Fire Sale? Devils Trade Targets to Poach From Penguins

It appears there is a potential fire sale happening in the Steel City. The Pittsburgh Penguins took a step in the retool/rebuilding process on Tuesday, trading Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals in exchange for draft capital. With a need on the fourth line, general manager Tom Fitzgerald should seek an upgrade in a New Jersey Devils trade.

On Wednesday, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed the Penguins fire sale suspicion, reporting the Penguins were “open for business” in his 32 Thoughts blog.

Ironically, enough, Eller would have been a good player for the Devils to seek. The veteran forward is a solid bottom-six forechecker who kills penalties and does well in the faceoff dot.

Alas, he’s playing in the Nation’s Capital.

With Curtis Lazar out long-term and Nathan Bastian still sidelined, the Devils’ fourth line has been… underwhelming.

RELATED: Devils Current Fourth Line Is Not Sustainable; What Can They Do?

The Penguins clearly weren’t hesitant to trade Eller to their rival. So why not work with the Devils?

Here are a couple of candidates.

Drew O’Connor

Drew O’Connor is the crème of the crop among the potential available forwards.

Plus, he’s a native of New Jersey out of Chatham, as pointed out to me by a reader. Good on ya, @DinGrogu950003.

The 26-year-old forward is in the last year of a $925K contract as a pending unrestricted free agent. The expiring contract at a cheap cap hit makes him a good candidate as a no-strings attached player should Fitzgerald choose not to keep him.

What makes O’Connor a good player is his versatility.

Here’s what Pittsburgh Hockey Now‘s Dan Kingerski had to say of O’Connor.

“O’Connor played with Sidney Crosby and some with Evgeni Malkin in the second half of last season as his game took a leap forward. He acquitted himself well because he’s a big body who skates well. He’s got limited offensive potential, but one area that remains untapped is his natural position of center. Coach Mike Sullivan prefers him on the wing, but he’s shown a playmaking ability in the middle that Sullivan may begin tapping into, at least as long as O’Connor is a Penguin.”

Currently, O’Connor is playing third line wing next to Blake Lizotte. On special teams, he’s on the Penguins’ first PK unit, mostly due to his defensive reliability.

His small sample size as a center in the faceoff dot isn’t encouraging, but perhaps he just needs more opportunity at the NHL level to take draws. Regardless, whether on the wing or at center, O’Connor is an NHL player who will certainly be an upgrade from the likes of Justin Dowling or Kurtis MacDermid.

In 18 games this season, O’Connor has three goals and four points.

RELATED: 4 Devils Trade Target Centers to Improve Depth

Anthony Beauvillier

The Devils should be familiar with Anthony Beauvillier’s game, having started his career with the New York Islanders.

The former first round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft showed glimpses of brilliance in his days with the Islanders. He scored clutch goals in big moments, especially during the 2021 Eastern Conference Final, netting the game winning goal in overtime to force a Game 7.

However, he’s no longer that player, but still worth consideration in a Devils trade.

Beauvillier is vanilla. He might play top-line minutes with Crosby at even strength because he can create scoring chances. But, he hasn’t earned the trust to be put on either of the Penguins’ power play units because he struggles to finish. Instead, he’s a second unit PK winger.

Beauvillier is a plus skater who can win his puck battles and move pucks from one end of the ice to the other. And honestly, that’s all the Devils really need. At the low cost of $1.25 million cap hit on an expiring deal, he’d certainly be an asset as a cheap rental on the fourth line who can move up if necessary.

In 18 games this season, Beauvillier has five goals and six points.

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