Buying low: Two defensemen the Devils should target via trade
Both blueliners were underutilized by their teams and would check plenty of boxes for the New Jersey Devils.
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The New Jersey Devils need to change the mix on the backend this off-season.
Tom Fitzgerald leaned too heavy on size and defense when building the blueline, and that has held the team back over the last couple of years.
Sunny Mehta will surely look to add more mobility and offense to balance things out.
There are a couple of intriguing ‘buy low’ candidates who could help him do just that.
They are not ‘buy low’ in the sense of acquiring them for a bag of pucks – especially the first candidate – but rather the possibility of getting them for less than they are worth.
Let’s take a closer look.
Olen Zellweger
Zellweger appeared in 76 games during the regular season but seemingly fell out of favor at the most critical time of the year.
He has played in just two playoff games for the Anaheim Ducks despite the fact Joel Quenneville has routinely dressed extra defensemen, even using one at forward (Ian Moore).
The Ducks have several expirings on the backend so it’s certainly possible Zellweger reclaims a regular spot next season.
However, he looks to be behind Jackson LaCombe (obviously) and Pavel Mintyukov on the left-handed depth chart.
If the Ducks are open to moving Zellweger, he’d check a lot of boxes for a Devils team that needs more juice on the backend.
The 22-year-old defenseman would bring a healthy dose of offense and puck-transporting ability.
He excels at carrying the puck up ice and helping his team enter the offensive zone with possession.
That was a major issue for the Devils last season, and one of the reasons they were so lifeless in transition unless both Hughes brothers were healthy.
Zellweger possesses a high top speed and ranked near the top of the league in speed bursts between 18-20 MPH, 20-22 MPH, and 22+ MPH.
Zellweger excelled at feeding into Anaheim’s rush offense but he is far from just a transition weapon.
He ranked in the 75th percentile in primary shot assists, 90th percentile in chance-generation and 95th percentile in shot contributions.
Zellweger’s counting stats don’t pop off the page but his usage plays into that. His efficiency numbers were pretty strong.
Zellweger averaged 0.92 points per 60 minutes of 5v5 play, slotting him in front of Moritz Seider, Luke Hughes, and Vince Dunn.
He also averaged 5.57 shots on goal on a per-60 basis, good for 23rd in the NHL. He finished just below John Carlson and Roman Josi, and ahead of Rasmus Dahlin and Luke Hughes.
He’s a talented, productive defenseman with room for continued growth. He’d be a good add.
