The New Jersey Devils have made their own massive moves this offseason, being involved in three different blockbuster trades. Their first move of the Sunny Mehta era involved sending Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers and Mehta's former boss for Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist. Then, he sent Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames for a bunch of draft picks. On September 1st, he used some of that draft capital to get Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators.
Mehta is shaping the roster in a new image, changing the culture of the Devils after a wasted era that includes Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. He's hoping to turn this team into a contender, and based on the moves he's making, he's not waiting around to make it happen.
Prior to his arrival, the Devils former GM, Tom Fitzgerald, was keen on making his own blockbuster move at last year's trade deadline. Alas, it was not meant to be as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Devils could not come to a deal for Matthew Knies.
The bruising yet gifted forward was a target for many last season, but the Devils were confirmed to be hot on his heels. The price was reportedly high, and that's probably why it never came to fruition. On Monday evening, the Devils watched as a division rival turned an issue into a solution by targeting Knies.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have added Matthew Knies in a blockbuster deal
To Columbus: Knies, Andrae, Lorentz and 2007 2nd Rd pick (the pick Leafs got from Seattle)
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 28, 2026
To Toronto: Marchenko, Merzlikins, Wood
Marchenko has verbally agreed to six-year extension with Leafs (six years x $12.5 M)
The Blue Jackets had an issue where Kirill Marchenko had no interest in being there anymore. He still reported to training camp, but in interviews, it was clear he wasn’t happy to be there. So, they turned that asset and his contract situation into a cost-controlled asset, on top of a lot more.
Not only did the Blue Jackets get Knies and his $7.75 million long-term deal, but they also got rid of cap space crushers in Elvis Merzlikins and Miles Wood. They also got Emil Andrae, who the Maple Leafs got in the Joseph Woll trade with the Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the season.
The Devils will learn how to play against Knies, and this is a trade that is very interesting for Columbus. It’s also interesting for the now-analytics-focused Maple Leafs.
Knies would have been a good fit with the Devils, but it would have cost the spot that became Evangelista. It’s hard to say they would be in a better spot with Knies. The Blue Jackets were in a tough spot with Marchenko, but now they have a solution. Let’s see if it helps them compete in the Metropolitan Division.
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