Devils & Brock Boeser Could Be a Trade Deadline Match

Brock Boeser could reportedly be available at the trade deadline, and he may fit what the New Jersey Devils need.

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You know the New Jersey Devils need scoring after watching them for the last month of play. Their five-on-five offense was Dom Luszczyszyn's fatal flaw in his most recent article for The Athletic, and it's hard to argue with that.

The Devils can create offense, as they're averaging 2.68 expected goals per 60 minutes this season, but they're only scoring 2.32 goals per 60. They've been one of the worst finishing teams in the league, as they're about 25 goals scored below expected at all strengths.

It's clear the Devils need a finisher, and that's where Brock Boeser may help. Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects reported yesterday that many teams believe Boeser will be available at this year's trade deadline, barring a serious turnaround from the Vancouver Canucks.

Frank Seravalli has connected Boeser to the Devils in the past, and it would not shock me if they had interest again. Is he a good fit for the Devils at this season's trade deadline?

Boeser Is a Plus Shooter

I'm not sure what's going on with the Canucks, but it seems as if everyone may be available there. Boeser is not having the 40-goal season he did a year ago, but he still has 16 goals and 33 points in 42 games — a pace of 31 goals and 64 points over 82 games.

Perhaps surprisingly, Boeser has been the Canucks' most efficient five-on-five scorer this season, averaging 2.03 points per 60 minutes. He's also averaging 1.18 goals per 60 minutes, second on the Canucks to Kiefer Sherwood.

For context's sake, that'd make Boeser the Devils' second-most efficient five-on-five goal-scorer behind Nico Hischier, who's averaging 1.19 goals per 60 minutes.

After that, the Devils don't have a single player averaging over a goal or more per 60 minutes. The next closest player would be Ondřej Palát, who's averaging 0.85 goals per 60. No disrespect to Palát, but when your second-most efficient goal scorer scores 0.85 goals per 60 minutes, you've got problems.

That's why Boeser would likely be a big help, and he has a proven track record of being a high-end goal-scorer. Per MoneyPuck, Boeser's predicted shooting talent is 14.7 percent above the league average this season. It was 10.2 percent last season and 13.9 percent in 2022-23.