The New Jersey Devils are assessing the rest of their offseason after a busy first day of free agency. They addressed their backup goalie position by re-signing Jake Allen, added defensive depth by re-signing Dennis Cholowski, and added bottom-six pieces in Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, and Juho Lammikko. They are also adding a few prospects in Lenni Hameenaho and Arseni Gritsyuk, and GM Tom Fitzgerald says he expects Shane Lachance and Brian Halonen to fight for a spot on the opening night roster.
The Devils still need a top-six forward to push everyone down. While Brown, Gritsyuk, and Dadonov could all theoretically play in the top six, fans may not be thrilled if we enter the season with the current roster. At least one more move, and likely the biggest move of the offseason, still must be made.
The most logical move is a trade. While Nikolaj Ehlers and Pius Suter are both available in free agency, the Devils aren't expected to be at the top of either of their lists. The trade route will give Fitzgerald the top-six winger this team needs.
But it's going to cost a lot in players, picks, and prospects. And Fitzgerald gave us some insight on one prospect that teams might command. However, it sounds like he's not moving.
#NJDevils GM Tom Fitzgerald said Mikhail Yegorov is a name that constantly came up at the Trade Deadline.
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) July 2, 2025
Said they know they have a good one in him.
We're not surprised that Yegorov's name came up a lot during the NHL Trade Deadline. The Devils are working with a lot of prospects, but Yegorov stood out last season. He might be their best prospect. Teams are going to ask for the best prospect in trade talks.
Mikhail Yegorov cannot be available in trades, even for a major upgrade
Of course, the Devils didn't get anyone near worth a Yegorov trade, and the fanbase might revolt if the Devils finally hit on a goaltending prospect right away and then immediately trade him for a short-term solution. Yegorov was amazing after starting his season with Boston University. He won the prestigious Beanpot Tournament and carried his team to the National Championship Game.
Yegorov is the future of the Devils in net. The team actually has a few other options, with Nico Daws still on the roster, Jakub Malek playing in the AHL full-time this season, and recently drafted Trenten Bennett. However, Yegorov has the highest ceiling, and that ceiling is sky high.
The Devils will hear Yegorov's name a lot more, but there is no trade where it makes sense to move him. He's the future of this team in net, like we said, but it bears repeating. We understand that gripping prospects could cause teams to lose star players, but this one is different. Yegorov is already really good, and he should only get better from here. He should be ready to make the jump to professional hockey after this season.