The New Jersey Devils aren't even sniffing a playoff spot at the moment and thus could very well become big-time sellers ahead of the NHL's March trade deadline.
They have a number of players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the season - namely, Jaromir Jag, Michael Ryder, Martin Havlat, Steve Bernier, Bryce Salvador, Marek Zidlicky and Peter Harrold - that could draw significant trade interest from a plethora of potentially interested NHL parties.
The 42 year old Jagr in particular could be a big piece for a team entering the season's stretch run and looking for that one last, steadying piece to put them over the top and into Stanley Cup contention.
A recent report from The Fourth Period says that, barring a miraculous turnaround in the standings in the season's second-half, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello could be very active in the next six weeks approaching the trade deadline.
Jagr, the consummate professional, has voiced his preference to stay with the Devils, but is believed to have drawn interest from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, as well as the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens to some extent.
Jagr, of course, already spent 11 seasons with the Pens, four with the Rangers and one with the Bruins.
His cap hit this season is a mostly manageable $3.5 million, but a deal for him would require some cap-massaging by both the Penguins and Bruins.
The Penguins already dealt for David Perron from the Oilers and he seems to be settling in just fine and, further, really hitting his stride for coach Mike Johnston - he didn't score but looked strong in Tuesday's game against the Flyers. Jagr could take over a third or fourth-line role with the team and help steady the back end of their lineup.
Boston, thanks to the play of youngster David Pastrnak, has looked much better of late so the cries for GM Peter Chiarelli's head and the constant refrain of "Make a deal already," have calmed. They've got a pretty good grip on the final Wild Card playoff spot in the East, but there's a lot of time left in the season and the addition of Jagr could certainly be a big boost to a young team.
Zidlicky, despite his pending unrestricted free agency, has a full no-movement clause and would have to offer his approval for any deal Lamoriello and the Devils find for him.
"According to a team source, though things can change, as of now, it's unlikely Zidlicky waives his no-movement clause," writes TFP.
