Though the New Jersey Devils are in the market for a top-six forward, their offense is very much carried by their top-six. Jack Hughes was pacing for 50-plus goals and 100-plus points before getting injured last week. Nico Hischier is in a bit of a slump, but he still has 47 points in 53 games. Meanwhile, Jesper Bratt is just under a point-per-game pace, and Ondrej Palát is picking it up, with 11 points in his last 12 games.
While it can’t hurt to add another top-six forward, such as Timo Meier or Brock Boeser, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald does need to address the team’s scoring depth. After Hughes, Bratt and Hischier, Dawson Mercer and Tomáš Tatar are tied for fifth in team scoring, with 12 goals and 30 points in 54 games. That’s a respectable 45-point pace, but it wouldn’t hurt to add more depth.
Sure, acquiring a Meier or Boeser strengthens the bottom-six because it pushes other players down the lineup. But with the team’s five-on-five struggles and inconsistent bottom-six play over the last month and a half, let’s look at some forwards they could target to help shore up the group up front.
Chicago Blackhawks Forwards
Sam Lafferty, Left Wing/Center
Though the Blackhawks are not actively trying to win games, they have some intriguing trade pieces that could help them pick up capital from playoff contenders. Sam Lafferty would be one, as he’s had a solid season as a bottom-six forward. He has nine goals and 20 points in 47 games — a 16-goal, 35-point pace over 82 games.
Even on a weak Blackhawks team, he’s put up decent underlying metrics. His even-strength offense has been worth an expected goals above replacement (xGAR) of 2.2, while his even-strength defense has been worth an xGAR of 0.6. He has two-way value and would be an upgrade over some of the Devils’ current bottom-six forwards.
Max Domi, Left Wing/Center
The Blackhawks have struggled to score goals this season, but Max Domi has been one of their better offensive players. He has 14 goals and 36 points in 53 games, putting him on pace to finish with 22 tallies and 56 points. His even-strength offense has been worth an xGAR of 2, which is where most of his value lies.
As a matter of fact, it’s where all of his value lies. If the Devils are to acquire Domi, they have to seriously consider if his defensive shortcomings are something they can cover up. Not only has he been one of the Blackhawks’ worst defensive players, but he’s also been one of the worst in the league. His even-strength defense has been worth an xGAR of minus-7.8, the worst among all forwards in the NHL.
Domi is a better scorer than most of the Devils’ middle- or bottom-six forwards, but the defensive concerns are real. It’s not just a product of playing on the Blackhawks; his defensive game has been non-existent his entire career. He’ll probably cost something equivalent to a second and third-round pick, which shouldn’t hurt the Devils in the long run. But they may want someone with more two-way upside than him as a rental.
Taylor Raddysh, Right Wing
One player with more two-way upside would be Domi’s teammate, Taylor Raddysh, who sits at No. 44 on Frank Seravalli’s trade board at Daily Faceoff after initially popping up at No. 31. Raddysh has quietly been one of the Blackhawks’ better forwards, totaling 14 goals and 24 points in 53 games — a 22-goal, 37-point pace over 82 games. His shooting percentage of 16.9 percent is a bit unsustainable, but his underlying metrics are solid. His overall xGAR of 6.9 leads all Blackhawks skaters this season, and he’s been good two-ways at even strength:
As Seravalli stated in his trade board update, the Blackhawks are more than happy to keep Raddysh. To me, that sounds like it may take an overpay to acquire him. On the one hand, you don’t want to overpay for a bottom-six upgrade. On the other, he’s under contract through next season at a cap hit of $758,333.
Raddysh turns 25 years old tomorrow (Feb. 18), so he should have some good hockey ahead of him. Judging by his underlying numbers, there’s enough to suggest he can overcome an unsustainable shooting percentage. The Devils might not want to overpay for a bottom-six forward, but he won’t cost a first-round pick, and his cap hit is valuable for a team looking to acquire a top-six forward. Plus, he’d add some needed size at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds.
St. Louis Blues Forwards
Noel Acciari, Center
Another team out of playoff contention but with intriguing depth options for contenders is the Blues. One player who could be of interest to the Devils is Noel Acciari, who has ten goals and 18 points in 54 games this season, putting him on pace to finish with 15 tallies and 27 points.
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Acciari has been a solid two-way center for the Blues; his even-strength offense has been worth an xGAR of 1, while his even-strength defense has been worth an xGAR of 1.6. He’s winning 53.5 percent of his faceoffs, something Devils head coach Lindy Ruff clearly values. He’s scoring at a decent clip for a bottom-six forward, but given Ruff and the Devils seem to like Michael McLeod, acquiring Acciari seems like a long shot.
Josh Leivo, Left/Right Wing
Another Blues forward who makes plenty of sense for the Devils is Josh Leivo. He has four goals and 13 points in 39 games, so he hasn’t lit up the scoreboard. But his underlying metrics are some of the best among Blues forwards, specifically defensively.
Leivo’s even-strength defense has been worth an xGAR of 4, the best on the Blues and ranked fourth in the league among all forwards. Though he hasn’t been scoring much, his 5.6 shooting percentage is below his career average of 9.6. He has 71 shots on goal in 39 games, so the generation has been there; he just hasn’t found the back of the net as often as he should. When considering he should have better shooting luck and defensive prowess, he’d be a significant upgrade at left wing over Miles Wood, who has struggled mightily this season:
Leivo has a cap hit of $750,000 and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. It’s unlikely he costs anything more than a mid to late-round pick in a trade, but given his underlying metrics and cap hit, he should be among the Devils’ top targets if they’re looking to upgrade their bottom-six ahead of the trade deadline.
Ivan Barbashev, Left Wing
Ivan Barbashev’s production has fallen off significantly from the 26 goals and 60 points he put up a season ago. But even though his scoring has slipped, he’s still on pace to finish with 15 goals and 42 points; that dip in production shouldn’t be too surprising since he shot 23.4 percent a season ago.
Barbashev’s underlying metrics, at least offensively, have been solid this season. His even-strength offense has been worth an xGAR of 6.8, ranked second among Blues forwards behind Ryan O’Reilly. He would upgrade the Devils’ third line, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Blues were looking for a second-round pick and a good prospect for Barbashev. That might be a price Fitzgerald isn’t willing to pay for a rental.
What About the Rest of the Trade Market?
Is there anyone else that could intrigue the Devils? One of Meier’s teammates could be worth targeting for some depth in the bottom-six. While Nick Bonino isn’t the third-line forward he was once, he’s still having a decent season in San Jose. He’s on pace to finish the season with 14 goals and 28 points, and his veteran leadership would be valuable for a young Devils team heading toward their first playoff berth in five years.
At 34 years old, Bonino’s game is still holding up at even strength; his offense and defense have been worth a positive xGAR at that game state. His defensive game, specifically, has been quite good, which will help in the playoffs, especially if the Devils match up with the New York Rangers in the first round.
Could Bonino be part of a Meier deal, similar to what the Rangers did in acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola from the Blues? Possibly, but his $2.05 million cap hit complicates matters. It’s unlikely the Sharks would retain on both Bonino and Meier’s contracts, so getting players seems like a pipe dream. If the Devils trade for Meier or Boeser, they’ll need to look elsewhere for players with lower cap hits or teams that can retain salary on forwards like Barbashev.
While the Devils need a top-six scorer, they also need to shore up their depth on their bottom two lines. They haven’t gotten consistent production from players outside their top two lines. And while adding someone like Meier would push players down the lineup and help the bottom-six, adding outside help if it doesn’t cost losing futures that will hurt the team down the road would be a wise plan.
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Advanced stats from Evolving-Hockey