Adam Henrique

Position: C

Age: 33

Height/Weight: 6’0”, 195 pounds

Statistics: 19 goals, 12 assists, 31 points (51 games played)

Player Overview

On November 30th, 2017 former Devils general manager Ray Shero broke a trade and the hearts of Devils’ fans. Adam Henrique was flipped to the Anaheim Ducks in a trade that sent defenseman Sami Vatanen to New Jersey. 

While Vatanen was key in helping the Devils make the playoffs in 2017-18, he since trailed off, now playing in Europe. Henrique, on the other hand, is still a capable scoring forward on a Ducks team that needs more of those.

Henrique was originally drafted in the third round, 82nd overall by New Jersey in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. After spending three more seasons lighting up the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and American Hockey League (AHL), ‘Rico’ finally cracked the Devils’ lineup at the start of the 2011-12 season making an immediate impact.

In just his first season Adam Henrique scored 16 goals and 51 points in 74 games along with showcasing his rock solid defense. He made the All-Rookie Team and was third in Calder Trophy voting for rookie of the year. Most importantly, he scored the overtime winning goal to beat the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Since heading over to Anaheim, Henrique has continued his two-way play along with his consistent scoring. In 364 games as a Duck Henrique has 114 goals and 215 total points.

With the Erik Haula experiment not going quite as expected, acquiring a veteran Adam Henrique should be something Tom Fitzgerald should look into.

Contract

Henrique currently holds a cap hit of $5,825,000 for another season after this year. He is in the fourth year of a $29,125,000 contract he signed with the Ducks in the summer of 2018.

Considering the Devils current cap situation, the Ducks would most likely need to retain some salary. This would allow New Jersey to make other acquisitions at the deadline if they wish.

Adam Henrique’s market value according to Dom Luszczysyn of the Athletic’s model is $5,100,000. This is about $700,000 less than what he is currently making, pushing even more of an argument for Anaheim to retain some salary.

Potential Fit With Devils

As mentioned above, Erik Haula hasn’t quite worked out as a two-way scoring linemate for Jack Hughes. Haula scoring just four goals and 21 points in 49 games has been disappointing. Adding Adam Henrique who has been this year what Erik Haula has been expected to be, could be a course correction of sorts.

The Devils also need more depth to their forward group in general, so adding a 20-goal scorer to any part of their lineup and to their struggling second power play unit would be a huge get.

Would a Deal Make Sense?

For Adam Henrique a deal does make sense. Not only is ‘Rico’ a former fan-favorite Devil who fills in for the role Erik Haula has not quite succeeded in. He also has term which is a huge factor. 

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has been explicit in saying that he doesn’t want to pay the big bucks for a rental. Henrique being under contract for another season after this one allows Fitzgerald to have some control over him and his contract. He’s paying for another full season of Henrique rather than just not even half a year.

With the Devils looking to buy at the deadline for the first time in years, it seems like the team is going to make a big splash. What that splash will be, is yet to be seen, but Devils fans should be excited, this next month is going to be wild.