By Nathan Erb
The New Jersey Devils' rebuild continues. While many of the core players have improved again this year, fans are still waiting for the team to take the next step. The Devils have several players having a career year, and a ton of youth ready to jump to the pros next season. Today, the Devils made two of what will likely be many deals before the trade deadline.
The first deal saw Luca Sbisa head to Vancouver as the Canucks continue their playoff push. In exchange, the Devils received 21 year old stay at home defenseman Libor Hajek. The former 2nd round pick won't impress anyone with his point totals, but is emerging as a quality defensive defenseman. Hajek is expected to join the Devils immediately and be part of a defensive unit that needs a major overhaul next season. New Jersey also received a 2nd round pick and cash in the deal.
New Jersey also dealt Derek Stepan to the Columbus Blue Jackets for $800,000. Stepan's second tenure as a Devil saw extremely limited action. "We wanted to give Derek the opportunity to play more minutes and get a playoff run," said the Devils GM.
Tyler Myers, Michael Del Zotto, and Patrick Maroon are all likely to be dealt in the coming week.
1/16/2021 - 212 words
