The watchlist: Yakov Trenin

The versatile 27-year-old forward would add a lot of elements the New Jersey Devils are searching for.

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In the coming weeks I’m going to zero in on free agents I think the New Jersey Devils could, or should, pursue come July.

Up first is Yakov Trenin, who I wrote about last August as a potential deadline target…had the Devils actually been good.

Trenin is a 6’2’, 200-pound forward who would bring tenacity and versatility to the table while contributing at both ends of the ice.

He’s not someone you’d trot out on the power play but he’s far from a zero offensively. He has potted 20 goals at 5v5 over the past two seasons, matching the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mason McTavish, and Anthony Duclair.

That is also more than Vincent Trocheck, Tomas Hertl, Teuvo Teravainen, and Anthony Cirelli, to name but a few.

He’s hardly a sniper but he effectively uses his size to bulldoze his way to the net. Trenin generates plenty of high-danger opportunities as a result.

Only 91 forwards recorded more Grade A chances at 5v5 over the past two years – that’s not even three per team! – despite the fact Trenin largely played bottom-6 minutes. He ranked 226th among forwards in ice time per game in that state.

Trenin is a good forechecker who will lay the body whenever he can. He threw more than 10 hits per 60 minutes at 5v5 over the past two years, slotting him top-70 among all forwards.

He’s not someone who erratically chases guys around the ice to get a piece of them, though. He has good sense, strong stickwork, and knows where to be on the ice, which is why he’s such an effective penalty killer.