Another year, another early tee time at the local golf course. As the Stanley Cup playoffs are underway, the New Jersey Devils have cleaned out their lockers and have had their exit interviews. Even after the additions the team made last offseason, New Jersey still found themselves as basement-dwellers. With injuries and lack of goaltending played a huge factor.
The biggest takeaway from the exit interviews was Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald speaking out and saying he would be willing to trade the team’s first round pick. This is a big development given the pick is slated to be anywhere from a top-three, top-five, or top-eight pick. So, is there anyone out there worth that price? There is certainly someone who would immediately help the team and fits what New Jersey is currently looking to add.
Kevin Fiala
Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild is a player that just may be worth that steep price. Fiala is a young, proven, and skilled-scoring forward that instantly would slot into the Devils’ top-six. It helps that he is 25 years old and fits right in with the core that New Jersey has pieced together.
Fiala has spent eight years in the league. The first five were in Nashville before being traded to Minnesota. Once he got to the Wild, his game took off and he developed himself as one of the top offensive players in the league.
He had a career-year this season. Alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, Fiala joined them in setting a career-high point total. Fiala set career-highs in goals with 33, assists with 52 (60% of which were primary), and a total of 85 points. He finished the year as a point-per-game player with an average of 1.04. Fiala also finished his regular season with a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 56.00 which is a terrific figure. The above player card also further demonstrates how terrific of an offensive player he has become.
Closing Thoughts
Kevin Fiala is the perfect player for this Devils’ team. He would automatically slot into the top-six next to either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier. He also finished the season with 17 points on the power play. So, he would be a nice boost to the woeful Devils’ power play.
Why might the Wild trade such a strong offensive player? Well, Fiala is a restricted free agent and coming off the year he has had may have priced himself out of Minnesota. The Wild, who only have about $1,000,000 in current cap space, will feel the ill-effects of the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buy-outs in the coming years.
With having a top-five projected pick, it is wise to spend it on a player that’s certainly worthy of it. Kevin Fiala would be worth that pick and immediately make the team better. Now, would he the pick be an over-pay? Maybe, but New Jersey can still package it and maybe fetch a return that is greater than Fiala. Say some slightly additional draft capital, or even a depth player. Nonetheless, examining a trade for Kevin Fiala should certainly be a priority for the Devils this offseason.