New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has some work to do. With just over $9 million dollars in cap space, the newly extended man in charge has the flexibility to improve his team as they push to get back into the postseason for a second straight season. There are needs at the goaltending position and on defense.
However, with Michael McLeod now out on an indefinite leave of absence, there’s a massive hole at center. Looking at trade options, Devils fans have always had a warm place in their heart for Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique.
The Devils drafted Henrique in the 3rd round (82nd overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft. He will forever be remembered for his overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals to knock off the New York Rangers and send New Jersey to the Stanley Cup Final, and many were sad when the Devils shipped the forward to the Ducks for Sami Vatanen in the middle of the 2017-18 campaign.
Today, Henrique, 33, is in the middle of his 14th season in the NHL on a Ducks team that is rebuilding and will likely be sellers at the trade deadline. The Devils should be calling Anaheim general manager and former Devil Pat Verbeek and inquiring what it would take to bring, “Uncle Rico”, back to the Garden State.
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Some may see a move like this as nostalgic and wonder how much Henrique could actually help the team. Given his body of work, there are green flags as to why it makes a lot of sense to reunite the forward with his former team.
Henrique Provides Bottom-Six Offense
While the Devils have a ton of offense, teams that go far in the playoffs have depth scoring. Plugging in Henrique as their third-line center would add a boost to the bottom six. He has 15 goals and 32 points through 48 games this season and would immediately be an upgrade. Henrique can still be productive as he currently is on a 25-goal and 50+ point pace. He would already be the team’s third-best goal scorer behind Jesper Bratt and Tyler Toffoli.
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There have been times this season when the Devils have suffered goal shortages. With a lack of solid defense and goaltending, not being able to put the puck in the net becomes a big issue. Henrique would give the Devils another forward who can provide a scoring touch even at this stage of his career.
He isn’t the biggest shot producer, but he’s had a very solid conversion rate at 14.8% in every season but one in Anaheim. Henrique can also be relied on to forecheck and keep plays alive in the offensive zone. New Jersey won’t be asking for a huge number of goals from him, but he can produce enough to help.
Henrique A Solid Two-Way Player
Fitzgerald and head coach Lindy Ruff often preach that what they want out of their forwards is for them to be responsible at both ends of the ice. The Devils also pride themselves on being good in the faceoff dot and without McLeod, many worry that all three areas will take a hit. McLeod’s league-leading 65% win rate will certainly be missed in the Devils’ lineup. However, Henrique will not only be helpful as a two-way forward, but he can hold his own on faceoffs. He can play many different roles that will benefit the team in many ways.
When it comes to faceoffs, Henrique has been excellent, with a 53.4% win rate this season, and he has won at least 51% of his draws in each of the last six seasons. He can generate good chances, particularly in the O-zone, due to his success on the dot. Is it at the same level as McLeod? No, but it’s still better than Jack Hughes and similar to Nico Hischier. Henrique also has an active stick that can get the puck out of his zone and force opponents into turning over the puck more often than not.
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Finally, Henrique can turn defense into offense, especially on the penalty kill. While the Devils have been better of late at killing off penalties, they still need help as well as a little bit of offense short-handed. Henrique can do just that. There are only six players in the NHL who have more points than him undermanned (4) this season. With that active stick, Henrique can clear the puck as well as generate short-handed opportunities that would make New Jersey more aggravating to play against.
The Devils need to upgrade their defense and goaltending as well. Improving the forward doesn’t have to come from making a trade. There are certainly options within the organization that could help. No guarantee adding Henrique would even happen. However, if Fitzgerald wants to add help to the forward core from outside the team, it makes so much sense to bring back a fan favorite who can still help deliver a Stanley Cup to the place he once called home.