Devils Hold A Top Defensive Trade Piece This Season

The New Jersey Devils appear to have turned their franchise around in short order. Many believed it was destined to be another season in which the team missed the playoffs, but they just had a 13-game win streak end in controversial fashion.

They are near the cap and if the Devils do stay as competitive as they've been, they will want to add at the trade deadline. That means a little bit of money will have to be moved out. Their top candidate and possibly the best defensive option for teams out there this season is Damon Severson.

A defenceman of his calibre would go for a good price and free up $4.167 million for the Devils to work with this season. Last season Severson had a breakout campaign in which he was thrust into a number one role with Dougie Hamilton out for part of the season and struggling when he was in the lineup. This allowed Severson to get power-play time and lots of minutes which resulted in him scoring 11 goals and 46 points.

This season his ice time is down nearly six minutes per game with Hamilton healthy and producing along with newcomer John Marino in the mix. Severson is overpaid for a third pairing defenceman playing less than 18 minutes a night and hardly producing offensively. The Devils would be wise to search for a trade partner so they can continue their success for the entire season and maximize trade value before Severson's drops more from lack of production.