Devils won't extend Subban before trade deadline

If any suitors are interested in acquiring P.K. Subban before this month's trade deadline, it appears the New Jersey Devils are willing to listen.

"I sat down with P.K. yesterday, and we talked about uncertainty, and the deadline, and that we're not at a spot where we're looking to extend him at this point," general manager Tom Fitzgerald told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Fitzgerald added: "He's done a lot for community here and the organization. But I told him, 'On the last day, somebody may lose a right-shot D and may call me, and if the move makes sense for the New Jersey Devils and makes sense for you to potentially have a chance to win, I have to do what's best for the organization.'"

Subban is currently playing out the final months of the monster eight-year, $72-million contract he signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2014. In any potential deal, the Devils will likely need to retain a portion of Subban's $9-million cap hit.

New Jersey acquired the 32-year-old from the Nashville Predators before the 2019-20 campaign. He's notched 55 points in 165 games with the Devils and is averaging the lowest average ice time of his career this season at 19:11 per contest.

Subban can still drive play at even strength, but he no longer moves the needle defensively or on the power play. Here's his on-ice impact this season according to Evolving-Hockey's Goals Above Replacement metric:

Subban was among the league's top defensemen during his prime. From 2013-18, he won the Norris Trophy once and was a finalist two other times while earning three All-Star nominations. Subban also recorded 301 points in 422 games over that span.