Devils set sights on rebuilding in wake of departing talent
The harsh reality of the Devils being resigned to finish out the season with little to play for hit home for defenseman Damon Severson in the wake of New Jersey trading key forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to the New York Islanders.
“It obviously (stinks) the position that we’re in in the standings and the way the season has gone,” Severson said Thursday, a day after the trade was completed. “I think guys understand where we’re at. We understand we’re in a rebuild a little bit here. And hopefully we can speed that up.”
Though the trade didn’t come as a surprise, with Palmieri and Zajac both completing the final years of their contracts, the deal formally began shifting the Devils’ focus toward the future beyond this season.
New Jersey acquired two draft picks, including the Islanders’ first-round selection this year, as well as minor-league forwards A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst.
The move came in advance of the NHL’s trading deadline on Monday, and with the Devils sitting seventh in the East Division standings and remaining 14 points out of contention with 18 games left following a 6-3 win at Buffalo later in the day.
New Jersey improved to 1-2-2 in its past five with two wins in its past eight (2-4-2).
New Jersey improved to 1-2-2 in its past five with two wins in its past eight (2-4-2).
Zajac, a valuable two-way center, was in his 15th season with New Jersey, while Palmieri is an 11-year veteran and was completing his sixth season with the Devils.
This, frustratingly, is an all-too familiar position for Severson to be in after having previously watched the Devils sell off talent for assets.
Two years ago, the Devils dealt Marcus Johansson to Boston. Last year, Severson bid farewell to Taylor Hall, Wayne Simmonds, Andy Greene and Blake Coleman.
In his seventh season in New Jersey, Severson becomes the team’s longestactive serving player during a stretch in which the Devils have made the playoffs just once, in 2018.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Severson said. “I try not to show the frustration too much, but sometimes it definitely takes its toll. But I definitely want to be part of the solution to get this organization back to where it should be.”