Unlike some of their Metropolitan Division contemporaries, the New Jersey Devils are a team with a healthy amount of cap space to work with this offseason. As one of the seven teams that did not qualify for the expanded playoff however, they have several areas on their roster that need to be addressed.

New Jersey is in an interesting situation. The future of their center spine is very strong with players like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes in the fold, and they have a handful of young forwards in their system who are on the cusp of graduating to the NHL level. That said, they lack top-end talent on the wing and depth on the blue line, and they could look to leverage one of their younger assets in order to address more immediate needs.

Leading up to the NHL trade deadline, there were rumblings that the Devils might be interested in one of the Buffalo Sabres’ blueliners. That idea (true or not) would theoretically make sense. The Sabres have an excess of defensive assets, and the Devils desperately need to fortify their blue line. After P.K. Subban, Damon Severson, and Will Butcher, their NHL-caliber options are extremely sparse.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few players who could make some sense for the Sabres to pursue.

Devils Offseason Outlook

2020-21 Cap Space (Projected via Cap Friendly): $26,245,000

Key Restricted Free Agents: Joseph Anderson (10.2C), John Hayden (arbitration-eligible), Jesper Bratt, Mirco Mueller (arbitration-eligible), Mackenzie Blackwood

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Fredrik Claesson, Dakota Mermis, Brian Strait

Projected Needs: Defensemen, Depth on the Wing

Trade Targets

1. Jesper Bratt | LW | Age 23 | RFA

Last season, former Devils head coach, Alain Nasreddine didn’t seem too fond of Bratt. Despite posting strong metrics as one of the Devils’ few scoring threats on the wing, he served as a healthy scratch on more than one occasion.

Obviously, Lindy Ruff’s introduction as the team’s new bench boss complicates things as it pertains to Bratt’s potential availability. On paper, the decision to scratch him for any period of time was bizarre. Bratt is the type of cost-controlled asset that provides a level of production that most teams would covet.

If for some reason this was a directive from General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald (who was retained by the team), perhaps he could be made available this offseason. If not, the odds of another coach handling the Bratt in a similar manner seem pretty slim. Either way, let’s examine what was an excellent year for the 23-year-old.

This season, Bratt ranked second among Devils forwards in relative xG at 4.05-percent. The fact that he was able to do it with Hischier and Pavel Zacha as his primary linemates is even more impressive. Overall, Kyle Palmeri was the only New Jersey winger with a more impressive slate of advanced numbers on the year.

With three full seasons of NHL action now under his belt, Bratt has continued a very steady upward trajectory. His year-over-year xG and GAR metrics have shown very solid incremental growth despite his base statistics consistently hovering around half-a-point per-game since 2017-18.

Typically, teams would be thrilled if a sixth-round pick ended up anywhere near as productive as Bratt has been in New Jersey. Perhaps his draft pedigree is part of the reason why they don’t seem to value him properly.

As a pending RFA, Evolving Hockey projects Bratt’s next contract at three-years, $3.2 million AAV. That’s a substantial raise from his current salary of $750,000. The Devils have cap room to spare, but perhaps they don’t feel that he’s worth that much money. If Buffalo can somehow convince them to part with the Swedish standout’s rights in exchange for some much-needed defensive help, they should take the deal and run.

2. Jesper Boqvist | C | Age 21 | Two-years, $950,000 AAV

Aside from their two future franchise centers (who aren’t really considered prospects anymore), the Devils developmental pipeline is in rough shape. High-level draft picks like Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian have fallen short of expectations, and there are very few young pieces in their system worth pursuing.

The exception to that statement is 21-year-old center, Jesper Boqvist. At the NHL-level, New Jersey is very well-stocked down the middle. As Boqvist approaches NHL-readiness, he may have a tough time nailing down a permanent role with the big club next season.

Before spending 35 games with the Devils to finish the 2019-20 campaign, he registered 11 points in 19 games with Binghamton. According to Byron Bader’s NHL Equivalency metric, he is one of only a couple Devils prospects with more than a 50-percent chance to become an NHL regular.

It is important to note that Boqvist struggled in his stint with the big club. Only John Hayden had a lower relative xG rate and his four assists were nothing to write home about from a base statistical standpoint. He still has room to grow, and the Devils didn’t exactly saddle him with a solid mix of wingers as a rookie pivot, but his first extended stint in the NHL left a lot to be desired.

If the Sabres were to acquire Boqvist via trade, he would immediately become the top forward prospect in their system (which isn’t exactly saying much), assuming Dylan Cozens lands a full-time role in Buffalo next season. While he alone certainly isn’t a great return for someone like Rasmus Ristolainen or Brandon Montour, he is a decent piece to include in a larger package.

Proceed With Caution

In this section, we’ll take a look at two players whose names have become rather popular among Sabres fans when discussing potential trades with New Jersey. While Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha both have some endearing characteristics, Kevyn Adams should be very careful with what he’s willing to give up in order to obtain them.

We’ll start with Wood, who is largely on the radar because he was born in Western New York. While his high-energy style of play does catch your attention from time to time, his underlying impacts leave are decidedly negative. Only Hayden and Boqvist had lower relative xG rates among Devils forwards in 2019-20.

Despite showing some promise at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season Wood’s metrics have continuously slipped ever since. Very few Devils forwards actually posted positive overall metrics last season, but he certainly wasn’t part of the solution. As a guy who didn’t produce much offensively with just 28 points in 68 games, the fact that he got absolutely slaughtered defensively is cause for concern.

While Wood certainly brings a semblance of physicality that Sabres fans seem to crave, there is little else he does well. Perhaps on a team with a deeper roster that could afford to shelter him to an extent, he’d have a better chance at success. Sadly, the Sabres are not suited to make those accommodations and should probably look elsewhere for reinforcements on the wing.

As for Zacha, there’s a bit more intrigue, especially since he’s a natural center. As for his strengths, the 23-year-old boasts elite skating skills, and his metrics on the penalty-kill are outstanding. Unfortunately, his five-on-five play has left something to be desired.

As is the case with nearly every Devils forward during the 2019-20 campaign, Zacha didn’t have very much support on the wing. It’s tough to be a productive offensive threat when Wood and Wayne Simmonds are your two most consistent linemates. On top of that, he was asked to serve in a defensively-tilted deployment, which also seems ill-advised on the part of the coaching staff.

Conversely, he also failed to post solid metrics in about 260 minutes alongside Bratt. In fact, Bratt’s relative xG improved by more than seven-percent away from Zacha. When separated from Bratt, Zacha’s relative xG dropped by 5.62-percent. Given his struggles alongside nearly every winger he skated with last season, it’s not a surprise to see that his xGAR mark was the fourth-lowest on the team in 2019-20 at -2.6. It is worth mentioning that despite similarly bad xG metrics in 2018-19, he did have a positive GAR at 2.4.

If the Sabres are willing to take a gamble on Zacha, the price has to be right. While a player like Ristolainen might be a match from an analytical value standpoint, it’s hard to believe that he’s the best they could do in return. On the flip side, it would be relatively surprising if the Devils were willing to take a great loss on the former sixth-overall pick, especially since he’s locked-down for three more years at just $2.25 million AAV.

Aside from Ristolainen and Montour, there probably isn’t a lot that Fitzgerald would find appealing on the Sabres roster if Zacha was part of a package going back the other way. For those reasons, this type of deal just might not be a fit unless he really does end up being the best player Buffalo can find on the trade market in exchange for their defensemen.

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