I concur with what
@Tintin @Brian2016 @Devil have said above.
Team: NJ Devils
Buyer vs Seller: Mixed
-- (1) At deadline - Lean Buyer. Still a young, developing team with GM who prefers to build in off-season. We're likely to add a minor piece or two to address depth (or injuries).
-- (2) In Off-season - Aggressive Buyer
Needs at deadline:
-- (1) Net-front, Interior forward, who can tip, deflect, screen, clean up rebounds, score from in-close (Palat & Bastian returning from injuries may fill this need)
-- (2) Depth
Needs in off-season:
-- (1) A Jesper Bratt extension (1st priority)
-- (2) Add one top-6 winger
-- (3) A defensive 3C (Mercer is an option, but appears they prefer him in more offensive role on wing)
-- (4) A big, physical winger (maybe Miles Wood extension)
-- (5) A top-4 dman (very well could come from extension of Graves or Severson; also have prospects Hughes, Nemec, Mukhamadullin that could be working into lineup)
-- (6) Maybe a change in goal (Blackwood out maybe, Daws or Schmid are options internally)
Potential Trade Chips - Deadline
-- (1) any and all picks (likely to be mid picks)
-- (2) possibly Damon Severson if its a 'Hockey trade' that helps us this year and next (he likely stays as an 'own rental')
-- (3) possibly a couple of prospects that will lose their wavier exemption next year (Reilly Walsh, Kevin Bahl, Noaln Foote).
-- (4) Andreas Johnsson
Potential Trade Chips - Off-season - Roster
-- (1) Roster untouchables - Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Mercer, Palat, Siegenthaler, Hamilton
-- (2) Roster available only in right trades - Sharangovich, McLeod, Bastian, Marino
-- (3) Roster available UFA rights - Tatar, Haula, Wood, Johnsson, Severson, Graves, Bernier (NJD likely to extend one of the dmen)
-- (4) Roster available with term - Boqvist, Zetterlund, Smith, Bahl, Okhotiuk, Blackwood
Potential Trade Chips - Off-season - Prospects
-- (1) Prospect untouchables - Holtz, Hughes, Nemec
-- (2) Prospects available only in right trades - Gritsyuk, Filmon, Salminen, Bardakov, Hauser, Mukhamadullin, Casey, Vilen, Leddy
-- (3) Prospects available with possible expiring rights - Moynihan, Pasic, McCarthy
-- (4) Prospects available - Foote, Thompson, Clarke, Stillman, Shlaine, Walsh, Vukojevich, Edwards, Hurtig