X

Have feedback / suggestions? Let us know!

NHL New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils Should Trade a Young Defenseman If the Price Is Right

By @nick_villano

damon severson

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The New Jersey Devils have a problem many teams wish they had. They currently have too many good, young defensemen. The problem is, they are human. They want to play every night, and they understand that they are talented enough to play every night. What should head coach Peter DeBoer do?

I think Devils GM Lou Lamoriello should take it out of DeBoer’s hands. He currently has Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, Damon Severson and Eric Gelinas on the team. All four of them are 23 years old or younger. If they all pan out, the Devils have a lock-down top four for the next decade or more. Add into that they just gave top defenseman Andy Greene a five-year deal to stay with the team, and the defense is set.

The issue is they also have two veterans on the team who get playing time. Marek Zidlicky and Bryce Salvador have been nothing short of terrible defensively all season. They have literally lost games for the team. Unfortunately, DeBoer is going to keep playing them. Zidlicky brings too much to the power play to sit him, and Salvador is the captain, which apparently gives him an automatic dress every night. They aren’t going to be taken out of the lineup, so that means one of the young guys has to sit.

It seems like a possibility that the Devils end up moving one of their young D-men, and Larsson is the obvious choice. He has some pretty high value at this point, being the No. 4 overall pick just a few years ago. He is also the one who is getting healthy scratched most often. There should still be some teams willing to give a very good prospect for him.

The Devils could honestly trade any one of their defensive prospects and still survive. They still have top prospect Steve Santini in the minors, even though he is currently hurt. They have such a plethora of skilled defensemen that losing one won’t be terribly detrimental to their future. Especially if they can get a good forward prospect in return, the deal will be well worth it.

Nick Villano is the New Jersey Devils writer for Rant Sports.  He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content.  You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on