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This morning, New Jersey Devils There is a small deal to announce. They sent Utica Comets right wing, soon-to-be restricted free agent Graeme Clarke, to the Minnesota Wild for Iowa Wild left wing, soon-to-be restricted free agent Adam Beckman. Last season, both players played primarily in the AHL. Both players were drafted in the third round in 2019. NHL Draft. Both players have expiring entry-level contracts. Both players are 23 years old. This is indeed a small deal.
This is not a like-for-like deal. The players are not exactly alike. First, Clark is a right-shooting right winger and Beckman is a left-shooting left winger. Clark had a breakout season with Utica in 2022-23, scoring 25 goals and 58 points. He 25 goals again, 49 points, over 200 shots and three brief NHL call-ups. Beckman never scored more than 40 points with the Iowa Wild. In fact, Clarke’s final season Leading Iowa by four points. Regardless, Iowa adds a scorer and potential wing depth to their system.
On the other hand, Beckman has played more games in the NHL than Clark. He has played 23 times in the last three seasons and 11 times last season for Minnesota. His production has dropped off in Iowa. You wouldn’t see that with his points of 34, 36, and 33 in the last three seasons. But he went from 203 shots to 190 to 150 last season. I wonder if he’s trained to do that? In 23 games for Minnesota, Beckman has a total of 3 assists, 2 of which came this past season. When he played for the NHL Wild last season, Minnesota really struggled at 5-on-5 and he played 9:22 per game. I mean Each natural stat trick has a CF% below 38% and an xGF% below 30%. That’s too bad. I feel like he’s a second-rate player; good at the AHL level, but not at the NHL level.
It could be that both players need a change of scenery. Obviously, Clark is unlikely to get a real chance since he saw limited playing time last season and was not drafted when the Comets were doing well. Beckman hasn’t been a standout player in my opinion, but that may have something to do with his performance at Iowa. The trade for the soon-to-be RFA winger gives both guys a fresh start. Most likely a new contract, otherwise why sign them? From New Jersey and Minnesota’s perspective, it’s great. I think Iowa fans will quickly grow to love Clark. Unless Beckman shines in upstate New York, Utica fans may be unhappy about losing a scorer like Clark for a less productive player like Beckman.
This doesn’t help either team much in terms of salary cap and roster situations. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and assistant GM Dan McKinnon still have to sign Beckman. Just like Minnesota GM Bill Green and assistant GM Matt Hendricks have to sign Clark. Again, this is just a small deal. It’s the kind of thing that gets done in the shadow of the 2024 NHL draft and the July 1 free agency frenzy, among the bigger moves that are planned.
What do you think of this little trade? Will you miss Graeme Clarke? Do you think we’ll see Adam Beckman in New Jersey sometime in 2024-25? Please leave your responses and other thoughts on this trade in the comments. Thanks for reading.
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