Tyler in, Yegor and Mackenzie Out
Good morning Devils fans. Usually I space these out every other day during the offseason but we had a huge day yesterday so let’s jump into it. GM Tom Fitzgerald was incredibly busy yesterday, making two key trades. First, NJ traded Mackenzie Blackwood to San Jose for a 6th Round Pick. That was about the price I suggested for him in my article regarding whether to sign or trade Blackwood, taking away the idea of swapping a conditional 5th for 4th depending on Mac’s performance. A strong trade and fair for both teams in my eyes. We get extra picks at the later rounds to take gambles and find diamonds in the rough. We also streamline our goalie pipeline so we can focus on Vanacek and Schmid, assuming Hellebuyck doesn’t get traded here. Blackwood will get a fresh start at a new team, something that I think could do him some good. Looking at San Jose’s goalie situation, neither James Reimer or Kakko Kà¤hkönen put up decent numbers this past season. Mac could end up the starter. Regarding SJ, they also have a ton of draft capital so don’t be shocked if they are busy on the trade front during the draft.
The much bigger trade came not too much later as the Devils sent Yegor Sharangovich and a 3rd round pick for Tyler Toffoli. Before we analyze Toffoli, I just wanted to point out the fascinating journey of this pick. This was originally Calgary’s pick in the first place. It went to Seattle in a package for Calle Jà¤rnkrok, then packaged again and sent from Seattle to Columbus for Oliver Bjorkstrand. We acquired it in exchange for Damon Severson. Now, it has returned to its original home. I don’t know why, but I find that so interesting.
Now, as we say goodbye to Yegor Sharangovich, we welcome Tyler Toffoli. At 31 with a cap hit of $4.25M, we’ve acquired a top 6 winger with a solid history in the NHL. Cutting his teeth in the Kings system and becoming a league regular, he eventually played a key role in the Kings’ 2014 Stanley Cup run against the Rangers, assisting on the Cup clinching Alec Martinez goal. He was eventually traded to Vancouver, where he played limited time with the top line, scoring 10 points in 10 games and a pair of assists and goals in 7 playoff games. After Vancouver passed on resigning him, Toffoli signed as a free agent to Montreal. He did well for himself during the COVID season, going 28G-16A-44P in 52 GP in the regular season and 5G-9A-14P in 22 playoff games as Montreal lost in the Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay. Despite a decent following season that was limited due to surgery, Toffoli ended up in another trade to Calgary. Following the departure of Jonathan Huberdeau and Matthew Tkachuk, he would play top line minutes and set career highs last year in goals and assists.
With the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli, our offense has become dramatically deeper. Here is a breakdown of lines we could roll with, assuming the Devils make the roster moves I’ve suggested:
O1: Bratt-Hughes-Mercer O2: Meier-Hischier-Toffoli O3: Palat-Haula-Boqvist O4: Lazar/Foote-Mcleod-Bastian
This is also assuming we don’t make the rumored move for Ross Colton, which could change the 3rd line with Palat possibly playing the RW with a Boqvist trade making room. We also have Chase Stillman and Graeme Clarke pushing for an NHL spot this season. We have a deep team on offense with this trade.
So what are your reactions to the trade yesterday? How would you set up the lines with the team? Raise Hell!
-Josh Biringer