It’s safe to say that many New Jersey Devils fans wanted to see a trade just to take a step forward with this roster. After a disastrous 1-6-0 road trip, something needed to change for the Devils. Obviously, head coach John Hynes has been switching up his lines like it’s a board game. That hasn’t seemed to work out. He even sent down Pavel Zacha, who’s since returned to the lineup.
Last season, Ray Shero pulled off the surprise mid-season trade, when he acquired Sami Vatanen from the Anaheim Ducks. It was a deal that really worked out for both teams, as the Devils got a top-line defenseman they needed and the Ducks got center depth with everyone injured.