The New Jersey Devils have a problem. They didn’t get a chance to upgrade the top six, and the movement in the NHL is expected to come to almost a complete stop in August. The Devils never had a chance to trade Ondrej Palat, leaving his $6 million cap hit on the books. They also have to negotiate a new contract for Luke Hughes with just over $6 million in cap space.
There really is no room to upgrade the top six. Where would they find the money to get a player of Jason Robertson or Jordan Kyrou’s caliber? Obviously, it has become hard to get rid of bad contracts, so adding this offseason feels off the table at this point.
The Devils will have to focus on their current roster and how to prioritize the talent they are building around Jack Hughes. They did add Arseniy Gritsyuk, Connor Brown, and Evgenii Dadonov this offseason. One of those will likely at least get a look with Hughes at some point this season.
If the Devils don’t end up getting the right winger for Hughes, and if Palat regresses even more, they will likely make a move for a winger during the season. We expect some of the players who didn’t move this offseason, like Jared McCann and Bryan Rust, to move next season. The Devils should be in on both of them, but they should also pay attention to players who could surprisingly become available again.
Alex DeBrincat
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have come close to the playoffs for a few years now, but they haven’t actually made the playoffs. In fact, they haven’t been in the playoffs since 2016. They haven’t won a playoff round since 2013. It’s been a rough stretch for Detroit, so there’s a little desperation here. Current GM Steve Yzerman hasn’t been able to push them over the hump like he did in Tampa.
And we have news for ya, we don’t think Detroit is getting that close this season. We like the attempt to fix the goaltending with the John Gibson trade, but their defense still has questions, and the Atlantic Division is insane. Tampa, Florida, and Toronto are still really, really good, and the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens both got better after making the playoffs last season.
If the Red Wings decide to make some trades, one of the more interesting names for the Devils is Alex DeBrincat. The Devils were in on the trade when the Red Wings first got DeBrincat in 2022. The Devils were reportedly asked to trade the second-overall pick, and the Red Wings ended up winning that sweepstakes. Now, with two years left on his contract, now might be the right time to make that trade. He would be an amazing complement to Jack Hughes.