New Jersey Devils vs Pittsburgh Penguins 3.17.15

New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) makes a save as New Jersey Devils defenseman Adam Larsson (5) fends off Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Blake Comeau (17) during the third period on St. Patrick's Day at the Prudential Center. Devils shutout the Penguins 2-0. Newark, NJ 3/17/15

(Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

NEWARK - The Devils addressed a need on offense when they traded for left wing Taylor Hall in June, adding an explosive player on offense that could quickly boost a unit that finished last in the NHL in goals per game last season.

But that addition came at a cost. Bringing Hall to New Jersey meant sending defenseman Adam Larsson back to the Edmonton Oilers.

The fourth overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft developed into one of the Devils most reliable players, and his absence is something the rest of the team will force adjustments.

"Lars definitely matured over the time I was here with him, both as a player and a person," Devils goalie Cory Schneider said. "He's still so young, I think people kinda forget he's only 23. He was one of those young veterans that we were looking towards."

The Devils added Ben Lovejoy and Brendan Gormley through free agency to help fill the void left on defense by Larsson, and the team will also be looking for production from some of its younger prospects.

Hall is 24, so he fits into the young core the Devils are trying to build, but he brings different value than Larsson.

"We have a young core of guys, the Henriques, Palmieris. Lars was part of that group and now Taylor takes his place," Schneider said. "But he really committed himself to playing as tough a defense as he he could. As a goaltender, as a player, you appreciated the style of game he played."

Devils personnel have had plenty of good things to say about Hall and what he can bring to the team.

But the Devils also knew to get a good player, they had to give up a good player. And Larsson's production will be tough to replace immediately.

"It's hard to replicate that, you don't find players like that very easily. That's why Edmonton had to give up such a good player to get him, because they're hard to come by," Schneider said. "It will definitely create a hole for us, but we're hoping that there's some guys here that can fill that void and have a chance to step up."

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.