Confirmed with Link: Devils acquire Andreas Johnsson from Toronto for Joey Anderson

[EnglishDevil]

Thrilled with this deal, Johnsson is a surprisingly good player capable of chipping in 20 goals and 40-50 points in a full season. No disrespect to Joey, but I suspect his ceiling is quite far below what Johnsson is already; plus we just added Holtz & Mercer to our RW pipeline which makes him easily expendable. Not saying Anderson is a dud by any means, I just think his upside is relatively limited and at best he might become a 3rd liner with a few more years of development.

Also happy that Johnsson has some term left at a very reasonable cap hit, he'll be a nice complementary piece for us moving forward, great job by Fitzy.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

I've seen a lot of Coleman comparisons to Anderson and I don't get them at all, Joey will be a fine bottom 6 player but he is far more cerebral. Johnsson is actually far more of a Coleman comp with maybe more offensive upside. Great trade.

 

[Smitty426]

I'm sure there will be some complaining about losing Anderson, I liked the kids game a whole lot, but this at worst a triple if not a HR deal.

The complaining is that AJ has had a bunch of injuries, knee being the most recent i believe

 

[crashthenet]

Can't argue with the actual dollars being paid Johnsson.

 

[None Shall Pass]

I really liked Joey. Bummed to lose him.

 

[OmNomNom]

Isn't Nick Merkley a better Joey Anderson anyway?

Id say he's a better miles wood

 

[Billdo]

Id say he's a better miles wood

Between Kuokkanen and Merkley, Anderson was expendable.

 

[OmNomNom]

Between Kuokkanen and Merkley, Anderson was expendable.

It was a good hockey trade for sure. Toronto takes a gamble, but may get a 3rd liner out of anderson on the cheap

 

[Guttersniped]

Isn't Nick Merkley a better Joey Anderson anyway?

Yeah, at getting injured. I kid. Merkley has more offensive potential but Anderson is more of a two way player fit for more defensive role and has a lot more more NHL experience and therefore is more of a sure thing. Both of them, and Johnsson, show the downside of playing “bigger than your size” and that’s getting “frequently injured”.

We have a lot forward prospects signed, particularly at wing, and we don’t actually have extra picks so it makes the most sense to swap one out in this trade. I believe people are sleeping on how much fun yelling “JOEYYYY” at games is though.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Between Kuokkanen and Merkley, Anderson was expendable.

Bastian should be getting a shot in the NHL soon too. I could see him winning the 4th line RW spot.

 

[dinosaur33]

This could be another Palmieri trade if Johnsson takes off with more ice time and responsibility, or at worst the Devils are paying 2.5 million more and get the same production Joey Anderson was going to deliver. Odds are it's somewhere in the middle there.

Plus there is Merkely, Bastian, and in a year Mercer to help fill out bottom 6 righties if they need to save money.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

I'm kind of confused by this post tbh. We moved Anderson, who you admittedly never really cared for, for a guy who when healthy is a 40-50 player (on limited minutes in Toronto, and can possibly eclipse that in a larger role. We need scoring, I don't think Anderson ever hits 20 goals in a season.

That guy called Crawford a terrible goalie last night soooo

 

[TheUnseenHand]

We do have a plethora of Anderson types. Talvitie is another one.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

That guy called Crawford a terrible goalie last night soooo

Hey now, I admitted to being wrong about that one

 

[MachoDiablo]

Hard to knock this deal; Anderson's a likable player, but as of now it's hard to say his upside is more than a lower line guy, so nabbing a player like Johnsson who's already middle-6 capable makes sense.

Plus, yeah, a lot of the guys Fitz is getting ahold of work to improve the team while still keeping the rebuild in solid shape, which is how the Devils should be approaching things at this stage of climbing out of the cellar. Each of the main guys they've acquired come with injury risks, but that means that they also come at lower cap hits, aren't on the books for too long (Johnsson at three years works given that he's only 25), and didn't cost too much to get in the first place.

That opens up three broad scenarios: worst case, they have a hard time staying on the ice but their contracts mean they won't be clogging up the roster or eating up too much cap space. Best case, they give the young team a boost and help them get competitive earlier than expected. "Middle" case, the team is better but still not ready for primetime yet, so their low cap hits/contract terms make them attractive trade bait for more picks or prospects. All of that and Fitz only had to give up Anderson, a 5th, and some cap room that's easily affordable at the moment. Pretty solid.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I may need to break out my old Jets Fitzmagic shirt from 2015 now that it currently applies here too!

 

[theoptimist]

Was waiting for Joey. Glad to match him to a player who fits in our lineup immediately

 

[NjDevsRR]

Wood sucks

 

[Billdo]

Bastian should be getting a shot in the NHL soon too. I could see him winning the 4th line RW spot.

Agreed. I wouldn't be opposed to a 4th line of Wood-McLeod-Bastian. That's a big, fast, heavy line on the forecheck with the ability to put the puck in the net on occasion.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

I'm kind of confused by this post tbh. We moved Anderson, who you admittedly never really cared for, for a guy who when healthy is a 40-50 player (on limited minutes in Toronto, and can possibly eclipse that in a larger role. We need scoring, I don't think Anderson ever hits 20 goals in a season.

AJ is a good player, you guys will like him. But no offence I doubt he'll ever eclipse 50 points with you guys. He had a lot better supporting cast with the Leafs. He'd do fine on the 2nd line, but if he's on the 3rd line he'd be very good. If he stays healthy, safe bet he gets 40-45 points.

 

[Billdo]

AJ is a good player, you guys will like him. But no offence I doubt he'll ever eclipse 50 points with you guys. He had a lot better supporting cast with the Leafs. He'd do fine on the 2nd line, but if he's on the 3rd line he'd be very good. If he stays healthy, safe bet he gets 40-45 points.

Thanks for dissecting my post over 5 points lol. Seriously though, appreciate the insight.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

Thanks for dissecting my post over 5 points lol. Seriously though, appreciate the insight.

Well you said eclipse 50 points but yea no problem. And yea he's good in tight around the net, surprising for his size.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Well you said eclipse 50 points but yea no problem. And yea he's good in tight around the net, surprising for his size.

He sounds like an older, proven Joey Anderson. Basically if Joey hits his potential, you have your AJ replacement.

I wonder where STI is. He was always very bullish on Joey. I wonder what his thoughts are about this deal.

 

[Forge]

Bastian should be getting a shot in the NHL soon too. I could see him winning the 4th line RW spot.

He's also one of the few guys we have that can be a legit net presence on the PP. That is not a role for nico

 

[Darkauron]

Just this trade. Sad that Joey is gone , he was one of my favorite prospects, but I cant complain about the trade at all. Fitz is proving to be shrewd, but also very smart with his deals as well. Now lets just get another asset from another cap full team..

 

[Bleedred]

Don’t understand why anyone would have a problem with this. He’s probably better than Joey Anderson.

Well, he’s definitely quite a bit better than him currently.