Devils Top-9 Trade Targets: Palmieri, Giroux & More

Kyle Palmieri and Claude Giroux could be ideal top-9 upgrades for the New Jersey Devils at the 2025 trade deadline, but there's plenty more

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The New Jersey Devils aren't locked into a playoff spot yet, but their odds look good. They have a 98.4 percent chance of qualifying and have the second-best Cup odds behind the Dallas Stars on MoneyPuck.

That's not a shock, considering they're on pace for 105 points. Chances are they'll make the playoffs, so let's start looking at some potential trade deadline targets.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald says he could be looking for some top-nine help and a fourth-line center. For today, let's start with potential top-nine targets.

Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux has six goals and 17 points in 24 games, putting him on pace for 21 goals and 58 points. He's versatile, as he can play center or right wing, something the Devils seem to like with their forwards. He excels in the dot, as he's won over 58 percent of his faceoffs in each of the last three seasons; he's at 62 percent this season.

While I like Giroux as a fit, there are some concerns. His five-on-five play has slipped a bit. He's averaging just 1.49 points and 1.12 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, the latter being one of the worst rates on the Senators.

The Senators got just third- and fourth-round picks for trading Vladimir Tarasenko a year ago because he only OK'd a trade to the Florida Panthers. The price for Giroux could be similar if he's only willing to go to a couple of teams since he has a no-move clause.

Kyle Palmieri

A Taylor Hall reunion? We'll get to that in a second, but the reunion that may make the most sense for the Devils is with Kyle Palmieri. You never know with Lou Lamoriello, but the New York Islanders are trending toward being sellers, and Palmieri is one of their best trade chips.

The former Devil totaled 30 goals a season ago and is on pace for 32 goals and 64 points this season. His five-on-five scoring is still excellent (2.10 points per 60), and his even-strength impacts remain solid:

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The one concern I have with Palmieri is his foot speed. He might not have the skating to keep up with some of the Devils' top players. But my rebuttal is Stefan Noesen is dominating on the first line with Nico Hischier, and he's far from a burner.