Prior to the big trade that sent Adam Larsson packing in exchange for Taylor Hall, the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers were frequently linked together as potential trade partners.
That made a lot of sense as, while the Devils weren't exactly loaded with big name blue liners, they had a bit of a log jam of young blue liners and desperately needed offensive help. Meanwhile the Oilers had a plethora of weapons up front and needed to rebuild their defense.
As such, dating back prior to last year's trade deadline, the Devils and Oilers had plenty of dialogue regarding a trade to help address both team's needs.
Talks didn't always center around Larsson and Hall, though.
In fact, the two sides held discussions regarding much lesser players than the ones included in the deal they eventually agreed to.
Neither Chiarelli nor Shero would confirm it, but the Devils and Oilers discussed smaller possibilities well before the final deal. Edmonton had interest in Eric Gelinas (who was traded to Colorado) and Jon Merrill (still in New Jersey).
General Managers talk trade a lot and often throw out a ton of different possibilities in negotiations so it's not surprising other players came up.
Gelinas fell out of favor in New Jersey but, despite turning the puck over a little more than anyone would like, he has NHL size, can get around the ice fairly well and possesses a cannon of a shot. Teams looking to improve on defense could do a lot worse than taking a flier on Gelinas, which is what Colorado ended up doing.
What I'm really curious to know is a) how much interest there was in Jon Merrill and; b) what Edmonton was prepared to give up.
Around the draft there were reports that Nail Yakupov could have been had for as little as a 3rd. Merrill is still young and was once a very highly touted prospect so, despite his poor possession numbers, his value was/is probably a 3rd round pick - or close to it.
Obviously the Devils need enough bodies to dress a full blue line, and can't trade everyone they have, but I can't help but think the Devils would be better off dealing Merrill to Edmonton - especially if Yakupov was on the table - given Merrill's perceived value is almost certainly higher than his on-ice value, which is minimal.
We'll probably never find out the answer to these questions but I figured it was a topic worth touching on nonetheless.
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