4 Potential Value Trade Targets for the Devils
With cap space limited, here are 4 potential value trade targets for the New Jersey Devils ahead of the March 7 deadline.
We're just about a week from the trade deadline, and it has been surprisingly quiet league-wide so far. Even so, I expect the New Jersey Devils to make some moves over the next week, even if they aren't blockbusters.
The bottom six needs an overhaul or, at a minimum, some reinforcements for the stretch run. Today, we'll look at four potential value trade targets that general manager Tom Fitzgerald could acquire over the next week.
Ryan Donato
Donato is having a breakout season with the Chicago Blackhawks, totaling 19 goals and 39 points in 56 games — a 28-goal, 57-point pace over 82 games.
Those numbers would suggest Donato could even upgrade the top six, but I think that's unlikely on a playoff contender like the Devils. For starters, he's shooting 15 percent, about 4.5 percent over his career average of 10.4 percent.
Donato is also averaging a little over 15 minutes of ice time with the Blackhawks, a career-high. Perhaps he would with the Devils if he logged some ice time with Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, but I don't see that as likely.
Still, Donato has been the Blackhawks' most efficient five-on-five scorer, averaging 2.19 points per 60 minutes. He's also averaging 1.35 goals per 60, which would make him the Devils' most efficient five-on-five goal scorer.
And though he could regress, Donato has always been a reliable third-line winger capable of 10-15 goals and 30 points. He has a cap hit of $2 million and, at most, should cost a second-round pick to acquire, which the Devils have three of in the 2025 draft.
Justin Brazeau
Because it appears the Boston Bruins could be leaning toward being sellers, Justin Brazeau should be on the Devils' trade board. He's having a solid season, with 10 goals and 20 points in 54 games — a 15-goal, 30-point pace over 82 games.
Brazeau is not a high-volume shooter, but he converts on the chances he creates; he has a 14.4 career shooting percentage. More importantly, he's just a good hockey player, as his impacts have been solid pretty much across the board:
While Fitzgerald doesn't seem to value adding size as much to his forward group as his blue line, Brazeau is 6-foot-6, 227 pounds. He's not a big hitter, but he will do some damage on the forecheck. He's certainly an upgrade over Nathan Bastian, who has struggled this season.
What's also appealing about Brazeau is his $775,000 cap hit for the remainder of the season. The Devils won't need any retention, and he should not cost more than a mid-round pick to acquire. He'd be a big-time upgrade for the fourth line at a minimal cost and would allow the Devils to make another move.
Pius Suter
I haven't seen Pius Suter's name in the rumor mill, but the Vancouver Canucks are in a tenuous position in the Western Conference playoff race, and plenty of their players have popped up on trade boards.
That might make Suter, who's a pending UFA, a potential target for the Devils. The Swiss native has been a model of consistency during his five-year NHL career, averaging 17 goals and 34 points per 82 games. He has 14 goals and 26 points in 56 games this season — a 21-goal, 38-point pace over 82 games.
Suter is shooting 15.9 percent, but that's not too far off his career average of 12.3 percent. He's not a volume shooter, but his 12.3 career shooting percentage shows he has a knack for finishing his chances.
More importantly, he's a well-rounded two-way player. Suter has been one of the Canucks' best shot suppressors, allowing 2.15 expected goals per 60 minutes. He's not the best skater, nor is his shot particularly strong, but he makes up for it with his smarts and willingness to go to high-danger areas.
Suter should not cost much more than a mid-round pick or two to acquire. He has a cap hit of $1.6 million, so the Devils shouldn't need much retention on him, if any. The one con of Suter's game is he struggles in the faceoff dot, but he'd still be a significant upgrade to the bottom six.
Gustav Nyquist
Gustav Nyquist has regressed significantly from his 75-point season a year ago. He has just nine goals and 20 points in 56 games — a 13-goal, 29-point pace over 82 games. The regression wasn't unexpected, but it's still been a steep decline this season.
However, some of that may be a product of his environment on a struggling Predators team. If we look at his RAPM chart from Evolving Hockey, it shows that Nyquist's impacts have been solid but that he's been getting a bit unlucky in the goal-scoring department:
Nyquist has an on-ice shooting percentage of 5.97 percent, a bottom-10 number among Predators skaters. His on-ice shooting percentage has generally been around 9-10 percent for his career, meaning he could be due for better luck on a better team.
Nyquist's underlying numbers are also solid, especially considering the team he plays for. He has an expected goals share (xG%) of 52.75 percent, so he might not be washed yet. He may just need a change of scenery.
I was hesitant to include Nyquist because he has a cap hit of $3.185 million. The Devils would need retention on that, but even with the Predators retaining some of his cap hit, I can't imagine he costs more than a mid-round pick to acquire. That could make him a good value buy.
Devils’ Limited Cap Space a Factor
The Devils don't have a ton of cap space to work with ahead of the trade deadline, so they may need to find value to improve their roster. That's why Brazeau and Suter could be such intriguing targets. That may be the route the Devils need to take to improve the team, specifically in the bottom six.
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick