New Jersey Devils: Potential Trade Partners Without First Round Picks
By Mike Luci
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been mentioned fairly often in rumors or trade speculation involving the New Jersey Devils. Although they were recently trade partners in February, these teams are a perfect fit to pull a more substantial deal that alleviates the Lightning of cap space, while immensely improving New Jersey’s roster. With over $58 million committed to nine players through 2021-22, notable RFAs in need of new contracts, and barely any cap space to play with, Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois will inevitably have to unload some of his more prominent assets.
BriseBois would probably love to move someone like Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, or Ondrej Palat—all attainable in a deal involving one of New Jersey’s 1st-round picks—and reallocate that cap space toward re-signing RFA Mikhail Sergachev. Perhaps a return featuring one of New Jersey’s first-round picks could even get them another piece such as RFA Anthony Cirelli, in addition to one of the aforementioned trio of forwards.
A more unlikely scenario is if one of New Jersey’s 1st-round picks they acquired gets deferred to 2021 and Tampa’s negotiations with Sergachev go south, prompting them to explore trade opportunities. It would cost New Jersey more than just a first, but the prospect of acquiring a star-caliber defenseman like Sergachev is makes this situation worth mentioning.