If the season started in August, the New Jersey Devils would roll out Ondrej Palat on the top line alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. That is a huge issue for this upcoming season, given the fact that Palat has been very underwhelming ever since signing a five-year, $30 million deal back in 2022.
It won't be easy to make a trade for a top winger, but it is very possible, especially with the assets that New Jersey has. Who makes sense to target this late in the offseason?
Rickard Rakell
With the Pittsburgh Penguins likely headed for a rebuild, it would make sense for them to offload their top older players in return for younger players and draft picks. Rickard Rakell is coming off the best season of his career, finishing with 35 goals and 35 assists in 81 games.
Slotting in a winger like Rakell into the Devils' top six would do wonders for guys like Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes. His two-way play combined with his finishing ability alongside two great playmakers sounds like a match made in heaven. Rakell also provides a physical presence that would shine at the Prudential Center. He finished last season with 116 hits and 77 blocked shots, something that you don't find quite often from a goal-scoring winger. Rakell is signed through the 2027-28 season, making $5 million per season, similar to Ondrej Palat's contract, which is quite ironic.
Jason Robertson
Entering the final year of his contract, Jason Robertson is a name to watch in the trade market. It seems the Dallas Stars would rather not extend the young winger and try to trade him instead, not due to his on-ice performance, but because they could barely afford him after giving Mikko Rantanen a hefty contract. Robertson will be making $7.75 million this year and will be under team control as a restricted free agent after this upcoming season.
Robertson is coming off back-to-back 80-point seasons, playing all 82 games as well. The 25-year-old winger is a great scorer and playmaker, while also being an elite power play player. He has scored 151 goals over the last four seasons, along with 197 assists. Robertson has yet to hit his prime, and if the Devils could acquire a talent like him, they just might be viewed as favorites in the Eastern Conference behind the Florida Panthers. He also adds speed to an already fast top line, hitting a top speed of 21.7 MPH last season. There are so many good things that would come out of a top line of Robertson/Hughes/Bratt, but it won't be easy for Tom Fitzgerald to make it happen.
Jared McCann
Jared McCann's name has been thrown around in a ton of trade rumors this summer, leaving the Devils with an opportunity to upgrade their top six forward lines. At just 29 years old and with two years left on his contract, McCann would be a fantastic acquisition for New Jersey.
The playmaking and two-way player has three-straight 60+ point seasons under his belt. He will definitely catch the attention of playoff teams that are in need of a top six player, such as the Devils. McCann plays on the left wing but also has experience at the center position, which would be great given the fact that Jack Hughes tends to miss games.
His faceoff numbers aren't the greatest, as he has a 42.7% career faceoff percentage, but he won't be acquired to play in the middle. McCann would add scoring on the left wing, although he's finished with more assists than goals recently, he did score 40 goals in the 22-23 season. Getting a player like Jared McCann would require fewer assets in a trade compared to players mentioned like Richard Rakell and Jason Robertson.