Joined: May 2015
Posts: 115
Likes: 5
Maybe I'm just an overprotective Devils fan, but I wouldn't be a fan of that Schneider trade. It has less to do with the general concept of the trade, and more with me thinking that Zykov isn't worth anything; his perceived value is based entirely on one good AHL season, where his numbers were grotesquely inflated by a lucky shooting percentage and Power Play Goals. Numbers will always tell you that the Forwards who maintain their production are the ones whose production is built on 5v5 scoring and a shooting percentage of around 10%.
Last year, Zykov had 33 goals, 54 points, and 112 shots in 63 games. This comes out to a shooting percentage of 29.5%; among players who took at least 100 shots in a given season, that is by far the highest AHL shooting percentage of the last decade. If Zykov had shot at his previous career high of 13.9%, he would have scored roughly 16 goals and 37 points: a G/Gm of .25 and a P/Gm of .58. Not to mention that Zykov scored fewer than half his Goals at 5v5, and that he benefited from AHL star linemates.
Simply put, Zykov's 2017-18 season-- the reason that he's thought to be a future NHL scorer --was a total fluke.
If Zykov isn't worth anything, than the Devils would be giving up Zacha to make (at best) a lateral move in net, save $1.85M in Cap 9 (which they already have enough of), and gain a 2nd + 7th. Not to mention Schneider's full NTC and Darling's partial NTC.
The Nylander trade seems fine; maybe it's a little off somewhere, but the general idea seems realistic and fair.