Devils Trade Deadline Preview: What They Need & Predictions
With about 24 hours until the NHL trade deadline, let's review what the New Jersey Devils need and predict who they may acquire
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It's been a tumultuous week for the New Jersey Devils. They suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, and yesterday, they announced Jack Hughes will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
The Hughes news is obviously deflating, but that hasn't changed the Devils' plans ahead of this deadline. Per multiple reports, they will remain buyers. Let's set the table for the 2025 trade deadline and what the Devils could do in the next 24-plus hours.
Devils' Needs
Even before Hughes' injury, the Devils were in the hunt for a center. Erik Haula has struggled mightily this season, so pushing him down the lineup would help. With Hughes' injury, they may be in the market for two centers, but acquiring two seems like it may be difficult to pull off.
At the very least, the Devils will probably acquire one center. After that, they'll likely be looking for scorers at any position. They could use one middle-six winger and one bottom-six winger to round out the team's depth.
That would leave the Devils short a center, but if they acquire one or two wingers, they can probably bank on Dawson Mercer staying at center the rest of the season and hope that having an improved lineup can help get a little more production out of him.
Given Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton's injuries, I imagine general manager Tom Fitzgerald will be in the market for some defensive depth. Hamilton will be back before the regular season ends, so I can't imagine them going after a big-name defender. There aren't many that make sense for the Devils anyway, but they'll have the money to add a depth defender since Hughes is now on LTIR.
Speaking of LTIR, with Hughes and Siegenthaler on LTIR, Fitzgerald and the Devils have about $13.1 million to work with if Siegenthaler remains on LTIR for the rest of the regular season. They can do some damage with that space, but time is of the essence.
Missing the playoffs is not an option for this Devils team. They may not go anywhere in the postseason without Hughes, but you never know what happens if they qualify. That's why making some additions is the only option, especially if they're long-term solutions. Now, let's get into some predictions.
Devils Acquire Casey Mittelstadt
Brock Nelson is a fit for the Devils, but he's the best center available, and I'm sure the market for him is through the roof. I'm not crazy about the Devils spending their best assets for a rental, and Nelson will not be cheap.
That's why I'll go with the Devils acquiring Casey Mittelstadt from the Colorado Avalanche. He's struggled this season but was a 50-60-point player in his final two and a half seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. He's not a goal-scorer but is a good playmaker with an underrated two-way game.
Mittelstadt is under contract for next season at a cap hit of $5.75 million, so he's not a rental, and the Devils can fit him in perfectly this season since Hughes is on LTIR. I can't imagine Mittelstadt costs much if the Avalanche just want to clear his contract, so he could be a solid fit for the Devils. He's a good bounce-back candidate, and the Devils' center depth is taken care of for next season.
Devils Acquire Kyle Palmieri
If the Devils go for a rental, Kyle Palmieri may make the most sense. He's quietly had a solid season for the New York Islanders, totaling 20 goals and 21 points in 61 games — putting him on pace for 27 goals and 55 points.
Palmieri has been an efficient scorer at five-on-five, averaging 1.88 points per 60 minutes. But more importantly, he's averaged 0.97 goals per 60 at five-on-five. That'd make him the Devils' fourth most efficient five-on-five goal-scorer behind Seamus Casey, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes.
The Devils have struggled to score five-on-five goals for most of the season, so Palmieri would likely be a significant upgrade. He'd also give them another weapon for one of their power-play units since Hughes is out and Timo Meier has moved up to the first unit.
Palmieri should not cost much to acquire, perhaps second and third-round picks. We'll see if Lou Lamoriello is willing to throw the Devils a bone and help them out after they did so when they traded Palmieri to the Islanders nearly four years ago.
Because Hughes and Siegenthaler are on LTIR, the Devils can afford Palmieri and Mittelstadt without any retention. Perhaps they'd want a little retained on Palmieri's $5 million cap hit, but they won't need much. That'd leave them with a few more million dollars to make one or two more moves.
Devils Acquire Josh Mahura
Here's your depth defender. It's not flashy, but Josh Mahura is a solid No. 6-7 defenseman who can play 13-15 minutes a game. Even though he's not a needle-mover, his impacts have been decent this season:
Mahura has just a $775,000 cap hit and is a pending UFA. I can't imagine he costs more than a late-round pick to acquire, and it likely wouldn't even be in the 2025 draft. He has 241 games of NHL experience, so it's not like the Devils are taking a flyer on an AHL/NHL tweener. He can play when they need him to.
Devils Can Assemble a Playoff Roster
Hughes is a top-five center in the NHL. He's irreplaceable, but the Devils can find ways to make the team competitive without him since he's on LTIR. Without him and Siegenthaler, their lineup could look like this:
Noesen - Hischier - Bratt
Meier - Mittelstadt - Palmieri
Palát - Mercer - Tatar
Cotter - Lazar - Bastian
Haula
L. Hughes - Pesce
Dillon - Nemec
Mahura - Kovacevic
When everyone is healthy (sans Hughes):
Noesen - Hischier - Bratt
Meier - Mittelstadt - Palmieri
Palat - Mercer - Tatar
Cotter - Lazar - Bastian
Haula
Siegenthaler - Hamilton
L. Hughes - Pesce
Dillon - Kovacevic
Mahura
If Fitzgerald plays his cards right, he can give this team life. That's a good enough roster to make the playoffs. With their goaltending and defense, they can stave off everyone pushing for their spot in the standings with some added offense.
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eff it, work can wait 15min. lets see what AC has to say on this :)
sell sell sell!