Changes to the New Jersey Devils Team Roster

Looking forward to doing some sports betting on hockey this season? Here’s a look at some changes to the New Jersey Devils Team Roster.

The New Jersey Devils were very active this year when it came to shaking up their team roster, right up until the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline on April 12.

Let’s look at who they gained, who they lost, and how this might affect the team’s odds on winning the Stanley Cup this year and in the future.

The Devils Gain Some New Blood

Jonas Siegenthaler

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Or trade them onto your team. That’s what the New Jersey Devils have done with Jonas Siegenthaler, who was on the Washington Capitals team that beat them back in February 2021.

It was a last-minute trade on the day before the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline. This was in exchange for Arizona’s conditional third-round pick in the 2021 draft, which they had previously acquired in the 2019 Taylor Hall trade. Basically, it goes like this: If Arizona’s third-round pick in the draft isn’t transferred to New Jersey, then New Jersey will trade their own third-round pick to Washington.

A.J. Greer & Mason Jobst

Two depth forwards are coming onto the team, though the Devils gained them after trading away two vets after their contracts expired.

Greer was originally a second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2015, but he moved to the Islanders in 2020. He doesn’t have a stellar record so far — just six points in 37 NHL games, and that was all with the Avalanche. Currently, he has one goal and one assist in 10 games with Bridgeport of the AHL.

Jobst came to the Islanders as an undrafted college free agent, having played for four years at Ohio State. He has never played in the NHL, and this season he has just two assists for Bridgeport.

Meanwhile, Some Team Losses

While the acquiring of Siegenthaler could be a nice move for the team, and Greer and Jobst could end up proving beneficial, we also need to wave farewell to some memorable players.

Nikita Gusev

Nikita Gusev has now signed to the Florida Panthers for $1 million.

In 2019, the Vegas Golden Knights traded The Goose as a restricted free agent to the Devils in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick. He got a two-year contract out of it, and he was instrumental in helping to rebuild the Devils. He led the club with 31 assists and placed second in points until the rest of the regular season was canceled due to COVID-19.

After the Devils missed the postseason and the delayed 2020-21 season, he struggled to keep up his earlier offensive strength. On April 9, the team placed him on unconditional waivers to mutually terminate his contract, and Florida scooped him up.

Kyle Palmieri & Travis Zajac

Both Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac went over to the New York Islanders, and in return the Devils got a 2021 first-round pick, a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick, and Greer and Mobst.

Palmieri had seen some interest from other teams, including the Bruins and Maple Leafs, when his five-year contract with the Devils was coming to a close. Meanwhile, Zajac was wrapping up his eight-year contract with the team, so the team is losing some solid veterans.

Sami Vatanen

Defenseman Sami Vatanen was put on the waivers April 11, and the next day the Dallas Stars nabbed him. Vatanen’s performance this past season has been a mixed bag, with a decent showing in some performances and missed coverages in others.

It’s a bit of a shocker that the team let Vatanen go for free — no direct trades, no conditional picks — but it seemed that he was a tricky player to make deals over, with presumably little interest in a full-on trade from other teams.

Dmitry Kulikov

Another defenseman left the Devils on the same day as Vatanen. Dmitry Kulikov went to the Edmonton Oilers in a trade, in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022. If the Oilers end up winning a playoff series this year, then it’ll become a third-round pick.

It’s a bit of a disappointment for some Devils fans, as Kulikov has been a solid defensive player over this past season. Others argue that this season was an outlier for him, and keeping him on would just create a liability.

How This Changes the Team’s Odds

The 2021 odds for the New Jersey Devils to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup are insanely low, especially considering that we only have until May 16 when the regular season wraps up. Here were some of the odds as of April 12 from select online sportsbooks:

• Bovada: +75000
• DraftKings: +250000
• William Hill: +50000
• FanDuel: +25000
• BetMGM: +50000
• PointsBet: +100000

Before the roster changes, the team’s odds weren’t all that high to begin with. On March 25, DraftKings had the Devils’ odds at +40000. But nearly three weeks of play — with only two wins out of nine matches since that estimation — drastically dropped the team’s odds. Basically, don’t be looking to bet on any hometown pride for the Devils this season if you live in New Jersey.

But keep in mind that this is now a very young team, which comes with some advantages and disadvantages going into next season. At just 26, Andreas Johnsson is the oldest forward on the team. Siegenthaler is only 23, and Will Butcher, 26, will most likely be in the regular lineup for defense. Aaron Dell and P.K. Subban are the only ones over the age of 30.

This all leaves them with some room to hopefully grow and mature together.

Betting on the NJ Devils

If you’re looking ahead to the 2021-2022 season, keep an eye on the newest players and how they gel with the rest of the team. After this year’s Stanley Cup, online sportsbooks will start sharing their buzz for the next season.

If you live in the Devils’ home state, look for any New Jersey online promotions that could help you make smart bets. Plenty of New Jersey casinos offer their own sportsbooks, so look out for their lines and how they think the Devils are shaping up.