The New Jersey Devils are not the most popular team at the NHL Draft, but they are very much in the conversation. While the Buffalo Sabres are throwing away big assets, the Devils are interestingly tied to a few moves. It's been a large volume of rumors, but the Devils haven't had anything concrete.
Ahead of the start of the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, let's take a look at the status of all New Jersey Devils rumors.
Cody Glass
On Friday's episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman says that Cody Glass has a market if the Devils do indeed allow him to go to free agency. Reports indicated that the Devils did not show interest in qualifying Glass, who would be guaranteed a contract of $2.5 million. Even if he declies his qualifying offer, he would be arbitration eligible, which Tom Fitzgerald has been looking to avoid in the past.
There are rumblings the Devils could get something done, but according to Friedman, it might be hard to accomplish that before he goes to market. This could still go a number of ways, including a trade to a team that wants to qualify Glass and negotiate from there. However, we don't think the door on Glass is as closed as it may seem.
Dawson Mercer
Dawson Mercer has been in a surprising amount of trade rumors this offseason, and unlike previous years, it's not always tied directly to a larger deal. Some think Mercer might be a part of a trade for assets, including reports the Toronto Maple Leafs are interested in him with everything they are expected to lose this offseason.
Fitzgerald is trying to get creative to make the Devils a true contender, but trading Mercer simply for assets might be an example of biting your nose to spite your face. However, it would be a way for the Devils to get back into the first round after losing their pick in the Jacob Markstrom trade.
Dougie Hamilton
There were, we'll say, rumblings that Dougie Hamilton wasn't unavailable. However, we'd be very surprised if he were traded during the NHL Draft. It would be too complicated a deal to process so quickly, and the Devils have too many defensive injuries still pending this offseason (especially to Johnny Kovacevic) to make such a move. On top of that, Hamilton is owed a $10.5 million bonus on July 1st, and his full no-move clause turns into a modified no-trade clause.
However, there's a possibility a team like Utah continues its offseason success story and pays the price it takes to move Fitzgerald off Hamilton. Friedman did mention Hamilton in passing, which usually means it's worth at least paying attention to the possibility. Still, that move likely won't happen this weekend.
Ondrej Palat
Like Hamilton, Ondrej Palat’s full no-move clause turns into a modified no-trade clause on July 1st. So, if the Devils are going to move him, it will likely come after the start of free agency. Palat feels like a player who would go to a team that misses out on big free agents. There are only a few top-line players, so when teams strike out, a cost-controlled Palat might seem perfect.
Big Name Players Available For Trade
The Devils are tied to some of the biggest names on the trade market, including Dallas Stars' Jason Robertson and St. Louis Blues' Jordan Kyrou. They have logs on the fire for just about every player who becomes available, and they still might pay big bucks in free agency for Brad Marchand or Brock Boeser.
However, the Devils don't have the most prominent rumors surrounding them right now. That might be a good thing, as they can make the surprise move this year, but it makes things light going into the draft's first round.