The New Jersey Devils need to make a trade this season. There is a very clear hole among the forwards, especially in the bottom six. Dawson Mercer and Paul Cotter both have 13 goals, but no other bottom-six forward has more than five goals. The Devils need to do one of two things: get a top-six forward that moves Stefan Noesen or Ondrej Palat to the bottom six full-time or get a very good bottom-six forward who would add offense to what they already have.
As far as bottom six goes, there are some interesting options who can be had without commitment. The Devils in the past have prioritized trading for players with term, but there is value with a one-and-done relationship. The team wants to be a contender, and there can be an "all hands on deck" approach to this season. So, considering the role they would fill, the price it would cost, and past playoff performance, we found five rentals that would make sense, even if they left on July 1st.
1. Brock Nelson
New York Islanders
There are a lot of people in on Brock Nelson, There's a good reason why. He's a perrenial 30-goal scorer, which would immediately solve multiple issues for the Devils. He's having a down season, so the Devils can probably get him for cheaper than he would cost in previous seasons. While New York Islanders fans probably expect to get a sky-high price for him, the reality just isn't there.
Nelson is currently playing for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which should be a good experience for him. Maybe at some point he gets to play alongside Jack Hughes, although we don't want to break up the Auston Matthews-Jack Hughes connection.
Nelson would join the Devils and give them an immediate scoring boost. It would breed life into the offense and help the second power-play unit. He's also been good in the playoffs, putting up 43 points in his last 60 playoff games. In 2020, Nelson scored nine goals as the Islanders made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He had seven goals the next season, and even in the Islanders less successful playoff runs, Nelson still contributed.