Devils Make Head-Scratching Moves at the NHL Trade Deadline
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal. When asked about the direction the New Jersey Devils took at the deadline, he stated he was not sure, as their moves sent mixed signals.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
NHL Rumors: Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Edmonton Oilers
Host: “What was New Jersey doing on Trade Deadline Day.”
Dave Pagnotta: “I’d love to be able to tell you what the heck they were doing for the last two months.”
Host: “Were they sellers or buyers? I’m kind of confused.”
Pagnotta: “So was everyone else. Look, I guess you moved out of Toffoli because you figured you weren’t going to be able to re-sign. So, at the very least, you get some draft pick capital. And, I get it, but at the same time, it’s also like Tom Fitzgerald even said this like a few days prior to making that trade. If we trade our leading scorer, we’re basically waving the white flag. I think he forgot he said that.
So your trade leading scorer. You got a couple of picks. You basically agree or accept the fact that you’re not going to make the playoffs this season. But then you go out and get Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen in that, I don’t know. I understand; I get the Allen add. I do because he’s got one more year.
He’s a vet we think by now everybody understands how important he is in the room. And he would be a very, very strong, serviceable backup. Who has a cup ring to whomever they bring in goal, whether it’s Jacob Markstrom in the summer, or they try for Linus Ullmark or Juuse Saros or John Gibson or whoever?
This is a play I think the addition of Allen is more so a play geared towards just solidifying the roster for next season because obviously there’s going to be some more work that’s going to be done both in goal and clearly upfront. So they’re going to want to replace Toffoli in some fashion.
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Why they got Kahkonen I’m not sure. I get why they moved out Vanecek because you want to free up the money for next season. I don’t get the play for this year with respect to that what they were trying to do. The fact that they weren’t willing to pony up for a Hanifin on D, they need to they need to address their D corps for the last two to three months.
And I understand the Markstrom situation because they had a deal in place. It was nixed by ownership in Calgary but there was nothing else there. Yeah, just a head-scratcher across the board.
For this team, although the Allen deal, I do believe, is more focused on not so much this season but what they’re going to end up doing for next season.”