New Jersey Devils Dump P.A. Parenteau to Nashville for a 6th Round Pick

Prior to the 2016-17 season, the New Jersey Devils acquired P.A. Parenteau on waivers. Parenteau has since been up and down within the New Jersey Devils forward lines at right wing. He has tallied 13 goals, 14 assists, and 109 shots on net with the Devils while not suffering a major injury. While his defense will never impress anyone, he can provide scoring depth and has done that to a degree in New Jersey. What was this worth to the open market that general manager Ray Shero ultimately accepted today?

A sixth round pick from Nashville. That’s it. Seriously. Andrew Gross at Fire & Ice confirmed it and everything.

This the return from the same franchise that gave the Devils a fourth rounder for Vernon Fiddler, a 38-year old who has been a career fourth line center and doesn’t have any of the offensive chops that Parenteau has.

I understand that you can only get what the market offers, but a sixth round pick in pretty much any draft is worth next to nothing. It’s a akin to being given a dart with the dartboard being about a football field away from where you stand. The irksome thing about this deal is that Parenteau is not at all a scrub. Here’s some quick visualizations of his analytics from Micah Blake McCurdy:

Somehow, Parenteau has picked up a reputation for being turnover-happy and a poor player on defense. Yeah, I would not trust him in a power-for-power match up; but he was far from being the worst forward on defense on the Devils. If you can protect him and utilize him offensive situations, then he can absolutely contribute. We could look at many teams and conclude that Parenteau is likely good enough to be among the 13 best forwards in their organization. Especially if that team is weak at right wing. That, in theory, would mean he has value. Even with his current day-to-day finger injury and his cold streak of one goal in his last twelve games. But the larger market has concluded that he does not have value despite what he’s done on the ice outside of the scoresheet.

So why did Shero accept a sixth rounder for him? If that was the best possible deal - and given that it was made shortly before the 3 PM deadline, it probably was - then I’d rather just let him go this summer for free. An extra sixth round pick isn’t likely to become anyone of value. Parenteau was acquired for nothing back at the beginning of this campaign. Now the Devils have have very, very little to show for it and an open spot in the lineup at right wing, one of their thinnest positions. That’s not at all an improvement for now or for the future.

Needless to say, I’m not happy about this part-baffling, part-bad trade. What about you? What’s your take on all of this? Please leave your answers and reactions in the comments. Thank you for reading.