NHL Rumors: Potential New Jersey Devils Players On The Move

Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumors. This time looking we are looking specifically at the New Jersey Devils as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches. The Devils have been a team that has been talked about for months leading up to the deadline as teams have looked at their players that will either be free agents or have term remaining left on their deals. However as Tom Fitzgerald has always stated, he is not going to move out a player if it does not benefit the Devils long-term. He is looking to make a hockey deal to improve his hockey club for the future. Similar to how he acquired Jonas Siegenthaler last year.

The Devils have been active over the last couple of trade deadlines trading the likes of Blake Coleman, Travis Zajac, Andy Greene, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, and others. The Devils have only two pending UFAs this season and if Tom Fitzgerald is going to trade them he may not get much of a return for them. New Jersey is an interesting team as they are in need of goaltending with so much uncertainty surrounding the position. If that does not get addressed at the deadline, you know Fitzgerald will address it in the off-season.

As far as this deadline goes, let’s take a look at some players that potentially could be traded here in a team edition of NHL Rumors.

P.K. Subban

Let us begin this edition of NHL Rumors by looking at P.K. Subban. Subban is a pending UFA that Fitzgerald said the team is not bringing back. He is in the final year of his deal which carries a salary-cap hit of $9 million. In terms of real dollars, it is less than $2 million as his $7 million signing bonus was already paid before the year. However, this contract will not be easily moved as teams are afraid of the cap hit. Fitzgerald has gone to Subban to discuss the potential of moving him at the deadline.

And if the Devils were to move him it would have to make sense for both parties. The Devils are not going to dump salary just to dump it. Plus even if the Devils were to trade him, they would have to retain at least half of his salary. And even that might not get a deal done. A third team would have to get involved and then contending teams might want to trade for him. Subban might have lost a step or two, but he still has a shot and could play second power-play minutes. This makes him attractive outside of his cap hit.

Jimmy Vesey

Another player that is a UFA this off-season is Jimmy Vesey. Vesey has found a nice role with the Devils this season in the bottom six. He has shown his ability to be an effective penalty killer as well as bring the physicality needed to win during the playoffs. Not to mention he has his share of goals this season. But that is not what a contending team will be looking at when they bring him in. They will look at his other attributes. Teams competing in the playoffs can never have enough depth and Vesey is a depth guy. Fitzgerald might not get much of a return for him, but some team out there might take a flyer on him.

Around FPC

NHL: NHL Power Rankings: Flames Sit Number One With Panthers Closing In

NHL: NHL Notebook: Tomas Hertl Extension and Trades

NHL: Tom Fitzgerald Looks To Improve New Jersey Devils Goaltending

NFL: NFL Community Pays Tribute To Tom Brady Following Retirement Announcement

Wrestling: AEW Dynamite Rise For St. Patrick’s Day Slam

PODCAST: Full Press NHL Podcast Ep 20: Jack Eichel is Back, The Montreal Canadiens Free Fall, and USA vs Canada

Pavel Zacha

Here is where things get interesting. Over the last several weeks, Pavel Zacha’s name has been coming up in trade circles. His name has been linked to the Vancouver Canucks for quite some time. However, now the Montreal Canadiens are being linked to Zacha. The pending RFA is on pace for about 20 goals this season. The sixth overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft has not made much of an impact since entering the league. Again the whole development process comes into question with this player and there is a time and a place for that.

While teams are interested in Zacha, who is a big versatile player, who can play the wing and centre, the Devils might have missed their window of opportunity to trade him. You can never say never in this business, but the opportunity to trade him was during this past off-season after he put up career numbers 35 points (17 goals and 18 assists). Now Zacha is on pace to break those numbers, but he has cooled down since the beginning of the season. So more so then the window to trade him was still there. The Devils are in the need of upgrading their scoring so it makes sense to trade Zacha. But they need to get something of value in return like a Brock Boeser or a Conor Garland from Vancouver.

The best thing for both parties is a change of scenery whether that happens now or in the off-season is what is remained to be seen.

Andreas Johnsson

One player that got mentioned by Darren Dreger on TSN Insider Trading a week ago was Andreas Johnsson. Dreger stated that the Arizona Coyotes were interested in Johnsson’s cap hit for budget terry purposes. Johnsson is in the third year of a four-year deal he signed with the Maple Leafs that carries a $3.4 million AAV. If the Devils were to trade him they would have to do it before the end of this season as Johnsson has a modified NTC kick in next season. Johnsson is in the middle of a solid offensive season with the Devils.

Damon Severson

One name that is coming up more and more is Damon Severson. However, Tom Fitzgerald is not going to give up Severson for free. Fitzgerald knows this player has value and can still benefit the Devils despite what fans think of his play. And while Severson is getting interest from teams around the league because he has one year left on his current deal, it better be a deal that makes sense for Fitzgerald to make.

“I can tell you, moving Damon Severson, it would have to be a really good package that helps us now and in the future,” Tom Fitzgerald said in an interview with The Athletic. “But I haven’t talked to anybody about him.’’

It does not appear Severson is moving at the deadline. This again could be more of an off-season type move. We know the Devils have been getting calls on Severson going back to last year’s trade deadline, but the deals have not made Fitzgerald pull the trigger. Again the deal has to benefit the Devils too not just the player.

Like Fitzgerald said right shot defencemen don’t grow on trees.

Other names that have been mentioned in NHL Rumors are Jesper Bratt and Miles Wood. But let’s face it the Devils are going to sign him to a new deal, so he probably does not get traded. Wood, who if he does get traded will be in the off-season since he has not stepped foot on the ice this year.

That does it for this edition of NHL Rumors. Stay tuned for another one come the weekend as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches.