The 2022 NHL trade deadline is here. It expects to be a busy day where sellers will be benefitting immensely as recent trades have indicated. We previewed this deadline already via a full in-depth piece from a New Jersey Devils’ perspective here. However, given how some rumors have emerged and things have changed in just a couple days, we found it fit to provide an updated, much shorter preview.
Please note, we urge you to use this article as a supplement to the article we produced on Friday morning. This article is simply providing updates to the players discussed. Full, in-depth analysis into each of these Devil players can be found in Friday’s article. Furthermore, you can track all the trades league-wide and find our top-20 trade list here. We will have full coverage of the trade deadline on our social media pages all day today.
Most Likely to be Dealt:
Status quo from our last article. Pavel Zacha, along with Jimmy Vesey, appear to be the most likely Devil(s) moved by 3:00 PM ET. Zacha is a pending restricted free agent whose is still young and has shown flashes. This is, whether for good reason or not, what is most likely drawing teams to Zacha. His injury should not be an issue, as mentioned above, he does have control past this year. Both Montreal and Vancouver have been linked to Zacha.
Vesey, on the other hand, is one of the few pending unrestricted free agents the Devils have. The former professional try-out has had very poor five-on-five impacts this season. However, he has one of the better penalty kill impacts in the league. He also has some size at six-foot-three and 202 pounds. With how front offices think, a penalty-killing forward with some size that would come cheap will most likely interest some playoff teams. Especially those who need a boost on the penalty kill. There have been no known rumors surrounding Vesey.
Have Been in Rumors, Names to Monitor:
MacKenzie Blackwood‘s name has slowly become more popular in rumors lately. As noted in our prior article he changed agents. Furthermore, he was listed by Frank Seravalli as an available goaltender. It was also mentioned on Elliotte Friedman’s 32 thoughts podcast that the injury and vaccine issue may have caused some strain between player and team. Seeing Blackwood traded sometime today would not be surprising in the slightest given what has come out. However, an offseason trade, if one were to happen, seems more likely.
Andreas Johnsson was included in a rumor via Darren Dreger in connection with Arizona. The way it reads appears as just speculation. However, you never know, especially since Johnsson has only one more year left on his deal past this season. Besides that, it has been pretty quiet on the Johnsson front.
Ty Smith has had a woeful year but has played a bit better as of late. His name was also thrown out on Elliotte Friedman’s 32 thoughts podcast as being a possible trade candidate. However, ultimately not likely to be moved, at least not yet. If Smith were to be moved, it would most likely be in a pretty large package to acquire a top-six forward.
Have Been in Rumors, but Expect No Trade:
Both P.K. Subban and Damon Severson are two Devils who seemingly been involved in trade rumors for the past month. However, it appears Subban’s contract will be too much to move. And, as of Friday, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has not received any calls on Subban. Despite being an unrestricted free agent who the Devils currently have no plans to re-sign, it appears very likely he is with the team at today’s end.
As for Severson, he was by far the most intriguing Devil involved in rumors. However, after last night’s game, Elliotte Friedman dropped the above report. Worth noting, back when general manager Tom Fitzgerald was interviewed by Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic on March 7th, he explained he had not receive any calls on Severson. All signs point to the Devils not moving Severson today unless an absurd package comes along that the team can simply not pass on.
Ranking Likelihood of Trade:
- Pavel Zacha
- Jimmy Vesey
- MacKenzie Blackwood
- Andreas Johnsson
- Ty Smith
- Damon Severson
- P.K. Subban
Of course, there are other Devils that may be moved. There is also a real possibility no trades are made. This is something general manager Tom Fitzgerald said he would be okay with back on March 7th. Regardless, the trade deadline is always an important day.
As mentioned above, we will have all updates on our social media pages. Our trade tracker and top-20 league-wide trade list can be found right here.