Empire Writes Back
Fansided

Devils News: Marc Savard Acquired In Trade With Florida Panthers

By Kenneth Teape

Jan 23, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes looks on during the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes looks on during the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

New Jersey Devils News: The Devils acquired the contract of Marc Savard and a second round pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for two minor league players.

New Jersey Devils news has been slow recently as the NHL postseason is winding down the offseason is on the horizon. The most recent move made by the Devils could be a sign of things to come during the summer months.

On Friday, the Devils acquired forward Marc Savard and a 2018-second round pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for two minor league players; Graham Black and Paul Thompson. This trade may seem peculiar to some, as Savard is 38-years old. It gets weirder the more you look into it as Savard hasn’t played in an NHL game since the 2010-11 season.

Savard is essentially a moving contract now, as he hasn’t taken the ice in five years because of concussions. Savard’s first concussion came March 7th, 2010 when he was blindsided by Matt Cooke. He would suffer another one less than a year later on January 23rd, 2011 and was subsequently shutdown for the season.

More from Empire Writes Back

Both concussions occurred when he was a member of the Boston Bruins, and he has not returned to play since. The Bruins moved his contract to the Panthers on July 1st, 2015, and now it is on the move again.

This is a savvy move by the Devils front office, as Savard’s contract has one year remaining on it, with a salary of $575,000 and a cap hit of $4,027,143. That will help the Devils hit the cap floor next season, while giving them some flexibility next summer once that number comes off the books. It is also an indication that the Devils may not be huge players in free agency this season, as they continue to build up their roster during this rebuild.

The big takeaway from this transaction is the second-round pick that they acquired. Adding that pick now gives the Devils nine picks in the 2018 draft, with five of them being in the first three rounds. For a team rebuilding such as the Devils, that could be a real asset as they could add some young talent with all of those picks.

It was a small price to pay as well, as Blake and Thompson weren’t top prospects in the system. Black, 23-years old, was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, registered nine points for the Albany Devils last season in 50 games. Thompson, 27-years old, appeared in three games with the Devils without registering a point. He spent a majority of the season in Albany as well, scoring 13 goals with 22 assists in 56 games.

Next: How Long Will Patrick Elias Play?

Neither player will be missed too much, as the Devils will take the expiring contract of Savard and the extra second round pick in 2018 in exchange for Black and Thompson.

Home/New Jersey Devils