Breaking down recent Metro Division trades

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins made notable moves this past week. How do they impact the New Jersey Devils?

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By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

The hockey gods have blessed August this year. Fans are usually at their lowest at the close of Summer, watching old highlights and playing disappointing video games, simply waiting for the start of training camp and a chance to see the new additions to the teams they root for.

However, this year, the general managers decided to provide us with some excitement and news. 

If this is a battle between the conferences, the West Coast wins handily. The St. Louis Blues orchestrated a coup involving two players from the Edmonton Oilers, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, using offer sheets.

Then, just yesterday, top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov was acquired by the San Jose Sharks after the team offered the Nashville Predators a prospect (David Edstrom) a 2025 first-round pick and a goalie prospect (Magnus Chroma). 

Although the East Coast has not been as exciting, there has still been more action than usual at this time of year. Let’s take a look at what trades have recently shifted the Metropolitan division and consider what it could mean for the New Jersey Devils. 

Patrik Laine

The first noteworthy move was between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. The Canadiens received Patrik Laine and a second-round pick in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Jordan Harris. 

At first glance, this looks like an absolute steal for Montreal, as they come away with a winger who was drafted 2nd overall and has the potential to put up forty, maybe even fifty, goals.

However, the Canadiens are taking on some risk as they took on the full weight of Laine’s $8.7 million contract, which has two more seasons remaining. 

Ultimately, the Canadiens' general manager, Kent Hughes, is making a smart bet. His team has often lacked scoring punch and size, and Laine has the possibility of bringing both.

The Canadiens have worked to gain cap space to take advantage of moments like this. Cap space is great, but it only truly matters if you find ways to weaponize it. 

The best outlook for the Metropolitan team involved in the trade is that they were able to shed a large contract and a disgruntled player without having to pay in assets or retain salary.

The Blue Jackets also received a young defenseman in the trade, but it is unlikely that Jordan Harris will move the needle much. While it is smart for them to continue stockpiling young players, they will be hard-pressed to find someone as impactful as Laine when he is happy and healthy. 

In the short term, this weakens the Devils’ divisional rival, but it will likely help them in the long run. By sending off Laine, who never seemed very happy with his time in Ohio, the Blue Jackets can begin to center around the next iteration of the team and do not have to worry about the emotional weight of an unhappy star player.

Furthermore, the team will have an extra $8.7 million to work with, bringing their total cap space to $18 million. As I noted before, this room does not matter unless it is used well, but it does provide Columbus with the space to grow into a threatening team over the next few years. 

Rutger McGroarty