Going into the offseason, new General Manager Sunny Mehta had the same issue facing his predecessor: find a top-six forward to play with Jack Hughes. There were rumors running rampant that more than a handful of players who fit that mold were available in the trade market. The Devils had two pieces that could potentially fetch the intended goal.
Those two pieces were Simon Nemec and the Devils' own first-round pick, 12th overall in the NHL Draft.
A few days before the draft, Mehta decided to pull the trigger on a deal sending Nemec to the Calgary Flames for two future first-round picks and the 35th overall pick in this year's draft. While Devils fans thought Nemec's value was incredibly low given his play this past year, obviously it was anything but.
Getting two first-round picks for Nemec was a haul for Mehta's first trade at the helm of the Devils. Acquiring the 35th overall pick, only a few selections shy of the first round, added even more to Nemec's actual value.
The New Jersey Devils were quieter than expected at the NHL Draft
The other piece that Mehta had was the 12th overall pick. Mehta decided to keep the pick and use it on Swedish forward Alexander Command. While higher-ranked players were on the board, Mehta reached a little bit for Command. Also, given the history of Swedish players the Devils have taken in the first round, this pick has given some fans a little pause.
So Nemec gets traded for futures, and the 12th overall pick was chosen on what many call a reach. As the dust settles on the NHL Draft, the goal has still not been met on acquiring a top-six forward.
With the value the Devils got for Nemec and the trades involving early first-round picks(see Eklund, William and Byram, Bowen), the Devils did not turn their two most valuable trade assets into what has plagued this franchise for the last half-decade.
Was the Nemec deal good for the Devils? Absolutely. Given the return the Devils got for Nemec, is it plausible for fans to think Mehta could have traded him for an NHL player instead of futures? Absolutely.
On Day 2 of the NHL Draft, Elliotte Friedman said that the Dallas Stars were actively trying to trade their star forward, Jason Robertson. However, it was going to be more difficult to trade him because teams interested in the forward had already used their first-round picks this year.
The Devils could have held off on the Nemec deal and maybe packaged Nemec with the 12th overall pick to Dallas in exchange for Robertson. Dallas has a great young defensive core that has Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley. The problem with those two is that they are both left-handed.
Dallas's right-handed defensemen right now are Ilya Lyubushkin, Nils Lundkvist, and Tyler Meyers. Only Lundkvist is below the age of 30 out of those three. It is easy to see a world where Dallas would be interested in the right-handed Nemec. Adding the lottery pick the Devils had, why couldn't the Devils swing a deal involving their two most valuable assets for a trade, on paper, that makes all the sense in the world?
The road to trading for a top-six winger or even a better goalie like Connor Hellebuyck has become infinitely harder for Mehta now that he doesn't have his two most valuable trade chips anymore. The valuable pieces he has now are those extra first-round picks. However, given the original teams that owned them, Colorado and Vegas, they will not be as high as 12th overall.
The Devils do not have a player as valuable as Nemec either. It is highly doubtful someone like Dawson Mercer or Arseny Gritsyuk has the same value as Nemec.
While the offseason has barely begun, Mehta has already put himself behind the eight ball in acquiring someone like Robertson. Then again, maybe the mess created by Tom Fitzgerald has Mehta handcuffed and unable to make the moves he wants. Either way, that excuse won't last forever.
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