The New Jersey Devils were hoping that Barrett Hayton was the final piece of their offseason puzzle. When they sent an offer sheet to the Utah Mammoth center, Devils GM Sunny Mehta was looking to get the upside of the 26-year-old. The Mammoth felt the compensation that comes with the offer sheet, which would just be a second-round pick, was not enough to say goodbye to Hayton.
After the sheet was matched, the Devils are forced to think of Plan B. Some obviously names have been discussed. Shane Wright seems to be the most obvious name, but the compensation cost might be way more than a second-round pick, and he comes with the same risk factors as Hayton offensively.
Some Devils fans want a big swing. Obviously, Jason Roberson has been tied to New Jersey for a while, and Dylan Larkin has been brought up. However, we have to discuss a player that will be right up Mehta’s alley.
The player that could be the replacement for Barrett Hayton might surprise everyone
The Vancouver Canucks could care less about next season. They traded Quinn Hughes, and that was when the wheels fell off. They are looking to trade most of what’s not bolted down to Rogers Arena. That means Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Jake DeBrusk are all available. Would they make sense for the Devils?
On those salaries, no. However, there’s another center on the Canucks that was actually quite good last season.
Someone who is signed to a phenomenal salary is Linus Karlsson. Analytically, he might be the best player on the Canucks. Last season, he finished ahead of Jack Eichel, David Pastrnak, and Leo Carlsson in individual xG at 5v5. He had 13 goals and 16 assists at even strength.
Offensively, 61 of his 116 shots on goal came from high-danger areas. That is a desirable trait for the Devils. With what the team is trying to do, getting to the dirty areas to score helps this team immensely.
Why would the Canucks get rid of Karlsson? For one, he just had his first NHL season, and he’s 26 years old. If the Devils give up decent assets, the Canucks might be willing to part with Karlsson.
What does “decent” look like to the Canucks? It’s hard to tell. We’d imagine they feel the same about a second-round pick as the Mammoth do. It would take more than that, but with the analytical profile Karlsson brings to the table, and his ability to score underneath (an important value for this franchise), then the Devils might make the move.
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