The New Jersey Devils plan to be active at the NHL Trade Deadline. At least, that's the assumption. The Devils are solidly in a playoff spot, with an eight-point cushion on the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 10-point cushion on the New York Rangers. Despite their tepid play in January, the Devils should be playoff contenders and could make a move that puts them into a higher tier.
There are many trades the Devils can make this season. There are some trades for upcoming free agents that can be treated as pure rentals, or the Devils can do what they usually do and trade for a player with term or control. Of course, the latter of those moves usually costs a lot more in contract and assets. We think the Devils would be fine with the asset portion (to a point), but the contract and salary cap portion of the trade is where problems can arise.
Most teams, and the Devils in the past, would trade money in for money out, but the Devils are in an unenviable position this season where they don't have a lot of wiggle room. According to Puck Pedia, the Devils are on pace for a little over $5.5 million in deadline cap space. That would be enough for some of the priorities the Devils have, but it would limit their movement.
On top of the limited space, the Devils can only move so many pieces this season without getting permission. Right now, the Devils have 12 players with some kind of contract protection. Let's break down who has what:
No Protection
Jack Hughes
Dawson Mercer
Tomas Tatar
Nathan Bastian
Kurtis MacDermid
Curtis Lazar
Justin Dowling
Paul Cotter
Luke Hughes
Johnathan Kovacevic
The only surprise here is probably Jack Hughes. However, he is not eligible for contract protection. For a player to be eligible, they need to either be 27 years old or have played in the NHL for seven seasons. Hughes was given a 10-team no-trade list starting in 2026-27, the first year he's eligible.
The other players on this list are either on close to minimum or entry-level contracts, or they are players one wouldn't expect to get protection. Some of the players on this list could get traded, as Tom Fitzgerald wouldn't need to convince them to accept it. They don't have a choice. It doesn't mean they should or will be traded, it just means there's nothing from a contract standpoint stopping the Devils' front office.
Modified No-Trade Clause
Nico Hischier
Stefan Noesen
Jonas Siegenthaler
Jake Allen
Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Stefan Noesen all have 10-team no-trade clauses. Hischier got this contract from Ray Shero, and he'll have this clause in place for the rest of his contract, which ends in 2027. Siegenthaler also gets the same protection throughout his contract (which ends in 2028). Noesen's clause drops to a seven-team no-trade list in the last year of the deal (2026-27).
We know Jake Allen has trade protection, but it's not clear what it is. We know he has trade protection because he actually blocked a trade to the Devils last season before he was eventually moved at the trade deadline.
Full No-Trade Clause
Erik Haula
Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon
Tom Fitzgerald signed both Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon this offseason. Their fit on this team has been inconsistent, but we can't see a world where either of them would waive their no-trade clauses this early in the deal. Pesce has five more seasons after this, and Dillon has two. They will be Devils for most of those years because of the no-trade clause.
As for Haula, his no-trade clause makes things as complicated as any on the team. The Devils gave Haula the clause because he was such a good fit after he was traded for Pavel Zacha. Prior to the Devils, Haula was on six franchises in six seasons. He never had a "home" and could establish himself with a team. The Devils giving him this long-term contract was a new lease on his career, and the no-trade clause will keep him here despite his struggles this season.
No-Move Clause
Timo Meier
Jesper Bratt
Ondej Palat
Dougie Hamilton
Jacob Markstrom
Dougie Hamilton, Ondrej Palat, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier have no-move clauses with a modified no-trade clause coming in future years, but they all have a full no-trade clause with their no-move clause this year. They cannot be traded to any team without their permission. They can't be placed on waivers like the Rangers did to Barclay Goodrow, and they can't go anywhere in the case of an expansion draft.
Markstrom has a full no-move clause this year and next year, but we can't see that ever being an issue for the Devils. They are very happy with how he's played in New Jersey, and there's even talk of an extension.
As fans can see, there are some complications with their contract situation, but they can maneuver to have more space to make trades this season. It's not likely they make a move for someone like Mikko Rantanen or another star, but they might make a move for someone in the $4-6 million contract range.