Quoting: Dekes
I’d take out holtz for squires + stillman
I think there is definitely something for these two teams to explore
1. Devils aren’t trading Holtz anytime in near future. They have taken long road with him in developing him. When they first brought him over for his first brief stint in AHL, MacKinnon said they have to develop him…won’t jump right in. In the off-season, they got him linked up with Bratt’s skating and skill coaches in Sweden. When he was in and out of lineup last year, they kept him on roster so Brunette could work one-on-one with him (instead of putting him on showcase in AHL). When Sharks asked about Holtz in Meier trade, Fitzy was said to have responded, “if Holtz, only Holtz.” It shows what NJD management thinks of him….Holtz is not, and has never been, a trade chip. Especially when he has 1.5 years on ELC.
2. Devils GM has said he doesn’t trade goalies in season (unless there is an injury to fill). He committed to Vanecek and Schmid for this year. I think it would have to get much worse for him to break that. So if anything, it would be a trade for 2024 off-season.
3. I think any picks or any player off our roster (with exception of Nemec) are probably fair game. Gritsyuk, Casey or Filmon would have to hardest to acquire. Stillman and Squires would definitely be fair game (although Stillman has looked pretty good in AHL thus far).
4. For Ulmark, if expectations for extension were reasonable and he was open to extending, that probably would suffice enough where we would view as more than rental (he is still young player).
5. DeBrusk could also be a guy NJD may be interested in as replacement for Toffoli. Either as UFA or acquired before.
6. Devils also have a short-term need for a defensively responsible dman who can handle puck well. Severson and Graves were big losses for us and we need cleaner d-zone exits than what we are getting now from Bahl and Smith. I was thinking about Grz as option the other day…but there are a couple of lesser dmen in Bruins system that may fit the bill to patch up things in near term.
7. I think NJD would take interest in Coyle as well, should be open to moving. We have Centers, but not a lot of Center depth as Haula and Mercer are often on the wings.
Sorry for longer response, but I think there are a lot of ways Bruins and Devils match up for a trade. Maybe for dman and DeBrusk during this season…and goalie swap in off-season. Will noodle on it some.