General manager Ray Shero said if the New Jersey Devils were holding a Stanley Cup Playoff position, he may have had a different mindset leading up to the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday.
But, through games played Sunday, New Jersey was three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second and final wild card into the playoffs from Eastern Conference, so Shero decided to do what he felt would benefit the Devils in the future, not for the stretch drive of the 2015-16 season.
The Devils made three trades Monday before the deadline, sending forward Stefan Matteau to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Devante Smith-Pelly, forward Lee Stempniak to the Boston Bruins for a fourth-round pick at the 2016 NHL Draft and a 2017 second-round pick, and defenseman Eric Gelinas to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2017 third-round pick.