The New Jersey Devils definitely made moves yesterday before the NHL Trade Deadline. Just to remind you, here’s what went down.
- Ben Lovejoy was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Connor Carrick and a 3rd round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft
- Keith Kinkaid was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 5th round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft
- Marcus Johansson was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and a 4th round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft
With the Deadline now passed, Tom Marchiano and I decided to team up and give our quick reactions to these trades the New Jersey Devils made:
Ben Lovejoy Trade Reaction
Stephanie: We definitely did well on this trade, given Lovejoy’s age and overall ability. Ray Shero has made it clear that the team is getting younger and Lovejoy just didn’t fit into that plan. Yes, he was a good fixture on the power play but he was an impending UFA and being able to get a high draft pick and a young defenseman was the best return we could have hoped for.
Tom: Classic trade scenario. Dallas needed a depth D-man and we were able to help while replacing him with a solid young defenseman. Carrick comes to us at the age of 24 and is young enough to groom into our system. As for the pick, it’s a 3rd round so anything could happen, but again could land us someone who is easy to form into what we want.
Keith Kinkaid Trade Reaction
Stephanie: I LOVE THIS TRADE. Anyone who knows me knows my opinion on Kinkaid and getting a 5th round pick in 2022 for him is amazing. The Devils future for goaltending is Mackenzie Blackwood and now the Schneider is starting to find his game, there was no room left for Kinkaid. It’s still mind-boggling to me that another NHL team would even have been interested in him but thank goodness they were! Yes Tom, you were right.
Tom: I was one of the few people who thought someone would take Kinkaid, in fact I believe I guaranteed it would happen (especially to Stephanie). The return is what I expected, especially because the move was more about making room for Mackenzie Blackwood then getting something in return. With that being said, although it’s a 2022 5th round, keep in mind the Columbus Blue Jackets have a lot of UFA’s and who knows if they sign. Could mean a dismal future for them and the pick would be high 5th round.
Marcus Johansson Trade Reaction
Stephanie: This one was no surprise to me. There was a 97% chance that he was going to be traded by the deadline, so the question was what the return would be. I think the return was very fair, given his proclivity to injuries. When he’s healthy, he can produce but he gets injured a lot. For a team that’s trying to add depth, those injuries could be a huge red flag. In a perfect world, Ray Shero could have gotten more for him but his injuries really lower his trade value so getting what he got was good.
Tom: This one was bittersweet for me. I’ve always liked MoJo but I didn’t like how injury prone he was. He was finally growing on me to the point where I was kind of hoping we wouldn’t move him. Once I saw the return for him, it made me feel better. A lot of fans think we could have gotten more for him. Ray Shero said in his interview something alone the lines that he wanted more for him but Boston wanted to give less and there were multiple wingers out there Boston could’ve went after. Bottom line, Shero saw an opportunity and took it He hasn’t really steered us wrong yet.
Overall Thoughts
Stephanie: GM Ray Shero is a trade hero. I am not mad about any of the returns or any of the players that ended up being traded. The way that Shero is stacking picks makes you think he has another goal besides drafting well. At the end of the day, hockey is a business. They may all be great people off the ice but the Devils need to do what they have to do to rebuild and become competitive again. Although I did find it hilarious watching Twitter implode in on itself as these trades were announced, our current situation is very sad (rooting for your own team to tank is a bummer) so I say, keep making trades Shero!
Tom: One of the nice things about the Devils organization is how they treat their fans. I hear these names get traded and I feel like I was losing a teammate myself, it sucks losing good guys. It’s a business though, this is how teams become cup caliber teams. 10 picks in the 2019 Draft.
Will Shero use all the picks? Fans need to look these picks as trade bait also. After all, we got Johansson on two picks that weren’t originally ours so why can’t it happen again. Without rambling on, I can honestly say I’m very happy with our trades this season and looking forward for the off-season.
Stats: nhl.com; tsn.ca Cover Photo: Chris Ryan/NJ Advanced Media for NJ.com
