Could the New Jersey Devils trade Erik Haula?

The veteran forward had his name surface on DailyFaceoff's first trade board of the off-season.

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A lot of ink has been spilled – including here, at Infernal Access – regarding possible trade targets for the New Jersey Devils this summer. Rightfully so given some of the high-end young players rumored to be available.

Lost in the fog of names who could, or should, be targeted by the Devils is the fact one of their own popped up on DailyFaceoff’s debut trade board: Erik Haula.

Before I share my thoughts, here is how Frank Seravalli set the table:

Via DFO: If there’s a list of disappointing seasons in New Jersey, Haula’s name will appear toward the top of it. The Haula Famer has typically been very consistent throughout his career, but he struggled to produce as the rest of the Devils‘ depth scoring dried up. He has the ability to play center, which is a nice versatile bonus, but if GM Tom Fitzgerald is beefing up his middle/bottom six forward group, Haula could be on the out.

Haula scored an average of 15 goals per season over his first two years with the Devils. He only potted 11 this year, however, he missed 13 games due to injury. He produced just over 13 goals per 82 games, in line with what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.

Haula salvaging his goal outputs late in the year – and following it up with mostly solid, energetic performances on the wing in the playoffs – almost makes you forget how much he struggled for most of the season. Almost.

As a refresher, there was a stretch of almost 30 games where Erik Haula did not record a single point.

The Devils scored only three 5v5 goals with him on the ice during that span, and posted a 46 xGF%, so it’s not as if he helped tilt the ice and create offense but just wasn’t rewarded for it. He gave the Devils nothing offensively.