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4 Devils Trade Target Wingers to Improve Depth

The Devils need to do something to upgrade their fourth-line winger position. Luckily, there should be quality options on the trade market.

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New Jersey Devils

It’s not secret that the New Jersey Devils’ fourth line has been a problem in recent weeks. With long-term injuries to key depth players Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian, head coach Sheldon Keefe has formed a Frankenstein’s monster of a line consisting of Tomas Tatar, Justin Dowling, and Kurtis MacDermid.



Even with recent team success, the line continually gets caved in defensively and generates little to no offense. With all the current net positives, they are the net negatives.

If Lazar and Bastian are going to be out long-term, then General Manager Tom Fitzgerald should pick up the phone and make some calls about acquiring a winger to take MacDermid’s spot in the lineup. There is no shortage of effective bottom-six wingers that would greatly enhance the Devils depth as they emerge as Stanley Cup contenders.

RELATED: 4 Devils Trade Target Centers to Improve Depth

Michael Carcone – Utah Hockey Club

Someone who has been surprisingly generating a bit of trade buzz in recent weeks is Utah Hockey Club’s Michael Carcone. He has played in just six games thus far after having a breakout season in Arizona last year. In his first full NHL season, he registered an impressive 21 goals. This was also coming off the back of a breakout season in the AHL in 2022-23, where he scored a league-leading 85 points.

Maybe it’s because Utah has gotten off to a good start and doesn’t want to tinker with their lineup, or perhaps head coach Andre Tourigny has fallen out of love with him, but either way, Carcone is on the outside looking in in Utah.

If rumors are true that Utah could look to move him, then the Devils should be all over it. For starters, he carries just a $775k cap hit this season, well within the Devils’s price range. But also, Carcone has proved that he can produce offense at the NHL level while also playing a physical brand of hockey. Despite a 5-foot-9 frame, Carcone isn’t afraid to mix it up and play with an edge while also boasting the speed and shiftiness smaller players tend to possess.

Last season, he was in the 65th percentile for skating speed, and the 77th percentile in speed bursts over 20mph, according to NHL EDGE. He would add an element of dynamism to the fourth line that currently doesn’t exist.

Brandon Tanev – Seattle Kraken

Another player whose name has come up in trade chatter is pending UFA Brandon Tanev. Tanev came over to Seattle during the expansion draft and continued to be a speedy and defensive bottom-six winger.

What makes Tanev such an enticing option for the Devils bottom-six is his blend of elite speed and physicality, not too much, unlike former Devil Miles Wood. Last season, Tanev was in the 98 percentile for skating speed and has always been at the top of the hits category for whichever team he’s played on.

The biggest obstacle standing in the Devil’s way is his $3.5 million cap hit. If the Devils were to identify Tanev as ‘their guy’ for the bottom six, then they would need Seattle to retain salary. The Devils currently have $1.1 million in cap space, a number that could rise to $3.45 million if Lazar and Bastian are on LTIR. Seattle can retain up to 50% of his contract, however. Brandon Tanev, at just a $1.75 million cap hit, may invite other teams to the negotiating table, but the Devils should have the appetite to outbid someone to significantly improve their depth.

READ: Fire Sale? Devils Trade Targets to Poach From Penguins

Noah Gregor – Ottawa Senators

In case it wasn’t apparent, speed and aggression should be the two primary traits when it comes to filling the hole on the fourth line. A player such as Noah Gregor makes sense for the Devils because he possesses both traits and also has familiarity with Sheldon Keefe. Gregor played in 63 games with Toronto last season, where he recorded 12 points in limited minutes.

Gregor has been in the high 80s and 90s in both skating speed, and speed bursts over the last four seasons and showed some flashes of offense in his last two seasons with the San Jose Sharks. The downside to Gregor is his lackluster defensive game and an inability to shoot over expected. His Corsi percentage has never been above 50%, and he’s never had a positive Goals Above Expected.

What does make Gregor appealing, outside of his speed, is his contract. His cap hit is currently $850k, and he is still a restricted free agent after the season. While he does have arbitration rights, he would be unlikely to make more than $1 million per season on his next contract. Add in the likely low compensation to pry away a fourth liner from Ottawa, and he could be an appealing dart throw on the Devil’s fourth line.

Kevin Labanc – Columbus Blue Jackets

If familiarity is what Tom Fitzgerald craves, then expect Kevin Labanc to be a Devil again at some point this season. After signing a PTO in the summer, Labanc put together an impressive preseason with the Devils, where he showed off his goal-scoring abilities. In the end, he opted to sign with Columbus over the Devils in hopes of more playing time. In hindsight, he may want to revisit that decision.

Nevertheless, Labanc has had a nice start to the season in Columbus but is almost certain to be traded due to Columbus’s place in the standings and his team-friendly contract. Labanc is making just $775k this season, and Columbus will surely look to flip him at some point during the season as they begin their descent down the NHL standings.

RELATED: What the New Jersey Devils Can Expect From Kevin Labanc (+)

 

Unlike the previous three players mentioned, Labanc is not the fleetest of foot, but he makes up for it in goal-scoring ability and adequate defensive metrics. The Devils coaching staff also saw up close the type of person and player he is and could deem him a quality pick-up. Depending on how long Columbus decides to hold onto him, as well as if he continues to produce, will determine his price tag, but conventional wisdom says he likely won’t cost more than a mid-round pick, a price the Devils shouldn’t mind spending to bolster their lineup.

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