With the All-Star break in the rear-view, the trade deadline looms large and is now less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New Jersey Devils.
The New Jersey Devils came into the season with expectations that their young team would contend for a Stanley Cup, however, four and half months into the regular season, the Devils have taken a step backwards and are in a battle for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Devils made one of the biggest moves of last year’s deadline, acquiring forward Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks about a week before the trade deadline. The Devils were aggressive in their pursuit of Meier and will likely need to be as aggressive this year if they want to acquire the pieces necessary to get into the playoffs and make some noise in the East. The Devils have some obvious holes in their lineup that have been exposed throughout the regular season, and while it is tough to make moves in-season in a flat cap world, the Devils have shown that they aren’t afraid to pull the trigger on a big deal to bolster their lineup.
Record
28-22-4, 4th in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$10,412,500 on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: NJ 1st, NJ 3rd, NJ 5th, COL 5th, NJ 6th, NASH 7th
2025: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, NJ 3rd, NJ 4th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th
Trade Chips
New Jersey will have some cap space to work with at the deadline thanks to injuries to key players. They could make a big move if they are so inclined and may choose to do so to address their major area of need. The Devils will likely look to move netminder Vitek Vanecek as part of any move to improve their goaltending and could also look to move backup Akira Schmid who has struggled this season after a strong showing last year. New Jersey Devils president of hockey operations and general manager, Tom Fitzgerald has already said he is not comfortable with the Devils goaltending and will likely improve it, which means someone will need to go the other way to open up room for a new acquisition. Vanacek holds almost no value as his -11.1 goals saved above expected is fourth worst in the NHL, and Schmid isn’t faring much better. The Devils may opt to hold onto Schmid and hope he can turn things around.
Forward Alexander Holtz is another roster player that the Devils could dangle at the deadline. The 22-year-old was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL entry draft and has fared pretty well in his first full NHL season sitting third on the Devils in 5v5 points with 21 and goals with 11. As well as he’s played, he hasn’t been able to get much of a look in the Devils’ top six and may not be a fit for head coach Lindy Ruff’s style of play. Holtz could be a solid chip for the team to use to acquire help elsewhere.
Another former first-round pick that the Devils could include in a trade is forward Dawson Mercer. The 22-year-old put up solid offensive numbers in his first two NHL seasons, posting 44 goals and 54 assists in 164 games. However, this season his play has dropped a bit as a slow start has limited him to just 15 goals and 11 assists in 54 games. The native of Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador could be the main piece of a trade for a goaltender, as his offensive upside could entice teams who are looking for a young roster player who can contribute right away.
Other Potential Trade Chips: F Josh Filmon F Arseni Gritsyuk F Lenni Hämeenaho
Team Needs
1) A Starting Goaltender: The Devils opted not to make a move for a goaltender last summer but have regretted that decision as indicated by the comments of Devils management. The Devils were reportedly in on Calgary Flames netminder Jacob Markström and could circle back to re-engage in those talks as the deadline nears. Most of the reports on the trade indicated that the Devils plan to look elsewhere for goaltending, but to this point they haven’t found a trade to their liking. The Devils have a desperate need to address this position, and have ample assets to do so. If they come up short it could mean the difference between making the playoffs and missing them entirely.
2) Bottom Six Help: The Devils do have some talented options in their bottom six but would likely prefer not to deploy Curtis Lazar as a third-line center, which has happened on more than one occasion. A top-9 forward would allow some of the Devils’ forwards to shift down the lineup into positions that are more suitable for the skillset and allow Ruff to have more trust in rolling three or four forward lines in a regular rotation. The Devils have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season but probably didn’t envision having the likes of Chris Tierney playing as frequently as he has. Some depth up front would be an additional boost for the Devils in their pursuit of the playoffs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
SoCalADRL
So basically they need John Gibson and Adam Henrique
SpeakOfTheDevils
Not what they said at all and NO that is definitely NOT what we need
SoCalADRL
Team Needs: Goaltendering – John Gibson is an above average goaltender; Bottom 6 – Henrique plays wing and center. Is having a strong year. If you personally don’t want them, thats fine, but I listed two guys that check both the boxes of what they said.
DevilShark
John Gibson is not an above average goalie. He was. We are looking to the next 5 years not the past.
Rico, I’d have back.
SpeakOfTheDevils
Gibson is an average to below average goalie AT BEST, he’s definitely on the decline.
Henrique checks some boxes for us but his contract sucks and it would cost too much for Anaheim to retain on him
User 318310488
They need a legitimate goaltender, Dougie Hamilton, And for Lindy Ruff to go away to win the hardware.
RipperMagoo
So last year Ruff’s team set the Devils franchise record for points in a season. But this year he isn’t even good enough to be a coach?
RipperMagoo
Casey, Holtz, Vanecek, Bahl, and 2nd in ’25
for
Saros and Lauzon
User 318310488
You must be high! You are offering next to nothing for Saros.
RipperMagoo
Saros is a 5’10” goalie with a GAA above 3.00, SV% is .902, GSAA is -4.86.
He’s good but it’s not the same guy from 2 seasons ago.
SpeakOfTheDevils
Take out Casey and Lauzon and that’s a pretty good deal for both teams
retsubllab
Mercer to the Bruins for Ullmark. The Devils would need to find another path to rid themselves of Vanacek, but would have the room to retain some $$$.
SpeakOfTheDevils
As good as Ullmark is thats gonna be a no from Jersey, Mercer is a key piece for us. Plus we can always just made a hard push for Swayman in the offseason, sounds like he isnt too happy with the bruins anyway