New Jersey Devils smart to listen on defensemen ahead of trade deadline
GM Tom Fitzgerald is reportedly testing the market on several of his blueliners.
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The New Jersey Devils will be sellers leading up to this year’s trade deadline, which is now just days away.
There will be a lot of rumors floating around this week as a result. The latest and greatest came from two of hockey’s most prominent insiders, Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston.
The Friedman report came from the latest edition of 32 Thoughts while Johnston’s tidbit stems from Bjugstad’s blurb on The Athletic’s trade board.
There’s a lot to get to here so let’s jump right in.
Devils smart to explore market
Tom Fitzgerald is right to at least be listening on Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic.
Hamilton has played well since he was healthy scratched and reinserted into the lineup with more favorable deployment. Even so, his best days are behind him, he carries a large cap hit, and he was starting to slow down before this year.
The writing is on the wall with Hamilton’s future in New Jersey so it makes sense to see what’s out there and reallocate the cap savings with pieces who better align with the team’s core.
Jonas Siegenthaler is a stout defender who can reliably play ~20 minutes a night and handle himself against quality competition. He’s also signed cheap for another two years and change. He could likely command a healthy return from a contender looking to beef up its blueline without taking on a big salary.
Siegenthaler shouldn’t be forced out the door by any means but, given his very evident limitations with the puck, it could make sense to sell high.
Brenden Dillon has a full NTC but that becomes modified in the off-season. Essentially, he has less say if the Devils decide they want to trade him in a few months.
It’s probably in his best interest to cooperate and find a strong destination if the Devils wish to do something now, and Dillon would no doubt be of interest to many teams (Buffalo and San Jose are a couple that would make a lot of sense).
I have no doubt Kovacevic’s injury has played at least some role in his poor play since returning to the lineup but, goodness, it’s been ugly.
He’s another blueliner with limited offense and puck-moving ability and the Devils need more of it. In Year 1 of a five-year deal, the Devils should be looking to get out from it before it’s too late. Edmonton is a team that might have Kovacevic on their radar.
Of course, the Devils aren’t going to trade all of these guys – nor should they. But teams are always, always, always, looking to add defensemen at this time of year and the Devils have an abundance of options.
If they can fetch good returns on a couple of these guys and reload themselves with assets (be it picks, young players, and/or cap space to find better fits), they should absolutely do so.
