The New Jersey Devils have been one of the unluckiest teams this season. The club has lost numerous players to injury this season, with Jack Hughes’ hand injury the most bizarre one of all.
That situation has forced GM Tom Fitzgerald to work overtime in recent weeks. He’s been looking for ways to improve his club, particularly amid the team’s most recent free fall.
Entering Monday night’s action, the Devils are on a five-game skid and have sunk near the bottom of the Metro Division standings. Fortunately, the separation between the Devils and the first-place Washington Capitals is only six points. That leaves the Devils within striking distance of a playoff spot.
That possibility has motivated Fitzgerald to make something happen. As insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed in Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Devils are actively looking to land a veteran center.
The center in question is Nashville Predators’ veteran Ryan O’Reilly. O’Reilly’s name has bounced around this season. Numerous clubs have been linked to the 34-year-old. But as Friedman noted, the Devils are the latest club.
"I think Tom Fitzgerald is looking for help. He’s looking to see what’s out there. I think that’s where a lot of the noise came."Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet reporter
Friedman’s comments highlight a tough situation for the Devils, as they look to find help moving forward.
"I’m going to use Ryan O’Reilly because I do think he’s a legitimate target of theirs. Let’s just say there were going to make a trade for Ryan O’Reilly, okay, so maybe Nashville doesn’t want to take back some of the Devils’ salary. But the Devils want the player, so they have to move something else to another team."Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet reporter
Devils may need multiple trades to find help
As Friedman noted, the Devils may need multiple trades to land someone like O’Reilly. That’s pretty much what’s gumming up the works in New Jersey. Unless the Devils could find a trade partner willing to take dollar-in, dollar-out, Tom Fitzgerald may face one heck of a time landing one of his intended targets.
In O’Reilly’s case, he comes with a $4.5 million cap hit. He’s under contract for one more season. But the Devils, meanwhile, have a little under $3 million in cap space. That situation means moving about $1.5 million to clear up enough room for O’Reilly.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that LTIR, while it would help in the short term, wouldn’t be enough in the long run. Unless someone like Hughes misses the rest of the season and playoffs, LTIR won’t help.
The playoff salary cap has hindered teams’ ability to use LTIR during the regular season and then activate players in the playoffs. Teams must be cap-compliant for the playoffs starting this year. So, the Devils, if they want O’Reilly or anyone else, will need to make room first before landing a bigger name.
Devils fans must keep an eye out for seemingly smaller trades as they could be precursors for a larger one.