The New Jersey Devils have been tied to too many trade targets to count at this point. The most famous was the Quinn Hughes chatter. They looked like it was about as clear as day that the Devils were the front-runners for the eldest Hughes brother, but Tom Fitzgerald couldn’t pull the trigger.
Since Quinn Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild, the Devils’ season has gone down the drain.
As of this writing, the Devils are three points out of a playoff spot and six points out of the last Wild Card spot. The loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday really put them in a bad spot. Still, Fitzgerald is trying to save his job and Sheldon Keefe’s job.
A move has been needed for this team for a long, long time. Quinn Hughes was the move, and it would have really helped with Luke Hughes now injured. However, that is off the table. We all have to get over it and figure out what’s next.
The other player that is expected to be at the top of the trade boards is Artemi Panarin. Now, it’s often considered sacrilegious for the Devils and Rangers to trade players, but there is a precedent here. The last time the Ranges and Devils made a trade, which is the first and only trade between the Hudson River Rivals, it came a few weeks after they sent “the letter” to fans.
Now that we have letter 2.0, maybe another Devils-Rangers trade is in the works. Can the Devils stomach the return it would take to get Panarin?
We have to start with the fact that we’re uncomfortable with the allegations against Panarin from the offseason, and that would have to be fully vetted.
Artemi Panarin is not impossible for the New Jersey Devils to acquire
The Devils could definitely use Panarin’s scoring impact. This has been an offensively inept team for a while now. Getting someone as high-leverage as Panarin could change their fortunes. The cost might have most Devils fans shying away, but a new report said not to discount the idea completely.
Peter Baugh of The Athletic said that the Devils “make a little bit of sense” for a Panarin acquisition. He went on to say that the Devils “are certainly in need of some spark” and mentioned how the Devils could try to get Panarin to sign an extension, but the Devils are still not the most logical option for the top trade target as of today.
At the end of the day, it’s very unlikely. Fitzgerald wouldn’t push all his chips on the table for Quinn Hughes when his Devils would be solidly in a playoff spot. Would he do it for a similar price when he’s not even a likely playoff team?
It feels unlikely, but it’s definitely not a “no” either.