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On Sunday evening the New Jersey Devils acquired forward Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Florida's 2nd and Toronto's 3rd in the 2018 draft.
Some thoughts/notes on the move:
1) Johansson is a legitimate top-6 forward and will instantly become one of the best and most important offensive contributors on the roster. He has recorded at least 40 points in five consecutive non-lockout years and averaged 17 goals, 50 points per 82 games played over that span. Taylor Hall is the only forward on the Devils who has averaged more.
2) 50 points may not seem like production worth getting excited about but that is a lot in today's NHL. For perspective, 94 forwards recorded at least 50 points last season. There is 90 top line forwards so, on average, Johansson produces at the rate of a top line player.
3) Among 288 forwards to log at least 1,250 minutes of ice at 5v5 over the last two seasons, Johansson ranks 87th in points per 60 with 1.74.
That puts him ahead of Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Johansen, Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikael Granlund to name but a few.
For years the Devils have been horrible at creating offense during 5v5 play. Johansson will be a big help.
4) Johansson has quietly developed into one of the better playmakers in the league. He's averaged 1.04 assists per 60 minutes of 5v5 play over the last two seasons, which ties him with Tyler Seguin, William Nylander, and Viktor Arvidsson. He can move the puck.
5) Over the last two seasons, 193 forwards have logged at least 200 minutes in 5v4 situations. Johansson ranks 54th in points per 60, sandwiched between Tyler Johnson and Alex Ovechkin, so he'll be a big help on the man advantage, too.
6) Johansson has experience playing left wing, center, and right wing at the NHL level. I know Ray Shero mentioned left wing during last night's conference call but, given Johansson's versatility and the Devils' lack of right wingers, I wouldn't be surprised if he spends some time on the right side. Either way, having a versatile piece like Johansson is always a positive.
7) For the sake of argument, let's say Florida is a middle of the pack team and Toronto takes a step forward again this season (reasonable expectations, I think). That would mean the Florida pick is in the 45 range and the Toronto pick in the 80 range. Those picks are far from sure things -- even a 2nd rounder only has a ~25% chance of really panning out -- so it's entirely possible the picks the Devils moved don't really amount to anything. Even if they do, the risk is worth a consistent 45+ point player who, at 26, still has some good years ahead of him.
8) The best thing about the trade: the picks the Devils moved were basically handed to them. They acquired Florida's 2nd by eating Marc Savard's contract, which was no problem whatsoever. Toronto's 3rd was acquired by letting Lou Lamoriello leave the organization. The Devils were ready to move on, anyway, so the 3rd was a nice reward.
Turning those picks into a top-6 forward is spectacular work by Ray Shero.
9) Johansson is a nice addition, but what about a defenseman? Great question, I'm glad you asked. Today is July 3rd. Preseason doesn't even start for two and a half months. There is tons of time to get things done. Shero still has ~$25 million in cap space (Ryane Clowe LTIR included), his full collection of picks, a good prospect group he could dip into, and more centers than you can count. He'll find a way to get something done.
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