This is expected to be a transformative offseason for the New Jersey Devils. Sunny Mehta is in seat, and the Devils are ready to fix the mistakes left behind by Tom Fitzgerald. The Devils need a lot of work, but they have a great core in place. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Brett Pesce is a winning roster. Add in depth players like Cody Glass, Connor Brown, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Jonas Siegenthaler, and this is a roster that can be great.
Unfortunately, a few things are missing. Goalie is still a problem, and going into the season with Jacob Markstrom will only cause stress for Devils fans. There are seven defensemen on the roster, including the unsigned Simon Nemec. The Devils are doing all this with not a ton of salary cap space, even with the rising cap.Â
That cap space is going to come up a lot because the rumor mill is losing its mind right now. Multiple Devils offseason targets could be getting knocked out in the first round. The obvious one is Quinn Hughes, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. However, if the Wild lose in the first round to the Dallas Stars, it’s hard to believe that the eldest Hughes brother would say no to an opportunity to play with his brothers without an insane monetary commitment.Â
The other player Devils fans will pay attention to is Brady Tkachuk. He’s been a target for Devils fans for years. He’s the rough and tumble type that fans have been clamoring for, and he’s a Tkachuk, so he has the skill to match.Â
Devils fans must be careful. Brady Tkachuk is not Matthew Tkachuk. He’s still a great player, but the Panthers’ Tkachuk is actually the better brother, and it’s not particularly close.Â
Now, new Devils GM Sunny Mehta was a part of the front office that traded for Matthew Tkachuk and won two championships with him, so he could target the brother to build around him, but it all starts with Saturday night.Â
The Ottawa Senators made a great run at the end of the season to beat out multiple teams, including the Devils, to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Carolina Hurricanes have shown no mercy on the Senators. They are on the verge of sweeping them in the first round.Â
Brady Tkachuk could become available
And Tkachuk has not looked good in the process. He has zero points this series. Senators fans have pointed out that his body language is terrible, and many have succumbed to the fact that Brady Tkachuk might be playing his final games north of the border.Â
This puts Devils fans in a weird situation where they are rooting for a rival to win. Obviously, even with the connection to the Hughes family and their celebration after Jack Hughes scored the Golden Goal, giving everyone involved a gold medal, it will be a long shot for the Devils to get Tkachuk. The Panthers will be pushing for him, as will most of the other 31 teams in the league. Â
Still, Devils fans want a chance. A first-round sweep won’t do the Senators any favors in trying to keep their star. To get the sweep, we have to root for those lowly Hurricanes.
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