With the NHL trade deadline just over a month away, it’s time to look at potential trade partners for the New Jersey Devils. While yes, the Devils have struggled at times this season and are currently sitting outside a wild-card position, there are a plethora of reasons why the Devils should consider moving their picks and prospects for players who can contribute towards a playoff push now and in the future. The biggest two factors in this regard are health and goaltending.
The Devils have been one of the most injury-ravaged teams in the NHL, with stars Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton having already missed significant time and more minor pieces like Jonas Siegenthaler, Tomas Nosek, and Brendan Smith leaving the Devils without the depth required to compete every game. Goaltending is the other principal issue, with the Devils having received league-worst goaltending in terms of save percentage and second-worst in terms of goals saved above expected (GSAx).
The Senators, meanwhile, should be sellers this season — as a team with post-season aspirations before the seasons started, they’ve endured quite a disappointing year and have fallen well out of the playoff race. On paper, their team should be able to compete, but the results simply aren’t there. They fired their coach and continue to play uninspired hockey under a new system, so it’s clear that the roster just won’t cut it and needs, at the least, a shakeup. Enter the Devils, who, once they get some clarity in their net, should eye the Senators as a trade partner. There are some major (and minor) players that the Devils could certainly benefit from.
Jakob Chychrun
The Devils’ top target from the Senators should be none other than Jakob Chychrun, who has had an incredible season on an underwhelming team. Playing on Ottawa’s top pair alongside Thomas Chabot, Chychrun sits in 16th in the NHL among defensemen in expected goals above replacement (xGAR) and 10th in actual GAR. For context, GAR and xGAR, according to Evolving Hockey, are metrics “that attempt to assign a total value to each player, which represents how much that player contributed to their team in a single number” through a mathematical model. GAR is the actual value, and xGAR is the expected value. Think of them almost like goals and expected goals (xG).
Chychrun, though often described as being a more offense-oriented defenseman, is anything but. Obviously, the offense is there, but his two-way game is outright elite this season. Chychrun ranks 12th among defensemen in even-strength defensive GAR while being 31st in even-strength offense. He’s been a net-plus on both the power play and penalty kill, and at a more-than-fair $4.6 million cap hit for this season and next, the Devils should be all over it.
Related: Devils’ Push for Playoffs Holds Future Implications
The only way the Devils can acquire Chychrun without having a complete logjam on defense once everyone returns is if Kevin Bahl is included in the trade. Bahl is regarded somewhat coveted asset — a 6-foot-6, hulking, defense-first 23-year-old with sturdy underlying statistics should be. Still, the Devils would need to add a lot more for this to work for the Senators. Being that Ottawa is likely looking for more young players and prospects, I would think the Devils need to add a first-round draft pick and lesser prospect, say, Cole Brown, in addition to Bahl.
Claude Giroux
It’s no secret that the Devils are looking to acquire a center after Michael McLeod surrendered to London police. As such, if Claude Giroux is on the market — which he should be, considering he’s 36 years old and on a team that is nowhere near competing — the Devils should be all over it.
Giroux is having yet another fantastic season, and the seemingly ageless forward has shown no real signs of slowing down other than losing a bit of foot speed. While sitting at second on the Senators in points with 42, he leads the team in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) with 54.44 percent, meaning that the Senators are controlling well over half of the expected goals when Giroux is on the ice. He’s second on the team in terms of expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) with 3.17, is sixth in GAR, and first in xGAR.
Giroux would also fill the somewhat niche role that McLeod had in being a faceoff guru. While I personally don’t think faceoffs matter that much, winning one in a key situation to gain possession is always a plus, and Giroux is ranked sixth in the NHL with a 57.5% faceoff win percentage. He plays all forward positions, can play anywhere in the top-nine, and plays both special teams units. His penalty-kill work leaves a bit to be desired, but considering his aptitude in every other facet of his game, the Devils should be all over it.
The acquisition cost might be a bit hefty, especially when considering there’s always the possibility of his age catching back up to him. The Senators would likely have to retain some money from his $6.5 million cap hit that lasts until the 2025 offseason, so that’s a factor, too. I’d imagine the starting price on Giroux is a first-round pick and a good, NHL-ready prospect or young player. After all, Elias Lindholm, who has been much, much worse this season, fetched about that much, granted Lindholm is significantly younger. Still, I would anticipate the cost being a first, someone like Nolan Foote or Graeme Clarke, and possibly another, lesser prospect like Josh Filmon or Artem Shlaine.
Secondary Pieces
Erik Brännström
For some reason, Erik Brännström just hasn’t seen as much ice time as he deserves with the Senators. Outside of 2021-22, where he played nearly 20 minutes per night in his 53 games, he’s been in a third-pair, sheltered role in Ottawa. To be fair, with the 24-year-old left-handed defenseman being on the third pair, he’s playing behind Chabot and Jake Sanderson. In fact, he’s the team’s fourth left-handed shot, as Chychrun has been playing on his off-hand since Chabot returned from his leg injury in January.
The former 15th overall pick from 2017 has been more than rock solid in said sheltered role for the past two years, posting an astounding xGF% of 56.72 percent last season and an xGF% of 51.21 percent so far this season. Brännström’s skating is his best attribute, and he uses it to move the puck up-ice with swagger. His defense is viable, too; he’s given up the third-fewest goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) on the Senators.
In terms of what it would look like for the Devils to acquire Brännström, it would likely be something like a third-round pick and right-handed defensive prospect like Chase Cheslock. Brännstrom clearly needs a bit of a change in scenery, especially if he wants to log meaningful minutes. The Devils should keep an eye on him.
Mathieu Joseph
If there’s one depth player on the Senators that I want the Devils to inquire about, it’s Mathieu Joseph. The speedy 26-year-old has come into his own this year and has finally broken out with 23 points in 35 games. He’s spent some time on the Senators’ top line alongside captain Brady Tkachuk but has played the bulk of his games in the bottom-six. Much like Brännström, Joseph’s skating is undoubtedly his best facet, constantly using his absurd straight-line speed to get around defensemen in transition.
The underlying statistics aren’t necessarily there offensively — he sits at ninth among Senators forwards in xGF/60 — but his defensive numbers are sound, placing fourth in xGA/60 among regulars. He’s also the type of player the Devils should be looking to for a playoff run; he’s both gritty and skilled. Skilled grit is a coveted asset in the NHL, and far too often do NHL GMs prioritize grit over scoring touch, especially in the bottom-six. Joseph is the best of both worlds.
For a player like Joseph, who I’m sure the Senators now value pretty highly, I would assume that the price starts at a third-rounder and solid forward prospect like Foote or Clarke. It might seem like a steep price to pay for someone to pop in the bottom half of the lineup, but it’s worth it for the upside and defensive prowess.
Senators Are Viable Partners After Goaltending is Addressed
First things first — the Devils’ goaltending is their primary issue and needs to be addressed before anything else, barring a magical resurgence from any of the netminders in their system. Even then, the smarter move for the postseason is to bring in someone from the outside who can steal wins on a nightly basis — someone like Jacob Markstrom or Juuse Saros.
Once that’s addressed — which I have confidence that it will be — the Devils should look to the Senators for their other needs. The Devils, though incredibly talented when healthy, can use upgrades up and down their lineup. With McLeod’s indefinite departure, there’s an opening for a bottom-nine center with upside. With Hamilton out for the remainder of the season, there’s room for a defensive upgrade. With the Devils’ bottom-six underperforming, there’s certainly room to add a piece or two there. The Senators have all of those types of players, and the Devils would be smart to keep them in mind.
