There are two kinds of trades in the NHL. There are trades, and then there are “hockey trades.”



People get very excited about “hockey trades” because they don't happen very often. These are trades that involve quality NHL players going in both directions, with both clubs trying to adjust the roster and improve immediately. The other kind normally involves one team playing for now and one collecting assets for the future.



When the Devils added players like Marcus Johansson, Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon, those were trades. But Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall was a “hockey trade.”



General manager Ray Shero made another one at the end of November, sending Adam Henrique, Joseph Blandisi and a third-round pick to the Ducks for Sami Vatanen and a conditional third-round pick.



The deal made sense from both sides: With Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha pushing their way into the lineup, the Devils were running out of room at...