The New Jersey Devils have done well on trades with the Oilers in the past.
It’s one of the most iconic moments in New Jersey Devils history, and it came when no hockey was being played. The trade is one for one. Those words live in infamy. It will be the moment we moved on from Lou Lamoriello and gave our whole heart as fans to Ray Shero. The Devils were able to get Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers for Adam Larsson and nothing else.
Things haven’t really plateaued as we hoped from that point, but it was still a great moment. It might be time for the Devils to come back to that wagon, even if another management team is in Edmonton. After seeing the Chicago Blackhawks upset them in the play-in round, the Oilers might need to make some changes going into next season.
There is a lot of talent on the Oilers, and there are some young players who could contribute very quickly. The Oilers have talent up and down the ice besides having two of the best in the world. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl give the Oilers an advantage every time they are on the ice, but it’s limited as we saw in the Blackhawks series. Now, they need to make some tweaks, and the Devils could be the perfect foil to make a deal happen.
There are others the Devils should target, and no we’re not going to add McDavid or Draisaitl. While it would be nice, let’s try to be (somewhat) realistic. There are pieces here the Devils should want, and some the Oilers might be willing to make a move on.