The New Jersey Devils will look to upgrade both their offense and depth to compete in the 2025-26 season. Free agency is an option, but with the lack of talent available as well as the need for cap space for other areas, going through the trade market is the better way for Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald to retool his team. When looking at that area, plenty of teams will look to move different players for different reasons. Fortunately for New Jersey, there's a team that they face quite often each year that could help them take a step closer to Stanley Cup contention.
There have been rumors swirling around over the past few days involving the Pittsburgh Penguins. The main one is through Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, who reported that the Penguins are "looking to sell off pieces, entertaining offers on Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust." When looking at the three names mentioned, two of them could be ideal guys to help the Devils with their scoring depth. The two guys are Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.
Bryan Rust, RW, 33 Years Old
Despite his getting up there in age, Bryan Rust is still a very productive player. He has scored 20 or more goals in each of the past six seasons. In 2024-25, he tallied a career-high 31 goals, along with 65 points, which is also a career-high. He's a winger who has a nose for the goal and will look for any reason to fire the puck on net. That's someone that the Devils desperately need for their top six. This is especially true when being paired with Jack Hughes.
When looking at his contract, it fits what Fitzgerald normally looks for when acquiring players via trade. Rust currently has three years left on his deal at an AAV of $5.125 million. Yes, the Devils would have to move some contracts around to make space, but they will do that regardless of what they do to retool the team. As fellow Pucks and Pitchforks, Jonathan Bailey mentioned, "(Rust's) cap hit is $875k less than Palat's $6 million cap hit. That small amount alone is almost entirely enough to fit Arseniy Gritsyuk's $925k cap hit on the roster."
While getting Rust is a risk, Fitzgerald has to consider it heavily when doing whatever he can to improve his team. The other option the Devils need to look into is Rickard Rakell.
Rickard Rakell, RW, 32 Years Old
Rakell, while also getting up there in age, has been consistent when it comes to scoring. In three of the past four campaigns, the Swedish winger has put up 20 or more goals. Like Rust, Rakell is coming off a very strong 24-25, in which he set career highs in goals (35) and points (70). He's also known for being a strong player on the defensive side as well. Having that two-way ability while being able to score at a high rate makes Rakell a player the Devils could use in their top six.
The winger has three years left on his current deal at $5 million AAV. Again, the Devils will need to secure more cape space to make it work. However, Rakell is a forward who fits exactly what the Devils need in order to have more scoring and become a contender. If the Devils can bring in Rakell, he would fit in seamlessly alongside Jack Hughes. As first reported by JP Gambatese on his Devils Advocates Substack (subscription required) Rakell is an off-the-rush player who can skate into open, high-danger ice unnoticed, playing at his best as the second- or third-man-back in an odd-man opportunity.
Acquiring either of these players won't come cheap, especially with the divisional tax added on. While there are other options via trade out there, the Devils should not hesitate in looking at the Penguins as a big trade partner to help New Jersey find that scoring depth it needs.