The New Jersey Devils have been tied to more rumors this season than we can keep track of. If a player was available, they seemed to be central to the possible destinations. Eventually, it appeared they were going to be sellers, and that started a bunch of new rumors. At the end of the NHL Trade Deadline, Tom Fitzgerald didn’t pull the trigger on anything.
To be fair, pieces were very expensive, and there’s a chance that ownership took the keys away from Fitzgerald to make a foundation-shaking move. It was honestly shocking to see the Devils just take the deadline off completely. This team is in no-man’s land, Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald can’t believe they have job security, and so many people still have a lot to play for, even if this team isn’t making the playoffs this season.
Sometimes, a team in this position can make a desperation move that hurts them for a long time if it doesn’t work out. We’ve seen the Devils play the deadline smart and gain long-term assets, like Cody Glass and Jake Allen. However, they also have to realize that teams are holding tighter onto their assets with a rising salary cap. There are a few moves they almost made that would have been detrimental to the present and future of this franchise.
1. Selling low on Dougie Hamilton, especially with retained salary
Dougie Hamilton has only seen his value rise since he was benched in January. Since then, only Jack Hughes has more points than Hamilton at all strengths. Hamilton has more points that Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Cody Glass, and Arseny Gritsyuk. He has 17 points in his last 20 games (not including Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings). He’s 13th in the league amongst defensemen in points since January 10th.
Only four players have more shots than Hamilton in that time, showing he just needed a push. Now that he’s had that push, it makes sense to hold off on any trades until the offseason. If the Devils do go forward with a new GM, Hamilton is an interesting asset. While his $9 million cap hit is an anchor, he’s deserved it as of late.
The Devils were likely going to sell low on Hamilton, and there was a chance they might have assumed some of his salary through retention. Taking on even $2 million over the next two years just isn’t worth it. If they could have found a team willing to take on his full salary and open to giving real assets in the deal, then fine. However, it appears that wasn’t on the table here, even if Fitzgerald said he wasn’t making calls on Hamilton towards the end.
2. Making Steven Stamkos trade
The Devils have been reportedly talking to Nashville about Steven Stamkos for months. Stamkos saved the Devils from themselves when he decided not to waive his no-trade clause and stay with the Predators for the stretch run. Nashville is much closer to a playoff run than the Devils, and there are already huge changes coming there with Barry Trotz announcing his impending retirement as their GM.
Stamkos has been great for a few months, and he would have absolutely helped the Devils if they traded for him in November. However, in March, sending big assets for a guy who has shown signs of slowing down, even if he’s bounced back. That start to the season has to scare any team looking at the rest of his deal, which comes with an $8 million cap hit through 2028.
The Devils need scoring, and few players in the history of this league have scored like Stamkos, but he’s 36 years old, and he’s close to a one-trick pony at this point. The Devils need to add smarter pieces and injury depth. This wasn’t the move that puts them in a winning position, although it definitely fills a need.
3. Trading Simon Nemec for anythng less than a future superstar
Things with Simon Nemec can’t be good. He’s been in trade rumors basically since he was drafted by the Devils in 2022. Heck, his draft pick was in trade rumors for stars like Alex DeBrincat. So far in his career with the Devils, Nemec has been forced to play in the AHL when he thought he was a lock for the NHL roster, they unfairly (at times) blamed him for goals against, and they had him in more trade rumors than most former second-overall picks.
Nemec is a special player. Is he frustrating? Absolutely, but we saw once again in the Olympics that his game goes up a level when the games matter. He’s an overtime star, with three-game winners at 3v3 this season. He scored the overtime goal in the Devils' only playoff win last season. Nemec has “it” when it comes to the clutch gene.
Beyond that, the Devils weren’t going to get what they actually needed to make a Nemec trade make sense. Did the Bruins want to trade James Hagans for Nemec? Okay, we’re listening. Fabian Lysell? Fitzgerald hopefully hung up the phone if that was the centerpiece of any deal. The Devils have to figure out Nemec’s next contract in the offseason, but that shouldn’t be the sole reason to trade him.
4. The Devils wanted to shake up the core
There’s clearly something off with this Devils team, and there’s a certain section of the fanbase that has always questioned if this core can be a long-time winner. According to rumors, the Devils were at least considering it if true. However, the question was “who is considered the core?” Most consider the core as Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jesper Bratt. Some add Luke Hughes to that core, but it’s likely that none of those names were actually involved in rumors.
Instead, it seemed like the Devils were considering a Dawson Mercer trade. Would that break the foundation of the Devils? Very much not, but what were the Devils trying to get here?
There’s a lot this team needs, and Mercer is once again having a season that’s not to the level many expected to see when he first got to the league. Something just seems really off with him, which makes us think trading him in-season would lead to a small return. If the Devils were truly considering a trade for Meier, Bratt, or even Hischier, we’re glad this front office wasn’t given the access to make such a trade.
5. Trade for Brayden Schenn
The Devils were reportedly circling Brayden Schenn for a long time, maybe even years. The St. Louis Blues captain was once a great player in this league, but he’s fallen off. He had 70 points once in his career, but for the most part, he’s a 40-50-point player across his career. That’s still where he’s at, and he’s 34 years old. This year, he has just 12 goals and 17 assists. His presence really doesn’t solve anything for the Devils. It’s basically the center version of Ondrej Palat.
Ironically, both Schenn and Palat were traded to the New York Islanders. The surprising team on Long Island made multiple moves to improve the roster, but Schenn was their biggest. They sent Jonathan Drouin, goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof, and a first and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Obviously, the Islanders' first-round pick is much less valuable than the Devils' right now. Maybe the Devils could put protections on it, but they just aren’t in a position to trade that kind of capital for a player that doesn’t solve their main issue, which is scoring.