Welcome the New Jersey Devils to the NHL rumor mill, as the names of a couple of their high-profile players have popped up as potential trade bait.
Grizzled NHL veteran and surefire Hall-of-Famer Jaromir Jagr and former fourth-overall pick, Adam Larsson both could be moved by the team ahead of the March trade deadline.
The Devils (13-18-7) are currently in seventh place in the Metro Division and 11 points out of a playoff spot. General Manager Lou Lamoriello decided to fire head coach Pete DeBoer the day after Christmas, ostensibly holding him accountable for the team's recent failings.
"The Devils haven't performed up to anybody's expectations, but the reality is the roster isn't that good," writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "Even the 72-year-old Lamoriello is taking it on the chin from the New Jersey media who believe the time has come for a change in the command."
Whether or not Lamoriello is eventually shown the door remains to be seen, but with the season all but lost at this point, it may behoove the elder GM to move a piece or pieces like Jagr and Larsson in order to assist the organization with the rebuild it so clearly needs.
"Though he's said in the past he has no interest in being a rental, Jagr could easily be New Jersey's most valuable - and moveable asset - when the trade deadline rolls around," writes Mike Halford of NBCSports.com. "He's free of any no-movement/trade clause, carries a relatively modest $3.5M cap hit and is a pending UFA. He's still a highly productive player, tied for the team lead in scoring with 20 points, and showed how valuable he can be to a potential run two playoffs ago, when he scored 10 points en route to helping Boston advance to the Stanley Cup Final."
Jagr, who signed a one-year deal with the team before the season, could net a draft pick or something else for the team's future.
Meanwhile, Craig Custance of ESPN floats Larsson - or, more accurately, a young defenseman once selected fourth-overall - as potentially being moved.
"The Devils have a nice stable of good, young defensemen. Perhaps it's time to spin one of those defensemen for a young forward, even if it means parting with a certain defenseman who was a top-four pick and doesn't seem to have the trust of his head coach," Custance writes.
Larsson, 22, was selected by the Devils in the first round of the 2011 draft - fourth overall. He's played in only 19 games this season and has had a less than stellar opening to his NHL career. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent after this season.
While his offensive game has yet to develop at the professional level, the potential return from dealing him to a needy team would be significant.
