Devils Prospects Who Could Be on the Move

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As the Devils approach the trade deadline, they remain outside of the playoff picture. With the way things have gone this year, the team will most likely have to look beyond this season for any future playoff hopes (regardless of how tight the standings in the Eastern Conference are). While the most common trade chips for non-contending teams are veterans or rental players, younger prospects (as we saw with the Devils last trade deadline) can also valuable commodities. Here are three prospects the Devils might be willing to part ways with at the deadline if the right deal comes along.

Joe Blandisi: Many expected Blandisi to build upon a strong rookie campaign but injuries and a slow start in the AHL have kept him off the Devils roster. Blandisi has a plethora of offensive abilities but his defensive game was what was lacking last season. He has played well in Albany this season (26GP 7G 21P), which could only brighten his appeal in a potential trade scenario. All things considered, Blandisi is young enough and has the offensive skills that give him substantial value in the trade market. Blandisi can potentially be moved in a deal for a 4-6th defenseman or NHL-ready defensive prospect.

Josh Jacobs: One of the organization’s few remaining defense prospects with promise, Jacobs has played all of this year in Albany. He’s struggled to put up points in his first AHL season with only four assists in 24 games, but is only 21-years old and still young enough to fulfill his NHL potential. If the right deal comes along however, Jacobs could definitely be an option for an NHL team looking to build a future blue line if it’s worth Ray Shero’s while. Despite Jacobs’ value (considering New Jersey’s bleak defenseman prospect pool), he could go to a team that’s willing to part ways with an NHL-ready asset.

Ken Appleby: The Devils find themselves with a surplus of young goaltending prospects. Appleby has posted very impressive numbers in his first full season with Albany (12-6-0 with a 1.89 GAA and .927 SV%). He is also very young for a goalie (21) and in the beginning stages of his development at the professional level. Many teams are looking for young goaltending, and the Devils could fill this need while acquiring pieces for the future. Considering how Shero has made some stunning moves that seemingly came out of left field since he took over as general manager, he could very well pull a similar stint at the deadline amid the league’s growing goalie market.

0 comments on “Devils Prospects Who Could Be on the Move”

  1. Manchild Reply

    This is the worst article ive ever read. Why would the devils trade prospects when they have a bunch of aging players with bad contracts or one year contracts they can trade. Cammelleri, zajac, lovejoy, fiddler, smithpelly, can all be dealt for more picks or prospects. Its a rebuild year not a contending year.

    • SmartDevilsFan Reply

      The reason the devils would be more interested in trading younger talent is there more valuable then the older guys the league is getting younger not older

  2. Dominick Reply

    Devil’s fans consider this. I know that Lou Lamoriello has done great things for the Devils in the past. He was brilliant making the move to get Stevens for compensation for Shanahan. The architect of building a team that won three Stanley cups, (could of been more as they went to the finals two other times), a proven winner that has been respected and admired by fans, coaches, owners and other GMs alike. BUT, he made a critical mistake in 2013 that has put the Devils where they are today. Which is nowhere.

    Generally the mistake he made was a bad decision.

    The choices he had in 2013 were two 1) to contend or 2) to rebuild. He chose to contend. This, as it turns out was a big mistake and lack of forethought. Let me explain.

    Knowing the way he handled things in the past, why wouldn’t he be right to contend? Why wouldn’t he do what’s right and try to put the best team on the ice? Right? Wrong.

    Why was he wrong? It all began prior to the draft in 2013. Specifically, he chose to contend with a team that he knew had no real threat offensively, had and held a bunch of past their prime/older players (Salvador, Zubrus), went after and got several patch work/non essential players (Clowe/Ryder) and he knew that Kovulchuk would retire to Russia before the 2013 draft (see https://www.nhl.com/news/devils-ilya-kovalchuk-announces-retirement-from-nhl/c-677712).

    To make a wise decision going forward you need good information. This information was plain, simple, available and clearly visible to Lou.

    To contend you need talented, competitive, hungry, passionate players. He chose to contend with none of the above.

    This is poor judgement, a lack of forethought and bad direction.

    Let’s get into specifics. Rewind back to 2013. MOST importantly, and a serious mistake at that time was that he traded the number 9 pick. This decision was the start of a snowball effect which hurts the Devils to this day. The number 9 pick that year was Bo Horvat which was traded to acquire Schneider. This was detrimental not only for the appeal of a Bo Horvat on the team but because this mistake has serious consequences.

    Think about the alternatives. If Lou decided to rebuild, rather than contend, he wouldn’t of traded the #9 pick that year. Presently the Devils would be in the 4th year of rebuild instead of the second year. We would of finished last or close to last in 2014, 2015 and 2016 without Schneider in net, because frankly Schneider is a good goal tender and helped the team not finish last or near last in those years.

    In these drafts we would of picked up in 2013 Bo Horvat. In later years we had a chance of picking up players such as 2014-#1 Aaron Ekblad or #3 Leon Draisaitl or even #8 William Nylander. 2015 – you name it – #1 Connor Mcdavid, #2 Jack Eichel, #4 Mitch Marner. 2016 – #1 Austin, Matthews, #2 Patrick Laine, #4 Jesse Puljujarvi, or even #6 and 7 Matthew Tkachuk or Clayton Keller.

    Lou, frankly, missed the boat. Passing up Bo Horvat for Schneider was a huge mistake, adding patch work players – huge mistake, deciding to contend rather than rebuild ENORMOUS mistake.

    People say ‘yeah but look at him now with Toronto. They are on the rise with multiple talented, young players’. But people tend to forget that Shanahan is actually pulling the strings for the Leafs and did just what I explained above.

    Shanahan chose to rebuild rather than contend. And with that decision has acquired a wealth of young, talented, hungry players. Lou had nothing to do with it.

    This is why the Toronto maple leafs in two to three years will be a mighty, powerful team that will be contending for the Stanley cup for years to come.

    What’s ironic is that the Devils should of been that team. We are in year 2 of a slow rebuild where we should of been in year 4. Bad part is that the generational talent that Lou missed the boat on in the past 4 years is gone. Upcoming drafts are predicted not as strong. So we are left with the mess that Lou made.

    Just think if we acquired some of the players we could of acquired coupled with the talent that is on this team (Hall, Henrique, Palmeiri), we would be in step if not far ahead in the rebuild process.

    As a life long, die hard devil fan watching them the way they are playing is just hard. Let’s hope for better things to come and much better direction and insight from Shero. We lost a lot of time. Let’s hope we don’t lose anymore and things get done right for the ‘rebuild’ that is desperately needed for this team and should of started long ago.

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