The Philadelphia Flyers made a huge change on Thursday night, sending Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Calgary Flames for Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, and a couple of draft picks. It was a foundation-changing trade that moves the needle for the Flyers. In which way is yet to be seen, but it's definitely a move that changed the perspective of the Flyers's goals this season.
This came just a few days after the Carolina Hurricanes changed their foundation, and their Stanley Cup odds, with a move bringing in Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen and former New Jersey Devils MVP Taylor Hall, losing Martin Necas and Jack Drury. This trade rocked the foundation of the league, putting the spotlight on the Metropolitan Division.
This all comes as the Vancouver Canucks are still waiting to trade one of their stars. J.T. Miller has been most tied to his former team, the New York Rangers. He's been tied to the Devils, too, but the strongest contender for his services play in Manhattan. And new reports state that the Columbus Blue Jackets are a team that could make a move for Elias Pettersson.
Elliotte Friedman on 32T: “Columbus is another team- if they wanna make that deal [for Elias Pettersson], they can.”
— The CBJ Center (@CBJcenter) January 31, 2025
He adds: “I could see them looking at what they’re building this year and what they’ve kind of got, and saying: ‘how much do we wanna tamper with this?’” #CBJ https://t.co/Q8lbWg0Zvr
It seems like the Devils are the only team not in trade rumors, and they ironically have the holes that are easiest to determine. They need one of two things: a bottom-six scorer or a top-six player to move a current top-six player into the bottom-six. With their current cap situation, a top-six player would take some creativity, depending on who it is. We've mentioned Ryan O'Reilly, but that's going to cost them more than they are willing to give up today.
The Metropolitan Division has been busy making trades. Are the New Jersey Devils falling behind?
There is a rumor that the Devils are expected to make calls on now-free agent Brandon Saad. That's definitely something, but most would agree it can't be the only move. There are interesting pieces available. The trade market will evolve over the next few weeks as a few non-contenders continue to fall down the standings.
The Devils shouldn't make a panic move because the Flyers and Hurricanes added big names. They shouldn't even do it if the Rangers get J.T. Miller and the Blue Jackets get Elias Pettersson. They need to make the right move when it comes to them, like when they had a chance to trade for Timo Meier and Tyler Toffoli. Make the move that makes sense when it makes sense.
The Devils have the prospects and most of their picks to provide a decent package to anyone for anyone. They have some leverage, unlike last year with their goalie trade offers. There shouldn't be desperation as long as they stay in the top three of the Metropolitan Division.