Devils decline
Much rather have Severson over Tarasenko

I might even say they NEED Severson more than Tarasenko.

We definitely do
RD is weak after Hamilton
RW has a lot of depth with Sharangovich, Bratt, Holtz, Mercer, etc

The last thing the Blues need is a top 4 RD.

Severson has a lot more value than Tarasenko at this point, so unless there is another part of this deal, it makes little sense for NJD.
Even if you took away the pick and retained Tarasenko's salary down to Severson's, NJ would have little reason to make trade.