The New Jersey Devils are one of seven teams in the Eastern Conference fighting for the wild card playoff spots, and while New Jersey is only three points out of eighth place in the East, they have the fewest wins of those in contention, and other teams ahead of them have games in hand.
New Jersey Devils trade rumors: Jaromir Jagr, Martin Brodeur may be available
It’s hard to tell at this point whether the Devils will be sellers or buyers at the deadline, but if they’re sellers, they have two surefire Hall of Famers who could be up for grabs.
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The Devils have some hard choices to make as the deadline approaches. They’ve been a very good possession team, but haven’t been able to get traction in the wins column this season or last. A large part of the reason they haven’t been winning games has been subpar goaltending from the aging Martin Brodeur, but an even bigger reason is a lack of shooting talent.
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Losing Ilya Kovalchuk in the offseason hasn't helped the Devils rekindle their goalscoring, though unrestricted free agent signings like Jaromir Jagr, Damien Brunner, and Michael Ryder have at the very least replaced Kovalchuk's production.
With the Devils' top two goalscorers both coming from the UFA market, one being 42 years old, and only one offense-minded prospect to speak of in Reid Boucher, the Devils will likely be looking for high end scoring prospects.
The end of an era?
Much has been made of Martin Brodeur's public comments saying he would be amenable to a trade, should there be an opportunity to start in goal. Brodeur is on an expiring contract that pays him $4.5M this season, which is a low enough number that most teams would be able to fit him in, but the question becomes, is there a fit anywhere?
Brodeur’s performance leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s possible that a few general managers are willing to buy on trade value. With a full no trade clause, Brodeur is in complete control over whether or not he ends the season, and possibly his career, in New Jersey.
The Devils also have Jaromir Jagr to think about. The 42 year old former superstar has had a renaissance season, on pace for nearly 70 points, and looked dominant amidst chaos on the Czech national team at the Olympics. Jagr’s cap hit is just $2M this season, with further $2M in performance bonuses available.
His age works against him, but Jagr’s low salary and excellent production on a team that just doesn’t score could make him the most highly sought after name at the trade deadline.
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Where do they go?
There aren't a lot of possible destinations for Brodeur that are both attractive for him, and the Devils. The Minnesota Wild may be the only playoff team in need of a goaltender, but that is dependent on Josh Harding's health.
The teams interested in Jagr would likely be lined up around the block if he were made available, but the most rumoured one will likely be the Montreal Canadiens, who have been in on Jagr every time he's been available for years now, only to come up empty.
Jagr enjoys a long friendship with Habs' center Tomas Plekanec, and scoring help from the wing is one of the high profile needs Montreal has been dealing with all season with Daniel Briere and Rene Bourque faltering.
Other pieces in play
It’s been rumoured all season that if the Devils find a taker for Anton Volchenkov, they would take the opportunity to move him. However with a $4.25M salary for two more seasons, it’s unlikely there would be many teams knocking at the door for him.
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