3 Trades New Jersey Devils Can Still Make Before Season Starts

The Blockbuster Contract Dispute

Again, the New Jersey Devils have more than $12 million in cap space right now. They can afford to make a major move. That could be for a player who might be coming off an injury for a team looking for cap flexibility, or it could be trying to find a player who can’t come to an agreement on a contract extension. There are a surprising amount of players still negotiating terms of their next deal with training camp about a week away.

We’ve already mentioned Kaprizov and Thomas as restricted free agents who need deals, but they are very likely never getting traded. The Wild would rather watch Kaprizov spend a year overseas for free instead of getting assets but losing his rights. Thomas is a player the Blues really want to build around.

However, there is still Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brady Tkachuk, Rasmus Dahlin, and Kieffer Bellows trying to negotiate contracts. Reports came out that Tkachuk was close to a deal, but we’d expect it to get announced by now. Quinn Hughes obviously already has ties to the Devils with both of his brothers here, and Jack Hughes has said a lot out loud about his contract dispute.

This is highly unlikely, but it’s definitely not impossible. The Devils have the assets to make a deal work, and they have the space to add a superstar. Teams are trying to figure out their entire roster today, but the Devils can be patient and take advantage of a team that gets frustrated.