What to Make of the Devils' Quiet Trade Deadline
Will the New Jersey Devils be better off in the long run after having a very quiet trade deadline?
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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and it came without anything for the New Jersey Devils. They did make a couple of moves before the Olympic break, trading Ondřej Palát to the New York Islanders and acquiring Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues, but nothing since then.
On one hand, the Devils and general manager Tom Fitzgerald failed to capitalize on the seller’s market. On the other hand, it’s probably best that the major decisions get punted until the offseason, especially if Fitzgerald’s days as GM are numbered.
What the Devils Didn’t Do
The Devils may not have made a single trade post-Olympic break, but it’s not like there weren’t rumors surrounding them. They had interest in Conor Garland, but he ended up getting dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s a good player, but it’s probably for the best that the Devils didn’t acquire him.
Šimon Nemec found himself in the rumor mill plenty of times over the last week. Whether it was Elliotte Friedman or Pierre LeBrun reporting it, the Devils made it known they were willing to trade him if it led to a real upgrade for their forward group.
Looking at the market, there weren’t any trade targets that the Devils lost out on for Nemec. Jordan Kyrou is still with the St. Louis Blues, and a potential fit like Kent Johnson didn’t go anywhere, either.
Nemec switched agents ahead of the trade deadline, which is usually a sign that a player wants a change of scenery. But it’s probably best that Fitzgerald didn’t force a trade for a top-six winger yesterday when there weren’t any real upgrades that moved.
We’ll see what happens with Nemec during the offseason. I’m sure it won’t be the last time we hear him in the rumor mill, and it wouldn’t shock me if the Devils end up moving him for a top-six upgrade.
