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On the need for more scoring, Valeri Nichushkin and Patrick Wiercioch:
- The New Jersey Devils are heading in the right direction but if they want to seriously contend for a playoff spot next season they need to significantly upgrade their offense.
The Devils finished 30th in goals and that's simply not going to cut it even with Cory Schneider manning the crease on a nightly basis.
GM Ray Shero will undoubtedly add a forward or two but one thing he has stressed is that he will only bring in players who fit into the team's plans both now and in the future. He's not going to trade assets or blow through cap space to bring in players on the downside of their careers.
One guy who fits the mould of what Shero is looking for is Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin.
He hasn't played a huge role in Dallas over the last couple years but he's young, ultra talented and could - emphasis on could - be made available if the right deal came along.
With two of Dallas' top-4 defensemen - Jason Demers and Alex Goligoski - set to become UFAs and the Kris Russell experiment failing the Stars will be looking for help on defense.
I imagine a young, promising blue liner like Damon Severson, who is slated to make just over 600K next season, would interest them.
From a pure hockey perspective a deal built around Severson and Nichushkin makes sense. Both are young, both possess a lot of potential, and both would help fill big needs for the other teams.
What the Devils have to decide, should a deal like that be available to them, is if their defense is strong enough moving forward to part with a guy like Severson.
I think it's an interesting topic for debate.
- One guy I think the Devils would be smart to buy low on is Patrick Wiercioch. He'd fill more of a need if the Devils let David Schlemko go,
which I don't think they should do, or part with a defenseman to bring in a forward but I think he'd be a nice addition regardless of the circumstances.
The Ottawa Senators are not expected to extend Wiercioch a qualifying offer, which would make the 25-year-old an unrestricted free agent come July (like we saw with Arizona and John Moore last year).
He has been a healthy scratch on and off since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2012 but his 5 v 5 numbers have been excellent.
With Wiercioch on the ice the Senators have controlled better than 50% of the shot attempts, scoring chances and goals. They've been a lot better with him than without him, too.
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Wiercioch, like Schlemko, isn't flashy and won't put up big point totals but more good than bad tends to happen when he's on the ice.
Considering Wiercioch is just 25, a left-handed shot and his asking price wouldn't be high I think he's a guy worth pursuing if and when he does become available.
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