Is it time for the New Jersey Devils to start thinking about changing up their core a bit? That might be something their next GM has to consider
The Sheet with Jeff Marek: Greg Wyshynski on the New Jersey Devils and how there needs to be some change to their core this offseason.
“There is something to be said about the core that he put his trust in, and the fact that that core only produced two playoff appearances, once with Jack and once without Jack when he was injured.
And I got to be honest with you, the more I talked to people last and the more I kind of contemplated it. You know what I kept, you know who I kept thinking about? Jonathan Huberdeau.
I kept thinking about Jonathan Huberdeau because there came a point in the Florida Panthers maturation as a franchise, in which there was an opportunity to acquire Matthew Tkachuk. He wanted to come to Florida. He was available. They had to ante up to get him, and boy, did they, at the time, trading away their leading scorer and one of their best defensemen for Matthew Tkachuk. And it had a transformative effect on the entire organization, from a swagger perspective and from a way they play perspective.
Could the New Jersey Devils Consider Trading Nico Hischier this Offseason?
Now, could that have happened if they, if the Devils had gotten Quinn Hughes? Who’s to say. But you think about a player like Brady Tkachuk, for example. Who may or may not become available in this offseason. And you say to yourself, what would the cost of acquisition be for Brady Tkachuk?
And much like the Canucks did with Quinn Hughes, it probably starts with Nico Hischier. And the more I think about it, Marek, the more I say to myself, as much as I love Nico, and as much as I think Nico is your quintessential number two center on a championship team, the core has got to change.
Something’s got to give here. Like they need to not only change management, but all of the other stuff that will be happening is kind of cosmetic, absent from changing the composition of your core, and, more importantly, changing the way you play. They’re easy to play against. They’re a rush team. They’re a damn good rush team, but they’re not physical. They’re not built necessarily for playoff success. They don’t have the kind of DNA that a Brady Tkachuk could give them.
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