The New Jersey Devils didn’t seem like they would be buyers at this year’s trade deadline, but that seems possible at this point.
This New Jersey Devils team is incredibly fun. They never give up, nothing seems to phase them, they are extremely young, yet they find ways to win like a veteran-laden team. Everything has gone wrong this season. Mackenzie Blackwood got the coronavirus just weeks after Corey Crawford abruptly retired. Nico Hischier got hurt before the season started. Then, the season went on pause again after the COVID-19 virus spread through the team like wildfire.
The Devils are back, and after beating their rival New York Rangers on Tuesday night, they find themselves 5-3-2. They are technically in sixth place, but they have at least three games at hand of everyone above them and four games at hand to the Washington Capitals, who currently hold the fourth spot in the division. The Devils would need to make up five points in four games, which is very easily attainable.
The Devils have the fourth-best goal differential in the division. They’ve been competitive in every single game. They haven’t played the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals yet, but they took three out of four points from the division-leading Boston Bruins to start the season.
With Blackwood back in net, he looks like he could carry the Devils to contention all by himself. Obviously, that’s not how the NHL works, but he proved that when he’s healthy, the Devils have a chance to win every night. He’s lost one game this season and it was in the shootout to the Bruins.
If the Devils are contenders, Tom Fitzgerald might look into adding to this roster. Everything is fitting really well right now, but putting a veteran on a team with a lot of rookies might really help. It’s a long way until April 12th (this year’s trade deadline), but it’s never too early to talk about the players who might be available to the Devils.