Devils Clean House 2018-07-06 A frenzy of trades followed as the EHE's league-wide trade freeze concluded on July 2nd. The New Jersey Devils were thick in the mix, dramatically altering the make up of their organization. Last week the organization released a statement letter to fans, essentially bracing them for the changes that were set to come. In dramatic fashion, recently hired General Manager Cole Bates wasted no time putting his finger prints all over the organization. The Devils capped off a whopping 6 separate trades over the course of only 3 days. Multiple established players were dealt in favour of what primarily consisted of, prospects, picks, and cash. Many familiar faces, including the likes of Vladislav Namesnikov, Alex Killorn, Josh Anderson, Patrick Maroon, Chris Tanev, Andrew Cogliano, and Marc Staal, were all traded out of town. Despite a barrage of deals shortly after the trade freeze, the Devils General Manager insists that all of the deals made were calculated maneuver's with the ultimate objective of replenishing a depleted prospect pool in Jersey. When questioned at the teams post trade press conference Bates echoed this message. "Although we made a splash early, these weren't knee jerk trades by any means. We targeted these players.” “Our scouting department identified these prospects as players we believe have high upside. Guys who are right on the cusp of making more big strides in their development." Bates elaborated on the process, “We prioritized building our prospect pool as our number one objective. We felt we needed to maximize value on some of the assets that we did have.” But how exactly did the Devils come to this point? "It’s no secret this team has been a on the outside looking in, the past two seasons in particular. There have not been significant strides for some time now. We could have tried to make a quick fix and contend for a playoff spot next year. Given the significant gaps we saw, we felt we would have been shooting ourselves in the foot down the road." Now that many of the Devils NHL calliber players have been moved out in favour of what primarily consists of Prospects and Picks; What is the plan for next season? With a depleted NHL roster, where do the Devils go from here? "This was the best course of action at the way our roster stood. We saw a glaring lack of depth in our prospect pool and some bad contracts on the books for the next two seasons. Does this mean the Devils are now in full rebuild mode? "We intend to improve our current roster for next season. Our next steps are to go improve the team through the draft and Free Agency. " Bates was quick to respond when asked about which trade excited him most. “We were happy with everything. With the Mittelstadt acquisition we are particularly excited about a one two punch of Barzal and Mittelstadt down the middle." "Casey has all the tools to be a superstar in this league." On David Quennville: "Quennville was not a throw in for us, he's a very Mobile puck moving defenseman with special offensive abilities and awareness. David is undersized, but he doesn’t play like it. We’ve seen him throw the body around, he's a really strong kid for his size. We're looking forward to see the progression at the next level once David turns pro this season." Outside of Mittelstadt Quennville deal, how about some of the other prospects the Devils acquired? “With the players we acquired, we brought in a lot of speed, skill, and hockey sense. Frost and Sikura are terrific skaters. Both guys are skilled, speedy, playmakers who can think the game and really see the ice." On their potential moving forward: “We think they are close to becoming top 9 forwards in the near future. Both players have the upside to become top 6 point producing forwards provided they can translate at the next level." Bates was also questioned on Defenseman Phillipe Myers, who New Jersey acquired along with a Columbus 3rd round pick, and $1 Million dollars in cash considerations. "Phillipe (Myers) is a big man who skates well, defends well, and can contribute offensively. He will be a big part of our blue line moving forward. Phil’s got a bit of a mean steak. He’s going to be a physically imposing prescience once he fills out.” "We envision him as a top four defenseman for us. He's battled some injuries the last two seasons. We anticipate him getting back to 100% health and taking a big step at the next level." On raising some eyebrows: "Outside of Mittelstadt, these are guys who aren't as highly regarded amongst mainstream or consensus prospect rankings. We feel they’re right on the cusp of showing what they can do at the next level and gaining the critical acclaim they deserve." As for some of the other pieces the Devils acquired: “We’re excited to clear cap space and make selections with the picks we acquired. Were looking forward to Erik Gustafsson’s progression on Defense, Mike Condon helps us replace Darcy (Kuemper) as our back up Goaltender and solidify us in the crease." Now for a closer look at what the Devils brought in, and subsequently shipped out. (In) Casey Mittelstadt Morgan Frost Dylan Sikura Phillipe Myers David Quennville Erik Gustafsson Mike Condon Anthony Louis Kenny Agostino Dakota Mermis Thomas Dipauli Martin Hanzal 2018 CGY 2nd Round Pick 2018 CBJ 3rd Round Pick 2018 ANA 5th Round pick $6.6 Million (OUT) Vladislav Namesnikov Alex Killorn Josh Anderson Patrick Maroon Jacob Forsbacka Karlsson Roland McKeown Andrew Cogliano Marc Staal Lukas Sedlak 2018 NJD 1st 2018 MTL 4th (Acquired in the MTL deal, then subsequently traded to CHI) 2019 NJD 2nd Round Pick 2019 NJD 4th In looking at the return one thing is clear: The Devils are betting big on the likes of Frost, Sikura, Myers, and Quennville. Likewise for the players they anticipate to be available for both the Calgary 2nd round, and Columbus 3rd round selection. Bates plans to use the bevy of cap space, and $6.6 Million in cash considerations to help in signing players through the Free Agency period. Patience is the name of the game for the Devils on these deals. New Jersey's brass are cognizant of the fact they are losing out on the short term. Sure, it's fair to note that in beginning his revamp of the Devils, Bates did not have the sexiest names to shop around. However, now only time will tell if the big bets made by the Devils scouting staff will pay off. New Jersey will have to take the wait-and-see approach in watching these prospects and picks come to fruition. Bates plans to balance the loss of established roster players this way, along with allocating some of the cap space and cash acquired through trade in Free Agency as mentioned above. One thing that is for certain: This team is going to look very different come puck drop next season and beyond. Bates persists that the best is yet to come. “We may be taking some considerable steps back in the short term, but it’s apparent in order to make the leaps we plan to make forward.” As for the Devils faithful, it’s time to hold your breath in the meantime and trust that the future that lies ahead is worth the sacrifice. No pain, no gain. Welcome to the new era of the New Jersey Devils.
