Yesterday, I wrote about how the New Jersey Devils need to find star power at the forward position in free agency this season. While that is still something that general manager Lou Lamoriello should still look into, it seems like the free agent pool is light on stars this season. When that happens, the few players who are on the market tend to get irrevocably overpaid. That means the Devils should go to Lou’s specialty — the trade.
Through trade, Lamoriello was able to bring Cory Schneider into the fold. He is now the goalie for the next half decade at least. He was able to get the Devils’ last star Ilya Kovalchuk for what now amounts to a bag of peanuts. He brought in key players like Marek Zidlicky and Alexei Ponikarovsky who helped bring them to their last Stanley Cup Finals. While he still has his detractors, he knows how to work a trade.
This offseason could see many teams looking to move around a star player in exchange for some cap flexibility. The main player who will probably be moved is Phil Kessel. His large contract and mild controversy surrounding him would make the return to the Toronto Maple Leafs minimal, but would he fit with Devils? I think this team could make it work.
The Edmonton Oilers can’t decide if they want to sell the farm or keep the core together. If they decide to let go of any of Nail Yakupov, Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle, Lamoriello needs to give them a call. Any of those players would be great for this Devils team, but they could cost more than the Devils are willing to pay.
The San Jose Sharks may blow the entire organization up, starting with the front office and ending with the players. While most fans wouldn’t want to get any older, I don’t think anyone would be too upset with Patrick Marleau or Joe Thornton wearing black and red at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.
Then there is that superstar that nobody knew was even on the block. We are talking about Tyler Seguin leaving the Boston Bruins or Patrick Roy going to the Colorado Avalanche. These seem to happen with serious quickness. One day there is a crazy Twitter rumor, the next day Jason Spezza is on the Dallas Stars. This will almost definitely happen again this offseason. Maybe the Devils could be the recipient this time around.
All of these players would be great to have in the Devils organization. Lou needs to start laying seeds down now by making some calls to teams to let them know the Devils are in the market. Scouts should visit New Jersey and Albany. This time next year, the Devils would rather be talking about their playoff berth and not what they need to do in the offseason.
Nick Villano is the New Jersey Devils writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.