good trade

No, kind of a bad trade. It's fine value-wise, but Devils are not trading 22 year old Blackwood without another decent goalie to lean on. This would make them roll with 27 year old Domingue, and one of a heavily declining Schneider, two rookies that aren't anything special (Senn/Cormier), or a 21 year old goalie currently with a .889 at the AHL level (Korenar). Blackwood is their best young goalie right now, and I don't think the Devils move on from him without a comparable replacement for right now...Korenar does not seem to be that guy from what his stats are saying right now.

The Barracuda team as a whole has been terrible. Some rookies expected to take the step up this year have failed (Chmelevski and Chekhovich) the top defenders on the team have been spending most the season being called up or injured (Carrick, Middleton) Korenar started the year, when the team was healthy, very well with two straight shutouts. He had the best numbers for a rookie goalie last year when the Barracuda were mostly whole. Korenar does still project to have a ceiling as an NHL starter as does Shortridge. I know it’s easy to judge a goalie on save % when you know nothing else about what could impact that number. Korenar will be fine.

Otherwise I think this package is way more than fair for Hall, if not overkill. I really only added Korenar so we could address our backup situation. Tossing Spiridonov in their should not be ignored, he is a very good defensive forward who is already ready for NA action but he is signed in Russia for one more year after this one. Yegor is a very underrated prospect. That said NJ getting Merkley who has vastly improved his defensive game being a plus player these last two years and has still managed to be a point per game player while looking very impressive in rookie camps/prospect evaluation. He’ll be ready for he NHL as early as next season possibly in a top four role and at the very least as a PP specialist.