Looking ahead: Three wingers the Devils could target at the deadline

If Alex Holtz is not productive, or the Devils run into an injury, these names could be worth monitoring leading up to March.

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We find ourselves in the very worst portion of the NHL’s yearly calendar. Last season is but a distant memory, the fireworks the draft and free agency generally bring have long since passed, and yet we are still over a month away from training camps opening league-wide.

That means it’s time to get creative. While in the lead-up to an NHL season I like to preview what’s to come – standings predictions, breakout picks, and so forth – we’re still some time away from when that feels most exciting and relevant.

Thus, we’re going to take things up a notch and look even further ahead to one of the best days on the calendar: deadline day.

Factoring in potential needs for the Devils, which teams may be sellers, and who may be available, I’m going to take a closer look at some names to monitor leading into March.

Up first in the mini-series will be the wingers, with the Devils’ level of interest depending most heavily on a) what they get from Alex Holtz and; b) injuries.

Jason Zucker (contract: 1 x $5.3M)

The Arizona Coyotes no longer want to be a doormat, which I respect and appreciate. They signed Jason Zucker, they signed Alexander Kerfoot, they signed Matt Dumba, they acquired Sean Durzi in a cap dump, and they are expected to promote top prospects Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. Add it all up and they figure to be much more watchable and competitive this season.

That doesn’t mean they’ll be good. The Coyotes still lack proven scoring and the defense figures to be problematic all season long. They will lose plenty of games.

I expect the Coyotes will once again find themselves selling at the deadline, with pending UFAs like Zucker and Dumba headlining their list of those most likely to go.

Zucker isn’t what he once was but he’s still a very solid player. He bounced back in a big way last season, scoring 27 goals while matching the likes of John Tavares, Jake Guentzel, Pavel Buchnevich, and Sebastian Aho in terms of raw 5v5 production.

He is still a good skater, he can score goals, he has experience on both wings, and his on-ice impacts are solid – Zucker owns a GAR of +16.5 over the past two seasons.

Although a right shot would be preferable, the Devils were extremely left-handed heavy last season and moved on from Tomas Tatar, Yegor Sharangovich, Miles Wood, Jesper Boqvist while adding a notable righty in Tyler Toffoli. I’m sure they could make things work.

Nino Niederreiter (1 x $4M)