cap space to fit Markstrom’s contract under the cap. While the Panthers have a little over $4 million in cap space, they’ll need the room to round out their roster.
That’s why Florida has to trade the pieces they did. And Mehta was savvy enough to pretty much force Bill Zito’s hand into making the deal that he did.
Mehta deserves kudos for pulling off the deal that he did. Now, the only question that remains is: What does the Devils’ goaltending situation look like?
Devils have just one NHL goalie on the roster at the moment
Following the Markstrom trade, the Devils have just one NHL goalie on the roster. Jake Allen is a solid NHL netminder. The Devils could do well to ride with him as the starter for the time being. But there is a definite need for another goaltender.
That’s the most interesting situation at the moment.
The Devils have almost $10 million in cap space. So, what could the organization do to fill that role? There are a couple of UFA options out there. There’s former Panther Sergei Bobrovsky out there.
But his salary demands might make him a prohibitive option at this point. Perhaps a less expensive option like Stuart Skinner might make sense. Beyond that, the remaining names are mostly backup options.
Unless the Devils have a trade percolating somewhere, the free-agent market may be the way out. Perhaps Mehta might target someone like another former Panther, Daniil Tarasov, and run with a tandem situation next season.
Let’s see what happens. Whatever does materialize, it will be an interesting free-agent season for the New Jersey Devils.
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