Devils sign Ondrej Palat

     The New Jersey Devils wanted Johnny Gaudreau badly and between Gaudreau's growing up in New Jersey and the fact that the Devils could pay Gaudreau more than any other could, it wasn't unreasonable to think that the Devils could have been secure as the favorites to sign the high scoring and most coveted free agent.

Had you bet on that outcome, you lose (in my best Warner Wolf voice) as Gaudreau signed with Columbus, so Tom Fitzgerald needed a backup plan which proved to be Ondrej Palat as the Devils lured away the veteran left-winger away from his only NHL home in Tampa Bay with a five-year agreement worth thirty million dollars.

The thirty-one-year-old Palat was drafted by the Lightning in the seventh round in 2011 and has spent the last ten years with Tampa Bay, where he has received kudos for his excellent playoff production with three trips to the Stanley Cup finals, two of those resulting in two titles.

Palat scored eighteen goals with thirty-one assists for Tampa Bay last season and has been extremely consistent over his career.

The problem is that Palat may be too consistent as after Palat's rookie season when he scored 23 goals, Palat has scored between fifteen and eighteen goals in six of the next eight seasons, never higher and twice lower.

While there is something to be said for consistency, Palat's goal scoring doesn't seem likely to improve, and should it move higher, it is likely to be a career-best season.

Considering his age at the end of the contract (36) and his goal production, this is an overpay and likely a panicky move from Tom Fitzgerald, who must have had all of his eggs in the Johnny Gaudreau basket and was surprised to see Gaudreau slip away to Columbus, which forced Fitzgerald to do something fast.

Ondrej Palat is a fine player and I'm sure that he will produce for the Devils what he generally has over his career.

However, I'm not sure that the Devils needed a player of his skills, especially considering his age, length of the contract, and the price, so I am not a fan overall of this signing.

New Jersey also signed veteran defenseman Brendan Smith to a two-year contract worth 1.1 million per season.

The thirty-three-year-old Smith played forty-five games with Carolina, finishing with four goals, four assists, and a plus six.

He's a guy that is best used as a depth defenseman that can play on your third defensive pairing or ideally as Carolina (Or any good team) as the seventh defenseman that plays when someone is a little dinged up and needs a night off.

It's an average signing- nothing to get upset with, nothing to leap into the air in excitement over either.

Devils move up in Lottery, choose second in draft

   After a season that seemed so bad that it was soul-sucking but still finished with only the fifth-worst record in the NHL as their 63 points were more than Montreal, Arizona, expansion Seattle, and Philadelphia, the New Jersey Devils were rumored to be floating rumors that the Devils could be persuaded to move their first-rounder in a move that would attempt to settle the worst goaltending situation in the league.

Instead, after yet another change to the process in how the NHL version of the lottery works, the Devils moved up from fifth to second in June's draft and will add another chance to draft an impact player.

Montreal with the league's worst record won the lottery and is expected to select Canadian center Shane Wright with the selection.

Entering the lottery, American center Logan Cooley was the slight choice for the second-rated player of the class with Slovakian winger Juraf Slafkovsky as the best wing in the draft but when you consider that the Devils already have two young centers locked down for the first two lines with long extensions that New Jersey and general manager Tom Fitzgerald could select Slafkovsky as a better fit on the organization's depth chart.

I'll have a bit more draft talk closer to the draft but to the few readers that wondered why I didn't cover the teams so much this year, besides my issues with time due to working so much, I wasn't able to watch as many full games but I tried to watch as many condensed games as I could and there were two other factors.

Rachel has gotten busier with her job and watching a terrible time has taken its toll on making the time from work to watch.

In addition for me personally, the absolutely awful goaltending situation just made some of these games hard to watch.

Normally, I can sit through bad teams and bad seasons, but there was something so putrid about watching a team with the heritage of goaltending and defense as the Devils have, struggle with such issues as this year's teams found it hard to watch.

I'm sure that I'll be watching more often in 2022-23.

Devils Extend Jack Hughes

    The New Jersey Devils may have lost their game to the visiting San Jose Sharks Tuesday night in a 5-2 defeat that saw the Devils play an absolutely terrible second period but the Devils did have two pieces of good news- both involving Jack Hughes.

The short-term good news was the return to the lineup for Hughes, who was injured in the second game of the season and missed the next seventeen games.

Hughes failed to score a point against San Jose in seventeen and a half minutes of ice time, but there is some rust that will need to be shaven off before returning to peak form but the even bigger news would come from the podium not on the ice as the Devils announced before the game that the franchise signed Hughes to an eight-year contract extension worth sixty-four million dollars.

Hughes was the first overall selection of the 2019 draft by New Jersey and scored eleven goals with twenty assists in fifty-six games last season and scored two goals with an assist in his first two games before his injury.

Give the Devils credit for locking up Hughes before he could possibly reach the point of a stalemate down the road which almost always causes hard feelings from the player and treating the player that they want to build around a fair deal.

And give some kudos to Jack Hughes, who realizes that in a few years that he will be able to play with his brother (2021first rounder Luke) and that is an opportunity that few brothers are able to do at all, let alone when the brothers are at their peak as players, and took fewer dollars in return for a long-term commitment to the franchise and a secure contract.

Here's my dilemma on the deal.

Hughes is certainly talented and he certainly has the chance to be an impact player along with being the face of the franchise with his playmaking skills.

At only 20 years old, Hughes is signed until he turns 29, so should Hughes live up to his potential, this contract could be a long-term bargain.

However, Hughes has struggled with injuries in his short career, has a very slight frame (5'11 175 pounds) which could make him more vulnerable to hits and injuries. and despite showing some flashes of elite performance potential, there is some risk involved with an eight-year extension based on the current body of work for Hughes.

This contract is completely on the projection that Jack Hughes will develop into a number one center and while if the Devils are correct about Hughes, this contract will be a bargain by the final years of the contract.

However, it's not without risk, and should Hughes not reach that level for whatever reason then the deal could be an overpay depending on how much production that Hughes is able to bring to the Devils.

I would consider the extension a high reward/moderate risk contract for the Devils and at long as one realizes the risk that the team is taking, which seems to me based on Hughes not being injury-prone, I'm okay with the extension especially with the upside of Hughes becoming a star and not paying him a cap clogging price.

Devils not Wild in Shootout loss

    The New Jersey Devils rallied from a two-nothing deficit entering the final period to force overtime against the Minnesota Wild at the Rock in Newark.

However, the shootout woes continued as the Devils missed on all three shootout attempts against Wild goalie Cam Talbot and watched Minnesota skate away with a 3-2 win.

The Devils salvaged the point behind goals by Pavel Zacha (8) and Yegor Sharangovich (3) with Sharangovich scoring with just over a minute to play with New Jersey playing six on five with Mackenzie Blackwood pulled from the net.
Hell Raisers

1) The game was delayed for thirty-five minutes when the Wild, who were staying in Manhattan, could not reach the arena due to traffic leaving New York City.

2) The Devils did score the tying goal with Yegor Sharangovich on a six on five late in the game but this overshadowed a miserable late-game power play that included a five on three that ended without a goal.

3) The man advantage continued not to be an advantage as the Devils didn't score on any of their four chances and haven't scored in their last ten opportunities on the power play.

4) Before the game, the Devils sent first-round draft choice Alexander Holtz to Utica with Chase DeLeo getting the call from the Comets to replace Holtz on the roster.

Holtz had appeared in six games for the Devils, compiling two assists, and it is a move to get the young winger badly needed ice time.

5) The Devils need to look at the power play situation and since there isn't much they can do about personnel right now, their only move might be with power-play coach Mark Recchi.

I'm not saying fire Reechi but it certainly is time to try some different things and maybe even some outside help.

6) I really hate the Devils new third jersey.

Bleech.

Devils take two at home

  After watching the New Jersey Devils stun the Florida Panthers earlier in the week with a seven-goal barrage in a 7-3 win over the then-once beaten Panthers, it would be fair to expect a letdown against their occasional rivals in the New York Islanders.

Instead, the Devils used the flawless goaltending of Mackenzie Blackwood to shut out the Islanders 4-0 at the Rock in Newark.

Devils goals to Dawson Mercer (4), Dougie Hamilton (3), Janne Kuokkanen (3 shorthanded), and Tomas Tatar (1 power play).

The Devils play next on Saturday against Boston on a crowded sports day, so unsure if I'll see the game live o not.

Hell Raisers

1) 42 saves from Mackenzie Blackwood in only his third game back from heel surgery showed his skills haven't been dulled by his time away.

Blackwood stepped up and kept the Islanders off the board despite his defense allowing a few too many opportunities and the Islanders had several strong chances- this one goes to Blackwood.

2) The Devils have become one of the faster skating teams in the league and one that seems comfortable in a run and gun game.

The Devils have gotten younger (youngest team in the league) and faster but the larger question is can the Devils keep the legs under them for an entire season playing in such a style?

It is always a question to ask for teams that are changing their style a bit but even more so when moving to an offensive style.

3) Why have the Devils gotten away with so many chances allowed to opponents?

Why it's due to an upgraded defensive corps and signing players like Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Graves to put in front of Mackenzie Blackwood.

When you have those types of players on your blueline you can take more chances because not only can they make up for a deficiency on a breakaway, their presence allows a team to be more aggressive on the offensive end.

We aren't reinventing the wheel here.

4) Love rookie Dawson Mercer and his potential to be the type of power forward the Devils have lacked for years. 

Mercer's line with Andreas Johnsson and Jesper Bratt was all over the ice and Mercer's play around the net is helping Johnsson bounce back from a disappointing first season with the Devils.

5) Special teams improvement?

Well, definitely from last season, and the win over the Islanders was keyed by goals on the power play and the man advantage.

Of all the things that cause me optimism for the Devils, it's the possibility of an improved power play that I'm most excited about.

It's been quite a while since the Devils have had a strong power play and any chances of a surprise season are going to depend on keeping that level of improvement.

6) I find it hard to hate the Islanders.

I don't know if it is all the years playing in the dumpy Nassau Coliseum, the cheap ads on the ice back then (Circulatory Socks?), or Lou Lamoriello turning them into a contender, but I have a hard time hating the Islanders.

Devils Krak Seattle 4-2

    Former first-rounder Dawson Mercer scored his first NHL goal as the New Jersey Devils won their home opener 4-2 over the expansion Seattle Kraken at the Rock in Newark.

The Devils received the first goals of the season from all four of their goal scorers in Mercer, Damon Severson, Jimmy Vesey, and an empty-net goal by Pavel Zacha.

The Devils will host Washington on Thursday and Buffalo on Saturday before finishing their five-game season starting homestand next Tuesday against Calgary.

Look at the bottom of the post for some words on this year's Devils coverage.

Hell Raisers

1) The biggest news of this game?

It has to be the injury suffered by Jack Hughes in the first period on a hit by Seattle's Jeremy Lauzon.

Hughes fell hard on his shoulder and didn't return to the game.

Hughes will be evaluated later today and he is listed as day-to-day.

2) The Dawson Mercer goal was a very pretty goal off a two on one break with Mercer taking a saucer pass from Tomas Tatar.

It's the type of goal that you like to see from young players because all too often, the younger players struggle in finishing the play.

Mercer was the second of two Devils first-rounders in 2020 and looks the part of a power forward.

3) Video replay giveth and taketh away for New Jersey in the win as the Devils lost a goal on a review but won an appeal to remove a Seattle goal.

Nico Hischier's short-range tip from a Jesper Bratt pass just missed clearing the goal line at the end of the first period but the Devils appealed a Seattle goal for missing the Kraken being offside on the play.

4) It was a rougher, more physical game than I expected for the second game of the season but in hindsight, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Expansion teams of today, like Seattle and recently Las Vegas, may be more prepared to win immediately than their past compatriots in expansion but they still have players with plenty of proving to do if they want to continue to play hockey in the league, so that leads to some scrappy play that can eventually get to...

5) Let's call them disagreements.

Mason Geertsen took on Jeremy Lauzon early in the second period after Lauzon's hit on Jack Hughes, Michael McLeod fought Chris Tanev in the first, and Jonas Siegenthaler battled Ryan Donato in the second.

Add to that, plenty of pushing and shoving between the teams, and there was plenty of chippy play in this game.

6) Seattle cut the game to one goal at three to two when Jared McCann scored on a five-on-three power play with just over five minutes to play.

Pavel Zacha was called for a slash and seconds later Damon Severson was called for a trip.

The Severson penalty wasn't smart hockey as well as being ill-timed.

7) The Devils power play was zero for three and didn't really have great chances with the advantage.

Some of that was likely struggles with the unexpected loss of Jack Hughes, so one can give them a pass for one night.

8) I thought Jonathan Bernier was good, not great in goal but more than good enough to earn the victory with his performance.

With Mackenzie Blackwood's status in flux, the play of Bernier is very key in the Devils using their five home games to start the season quickly.

9) I kept having a hard time watching the broadcast from a higher angle and not thinking that Seattle was San Jose.

The uniforms didn't look like the Sharks up close but the road whites reminded me of them a great deal from afar.

If you have been reading other than for the Devils posts, you may have seen a reduction in posts over the last few months and my occasional struggles.

My intent is to do as much Devils and Cavaliers coverage as I can and hopefully do a decent enough job with them.

I didn't do season previews for either team (or Ohio State or Browns for that matter) because I didn't want to put out a half-assed effort that isn't something I would be pleased with.

I will likely be covering the Devils next on Tuesday as their game vs Washington is against the Browns and their Saturday game against Buffalo ( as the Cavaliers game against Atlanta) is at the same time as Ohio State after a time change this week.

Hopefully, I'll get enough Devils coverage to make those of you that come for that alone to be pleased with what I write...

Devils sign Tomas Tatar

  When the New Jersey Devils signed Dougie Hamilton and Jonathan Bernier, Tom Fitzgerald stated that the Devils had one final position that the team planned to upgrade- a forward that could play on either of the top two lines.

Fitzgerald signed Tomas Tatar from the Montreal Canadiens as that forward and while Tatar has been productive, there are a few questions about the veteran winger.

Tatar has scored twenty goals or more in six of his eight seasons with a seventh with 19 but scored only ten last season with Montreal with twenty assists in fifty games for Montreal.

The downside for Montreal's run to the Eastern Conference finals for Tatar?

He played in only five games, finishing with only one assist.

Tatar isn't a bad defensive player according to the hockey metrics (don't ask me), his goal scoring has been consistent, and he's not an ancient player as he turns 31 in December.

Well, it seems that Montreal's coaching staff with head coach Dominque Ducharme had soured on Tatar when they replaced the Claude Julien staff in the middle of last season.

That's not uncommon as sometimes returning players aren't a good fit with new staff as the Devils saw last season with Will Butcher with the Lindy Ruff staff and it also doesn't have to be an attitude issue.

Tatar was coveted by several teams, which shows a lot of teams realize that Tatar was miscast in Montreal, not a malcontent or having fading skills and this may have come down to the New Jersey cap space as Tatar was clearly the best remaining free agent after the initial smoke cleared.

Tatar was signed to a two-year contract worth 4.5 million for each season, so the cost is fair and it could be a very nice bargain for a player that generally can be counted on for twenty to twenty-five goals a season.

The final thing that I really liked about Tatar was his strength in five-on-five play as he scored eight of his ten at even strength and if you add his previous two seasons in Tatar scored thirty-five of his forty-seven were scored at five on five.

I like this signing as it seems to address the team's largest need at the time and not with a choking level contract.

New Jersey also retained right-winger Yegor Sharangovich to a two-year contract for a combined four million.

Sharangovich finished with sixteen goals and fourteen assists in his rookie season last year and will be a restricted free agent after the 2022-23 season. 

Devils sign Dougie Hamilton

   The New Jersey Devils had tons of cap space entering the free agency period and were rumored to be players in free agency due to that space.

However, the Devils had that same space in recent years and didn't use it to try to jump-start a program that has seen the once-proud franchise miss the postseason in eight of the most recent nine seasons.

Add that Newark isn't exactly a high-end destination for free agents, the recent success of the Islanders dropping the  Devils to third place in a three-team market, owners that have said they are willing to spend to improve but really haven't done so often since buying the franchise and you have a recipe for a team that would be involved in rumors for the top players but unlikely to sign them.

Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils thumbed their nose at all of those factors when they landed the top player available in free agency and at a position that the Devils were desperate for a difference-maker when the Devils signed defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year contract worth sixty-three million dollars.

Hamilton was taken ninth overall by Boston in the 2011 draft, which was the same draft that the Devils selected Adam Larsson fourth overall at the same position.

While I really liked Larsson in that draft as the top defenseman and Larsson has developed into a fine player, it's clear that Dougie Hamilton is the superior player, especially in the offensive zone.

Hamilton scored 10 goals with 32 assists in 55 games last season for Carolina, is a power-play standout, and brings the type of offensive skills to the blueline that the Devils haven't seen since the departure of Scott Niedermayer.

Hamilton has scored 10 or more goals in each of the last seven seasons and at 6'6 has the type of size and vision that few in the game possess.

Hamilton finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting last season, Hamilton would be the best defenseman on almost every team in the league and very few players of his level make it to the free-agent market.

Hamilton only recently turned 28 and for most players that are signing a long free-agent contract, Hamilton is actually quite young.

Hamilton will be 35 when the deal is finished, and when you consider that many elite defensemen play into their late thirties, there may not be the drastic dropoff in performance that many veterans have on such long contracts.

Compared to the eight-year extension for seventy-six million for Seth Jones, the Blackhawks agreed to yesterday for a player that Hamilton is superior to, You'll see why I am excited about the contract for the player on the ice and its value the salary cap.

When you consider all of those factors, this appears to be an excellent contract for Hamilton and a relative bargain for the Devils.

At worst, this contract could be high for the last year or two and I think even that result is very unlikely considering Hamilton's age.

The New Jersey Devils went out and grabbed the best player available in free agency.

The team will be better for it and while I still don't think the Devils can count on a playoff spot quite yet as a few more additions may be needed for a postseason visit, but a cornerstone was added to the eventual playoff team with the signing of Dougie Hamilton and maybe the start of potential success for Tom Fitzgerald as team GM as well.  

Devils sign Jonathan Bernier, trade Will Butcher

  The New Jersey Devils were the big winner on day one of free agency with the signing of defenseman Dougie Hamilton, which I will write about either tomorrow or later this week.

But the day wasn't all about Dougie Hamilton as the Devils finally have appeared to have filled the veteran backup position behind Mackenzie Blackwood that they believed they had closed during the last offseason when they signed Corey Crawford only to have Crawford retire during training camp.

The void left by Crawford was a problem all season with the Devils being forced to use veteran Scott Wedgewood and waiver addition Aaron Dell behind Blackwood with New Jersey to less than strong returns, so Tom Fitzgerald's shopping list included a veteran goalie for that role on the roster.

Jonathan Bernier seems to be a perfect fit for the position after playing twenty-four games for the Red Wings that would have been the best on the Devils, above even Blackwood's season numbers.

Bernier's record finished at 9-11-1 with a save percentage of .914 and a goals allowed average of 2.99, With both of the latter stats that would have been tops for the Devils, Bernier would have been the top netminder on the team last year, which made him a natural target in free agency.

Bernier turns thirty-three next week, so he's not the long term answer, but he'll be perfect as the veteran number two that can not only play thirty games a year, but also handle a full load should Blackwood get injured, and be the mentor that Blackwood hasn't really been able to lean on since his arrival in Newark.

The contract is a little higher than I'd prefer at 8.25 million over two seasons but the Devils don't have issues with cap space, so I'm more than fine with the signing of Bernier.

New Jersey also made a few signings to bolster their new AHL team in Utica, but their other move of the day saw them jettison defenseman Will Butcher along with a fifth-rounder in the 2022 draft in exchange for future considerations.

Butcher played in only twenty-three games of a season spent in Lindy Ruff's doghouse, scoring one goal with ten assists but clearly didn't adjust to the system used by Ruff.

Butcher was scheduled to make four million this season so the Devils did save some cap space but considering the team's cap situation the trade to receive literally nothing for Butcher makes me think that Tom Fitzgerald may be planning another move shortly perhaps to land a forward.

Back later with the signing of Dougie Hamilton.

Devils select Luke Hughes and Chase Stillman

   While I was away for the weekend dealing with a family event, the NHL Draft was held on Friday night with some fun afterward.

I pay far more attention to the NBA Draft coming up Thursday night because I know far more about the average prospect in that sport, but I always follow the first-round selection of the New Jersey Devils, and this draft, New Jersey would have their own pick at number four and the New York Islanders selection at twenty-nine in the opening stage.

The Devils selection of Luke Hughes with their pick at number four was the pick that most Devils fans had hoped for and for more than the sentimental storyline of playing with his brother Jack, the Devils top pick in 2019.

While Luke Hughes isn't projected to be the same level of player as his oldest brother, Quinn of the Vancouver Canucks, Luke was a solid member of the top few prospects in this class and wasn't thought of to be a reach at all and was generally regarded as the second-best defenseman of the draft behind his possible future teammate at Michigan, Owen Power, whom Buffalo selected first overall.

Hughes is an excellent skater, knows how to move the puck well in the end-to-end game, and is expected to develop his shot to have a chance to be a strong offensive-style defenseman, which of than Ty Smith, the Devils currently lack on the top squad and their farm system.

Hughes spent last season with the United States developmental team and has begun to skate again after injuring his foot in March.

Hughes is committed to Michigan and is likely to play at least one if not two seasons in Ann Arbor before entering the Devils system, if not the parent team.

Luke Hughes fits a glaring hole in the Devils organization and was drafted around the area that he was rated in don't be distracted by the nice storyline of two brothers eventually playing for the same team- He was the right selection.

Most Devils observers were not so thrilled with the selection of right-wing Chase Stillman, who was rated by almost all to be a second or third-round-level prospect.

The son of NHL veteran Cory Stillman, Stillman has been listed as a rugged around-the-net type with good hands and aggressiveness, but from what I have read seems to have many holes in his game and there were many higher-rated players on the board.

Tom Fitzgerald seems to like the rugged tough-guy types, and I can understand that to a degree- I like those types of players as well, but the game is changing rapidly from year to year and when any game begins to change, there are playing styles that become obsolete.

I'm not going to claim that I know much about Stillman or the prospects that he was selected over, but I do have to say that I have concerns about the selection after reading several opinions that I respect.

Thanks to John Fischer and the staff at All About The Jersey for their draft work that I used for much of the detail of this short recap.

While I used several sources before the draft on Luke Hughes as he was widely considered as a top possibility for the Devils, I knew next to nothing about Chase Stillman, and kudos to the staff there for the information.

Nathan Bastian lost in Seattle Expansion Draft

   The New Jersey Devils placed a few high-priced veterans on the list from the Seattle Kraken to choose from and hoped that the Kraken would oblige them with a selection that would save them some salary.

Instead. Seattle chose a low-cost young player, and while the Devils didn't lose a key player or a highly rated prospect Nathan Bastian was the type of player that expansion teams select and established teams hope not to lose.

Bastian is young (23),  physical, and is solid enough to play right win on a fourth line and play effectively as he did last season on the Devils fourth line with Myles Wood and Michael McLeod.

New Jersey selected Bastian in the second round in 2016 and scored three goals in seven games in 2019-20 in a cameo appearance before scoring the same three goals in forty-one games last season on the fourth line,

Players like Nathan Bastian aren't uncommon and they actually are fairly easy to find.

They play hard, are often fan favorites, are great teammates, can be productive on special teams, and sometimes in their career year can pop a number far beyond their normal number (remember David Clarkson's career year when he scored 30 goals and scored only 29 in the final five years of his career?).

Those players can eventually become far more expensive than their play justifies, which returns us to why Seattle took a Bastian rather than more expensive and formerly more productive players.

As for replacements for Bastian on the checking line, the Devils will likely sign an inexpensive veteran from free agency to compete with Nick Merkley off the roster and maybe Marian Studenic, who played for AHL Binghamton last season

Devils deal for Ryan Graves

    With next week looming for the NHL entry draft and the expansion draft for the newest member of the league, the Seattle Kraken, some teams are attempting to clean their roster a bit before those drafts start.

The New Jersey Devils attempted to take advantage of one team needing to make room on their roster and traded for defenseman Ryan Graves from the Colorado Avalanche.

New Jersey traded the second-round pick that they have acquired from the New York Islanders in the upcoming draft (in the 2020 trade for Andy Greene) and left winger Mikhail Maltsev to Colorado in exchange for Graves, who will immediately slot into one of the allowed defensemen to protected from Seattle in their expansion draft.

Graves scored two goals with thirteen assists in fifty-four games last season in Colorado but scored a career-high nine in 2019-20 for the Avalanche.

The 6'5 defensemen was drafted in the first round by the Rangers in 2013 and made his NHL debut with Colorado in 2019 after being acquired from the Blueshirts at the trade deadline for defenseman Chris Bigras.

Graves is likely to be a top-four defenseman in New Jersey and as mentioned earlier is likely to be one of the Devils' three protected defensemen along with Damon Severson and earlier trade acquisition, Jonas Siegenthaler.

Graves is a big and physical defenseman that accumulates minutes on ice and in the penalty box, and at worst brings a big body that isn't afraid to knock someone around, which should make him a fan favorite in Newark.

Graves is signed for the next two seasons, earning three million for next season and four million for 2022-23, so the trade isn't a one-year stopgap for the defensive group.

With Graves addition to the roster, New Jersey will now expose all three of P.K. Subban, Will Butcher, and Ryan Murray and one of the three could very well be the selection of Seattle from the Devils.

Subban would bring a big name to Seattle and give the Devils more money off the ledger, although the Devils have plenty of cap space already, Murray would make sense as a solid, steady veteran, and Butcher is young enough at 26 to have a chance to rejuvenate his career in a new town and system.

Any of the three would be an easy-to-understand player for the Kraken to select.

The trade of the second-rounder (61) will take the Devils out of the second round in next weeks draft, but there isn't a lot of difference between that choice and the Devils third-rounder (69), so it's not catastrophic to the personnel department, especially when the team owns two first-rounders (theirs and the Islanders at 29).

The Devils also included Mikhail Maltsev in the trade, who scored six goals in thirty-three games last year, two of them in the final four games last season.

I actually liked Maltsev a bit, but I'm not sure that he was a better prospect than several of the players already in the system at left-wing including 2020 first-rounder Alexander Holtz.

New Jersey also re-signed Michael McLeod to a two-year contract worth just under two million total, which may or may not be a sign that McLeod is available for the Kraken in the expansion draft.

The former first-rounder in 2016 scored his first career goals last season and finished with nine goals and six assists in fifty-two games.