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It was a disappointing end to the season for the New Jersey Devils, as the Devils were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Devils had clear needs to fix roster holes at the end of the year. We now look at three potential trade targets for the Devils this offseason.
The Devils were one of the top teams in the NHL heading into the end of the calendar year. They were 24-11-3, but would end the season 42-33-7 after injuries to top players Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes. GM Tom Fitzgerald has made it clear that changes are coming for the Devils.
According to CapWages, the Devils will have $21 million of cap space to work with this offseason. Still, they have a plethora of unrestricted and restricted free agents. That includes defenseman Luke Hughes and backup goaltender Jake Allen. The Devils also need to address scoring. In 2023-24, the Devils were 12th in the NHL with 3.22 goals per game. This year, they dropped to 20th in the NHL with just 2.93 goals per game.
The Devils reunite brothers
The Devils are currently the home to both Jack and Luke Hughes, but the third brother, Quinn Hughes currently resides with the Vancouver Canucks. Quinn has made it known, he would like to play with his brothers. With it unlikely that the Devils send both Jack and Luke to Vancouver, a trade for the Devils to bring in Quinn could make sense.
First, this would bring depth to the defense for the Devils. While they will look to hold on to Luke Hughes, they also have Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce in the top set of defenders. This would also add a scoring threat to an already potent blue line. Quinn led the Canucks last year in points, racking in 16 goals and 60 assists last year. Further, 25 of the assists and four of the goals were on the power play.
Finally, Quinn is under team control for two more seasons. With a cost of $7.85 million, the Devils have the room in the cap to bring in Quinn Hughes, solidify an already great defense, and add a scoring option from the blue line.
The Devils add a young star
The Devils could also look to add some young scoring options. With Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Jack Hughes all young and under team control for a while, the Devils may look to add another young scoring option to solidify their core.
Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks will be turning 23 this upcoming season. McTavish is a former third overall pick, but saw his usage decline at times this year. He spent time this year on both the second and third lines. Still, he was able to score a career high in both goals and assists, scoring 22 times with 30 assists. Adding a center would give the Devils the flexibility to move Ondrej Palat or Dawson Mercer to the third line, giving the third line a quality scoring option.
McTavish is currently a restricted free agent. The Devils could sign him to an offer sheet, but that will come with compensation, and the Ducks' right to match the offer. A cleaner option could be the sign and trade, bringing in a young star for potentially less compensation.
The Devils swing big
The Devils have enough cap space and trade capital to make a big splash in the trade market. Jordan Kyrou has been the subject of trade rumors. Adding Jordan Kyrou would give another top-scoring option for the Devils. Like adding McTavish, this would allow the Devils to move Ondrej Palat or Dawson Mercer to the third line, giving the third line a quality scoring option.
Kyrou is also coming off another great year. It was his third straight season scoring over 30 goals, as he scored 36 times this year. Further, it was the third time in four years that he tallied 70 or more points, finishing the year with 70 points. Kyrou has also missed just three games over the last three seasons, giving the Devils dependability they have not had.
Kyrou is also under team control well into the future. His contract brings him through the 2030-31 season with an AAV of just $8.125 million, a solid price for a player who is scoring 30 goals a season. Kyrou does have a no-trade clause that takes effect at the start of July, so if the Blues do want to move on from him, now is the time. The compensation may be steep, but placing Kyrou on a second line with Jesper Bratt could give the Devils one of the best top-two scoring lines in the NHL.
