New Jersey Devils: What Would It Cost To Get Connor McDavid?

The New Jersey Devils are not trading for Connor McDavid. In fact, the Edmonton Oilers are not trading Connor McDavid. This is a hypothetical that is meant to just talk about what a player like Connor McDavid costs to trade for in today’s NHL. Even if McDavid was traded, he wouldn’t request a trade to go to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in three seasons even if the “future is bright.” Even this conversation comes from the speculation, partially started by Elliotte Freidman, that McDavid even has a chance to be traded in the near future.

Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, how much would it actually cost to trade for McDavid? It’s going to be a lot, obviously, but what kind of a lot are we talking about here?

Let’s say the Devils are looking at this transaction at a pure monetary value. McDavid is worth $100 (just to make a simple round number). He is the best player in the league, and he’s the only one worth $100. There are players who have similar value (Nathan MacKinnon is probably worth around $90), but nobody hits triple digits like McDavid.

The conversation for the Devils would start with Jack Hughes. This isn’t like a Jack Eichel situation where the Devils could attempt to steer the conversation towards Nico Hischier or a large package of prospects. This conversation starts with Jack Hughes, and if the Devils try to remove him from the equation, this conversation ends.

So, let’s say Jack Hughes is worth $60. He’s not close to McDavid in the least bit, but his trajectory and what we saw from him last season has him worth a lot. He’s going to be a star, and he will make any teammate better. The Oilers will get a really good player if they trade for Jack Hughes.

After that, the Oilers are going to ask for BOTH of the Devils’ 1st-round draft picks this season. It’s a heavy price to pay, but the Devils would easily say yes to that deal. However, it’s not done.

The Oilers also want two more prospects. Maybe the Devils can talk them out of Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer if they get the Oilers to take the 2022 1st-round pick as well. The Devils still need to add some prospects. So, the deal would look something like this:

Graeme Clarke had a great season in Binghamton, and he could be an NHL player as early as next season. This is still probably not enough, but we’re in the ballpark. The Devils would need to trade an uncomfortable amount to get Connor McDavid. It’s still 100% worth it. It’s unfortunate the Devils don’t have a shot to get the best hockey player in the world.

Would he make them contenders overnight? Yes. Yes, he would. Obviously, the Oilers have struggled against the Winnipeg Jets in the playoffs, but having McDavid means you’re never out of the series. Adding McDavid to a team that still has Nico Hischier and a lot of interesting young talent means that wins would come. They don’t have a better roster than the Oilers, but they have a different one that could be on a better trajectory (when ignoring McDavid, of course).