Report card grades for all 31 NHL teams at the trade deadline

New Jersey Devils: A

Ray Shero and the New Jersey Devils are among the most surprising storylines of the season. No one expected the Devils to be in a playoff spot after being one of the worst teams in the league last season. Shero and the Devils got involved in three trades over the course of February, adding overall organizational depth and talent to their bottom six forwards. Michael Grabner will bring speed and goal-scoring ability to the bottom lines, while Patrick Maroon will bring grit.

The Devils were reasonable in their spending when they acquired their trade pieces. They were able to add two minor league pieces in a trade with Minnesota. They acquired Mario Lucia and Christoph Bertschy for defenseman Viktor Loov. The Devils spent a 2018 second-round pick and gave up one of their top defensive prospects, Igor Rykov, in exchange for Michael Grabner. Finally, in a last-minute trade, the Devils were able to pry Patrick Maroon out of Edmonton for a 2019 third-round pick and J.D. Dudek. Across all three of these trades, the Devils did not need to break up any part of their NHL roster.

Grabner will be bringing 31 points with him to New Jersey. The speed will be a big factor for the Devils in the bottom part of the lineup. Grabner played his first game on a line with Travis Zajac and Stefan Noesen. Maroon is someone who bounced up and down the lineup in Edmonton spending time on all four lines. Shero added what he needed to get and didn’t give up too much, earning him an A this year.