The New Jersey Devils were so upset with the Leafs performance on Tuesday night that they had to go out and acquire Ilya Kovalchuk. Having devastated Leafs Nation with 3 goals in the final 5 minutes last night, the Devils are now set to become a top contender in the Eastern conference.
And they didn’t give up a whole lot to get it.
Let’s break down the trade and look at what the Devils gave up, and what they got in return.
Starting with the return, most people are starting and stopping with Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is a top-10 NHL player, one of the best snipers on the planet, and is an instant injection of offense into the Devils suddenly potent lineup. I’m not interested in wasting much time on Kovalchuk.
The 2nd piece of the puzzle is Anssi Salmela. Salmela has reasonable potential as an offensively-minded defenseman, which is what makes him a significant component in this trade. The Devils defensive corps is pretty thin on offense, as evidenced by the fact that 5 forwards were on the power-play last night with the game on the line. Earlier in the game, however, Salmela was taking his turn at the point with the man advantage. I think as the season goes on, and Salmela gets more comfortable with the Devils system, he will emerge as a key factor in the trade.
As for what the Devils gave up…it almost seems like an insignificant amount.
Niklas Bergfors is the key piece heading to Atlanta. Bergfors was (is?) a solid prospect, but he’s developed slowly and no longer seems to be heading for a long career as an impact player. I think at this point Bergfors tops out as a solid 3rd line player that can provide brief and sporadic injections of offense.
Johnny Oduya will help the Thrashers blueline, but his play has slipped this season. Having moved down the Devils depth chart, Oduya was picking up 5th defenseman ice time. Looking at the Thrashers, he’s unlikely to break into the top 4.
The concept of a 1st round pick is severely overrated, particularly when that 1st round pick falls outside the top 10. In this case, the 1st round pick is far more likely to fall in the 23 to 30 range. If I’m the Thrashers, I’m not overly thrilled about this, but there’s no harm in collecting lottery tickets as part of the rebuilding process.
Finally, we come to Patrice Cormier. As much as the Devils management team was willing to stand behind Cormier during his recent ordeals in the QMJHL, you’d have to foolish to think that the organization isn’t absolutely giddy to be rid of him. Cormier is unlikely to develop into an impact player, and will need at least a couple seasons of development in the AHL before making the leap.
So, at the end of the day, the Devils acquired 30+ games of Ilya Kovalchuk and a defenseman that could be a key cog in their unit over the next few seasons. To do this, they gave up a 3rd-line forward with 2nd-line upside, a 5th defenseman, a late 1st-round draft pick, and a troubled prospect that they wanted to get rid of.
When you break it down like that, this seems like a steal of a deal for the Devils.