With the New Jersey Devils getting closer to the holiday freeze and also en route a few months closer to the NHL Trade Deadline, the Sheldon Keefe-run roster needs a few extra pieces for a playoff spot and a potential big push later. The Devils already have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes clicking with the help of Tomas Tatar and Dougie Hamilton among the supporting cast. The offseason additions have been paying strong dividends in how the Devils have been resilient, strong, and defensive thus far.
We recently spoke about how important Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz, and Shakir Mukhamadullin were in the NHL Draft and how General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was able to salvage a few potential busts and reinvest in some great players. This strategic approach has strengthened the team's future and instilled a renewed sense of optimism among fans. With a solid foundation of young talent, the organization is poised to compete at a higher level in the coming seasons.
Paul Cotter has been an absolute beast in being aggressive on the forecheck, and the lack of an NHL sniper and a big addition a few years ago in Timo Meier is part of the improvement of the physical play. One area for improvement is looking to add another reliable center to replace Curtis Lazar in the speed, hits, and blocked shots categories with a knack for face-off wins. The New Jersey Devils are looking to fill that gap, which would be the easiest position to fill from outside the organization. It will be trickier and more expensive for the Devils to look into landing a sniper.
The New Jersey Devils have a 23-year-old veteran forward in the KHL, Arseni Gritsyuk. The potential of Arseni Gritsyuk could be the biggest improvement on the wing since the New Jersey Devils had Jesper Bratt become that prime-time star sniper, while Minnesota got their hands on their young star in Kirill Kaprizov, who is their go-to goal scorer. Tom Fitzgerald will be very glad to have held onto his prized winger, Arseni Gritsyuk, who will make the top 3 lines more rounded out. This may come at an earlier expense of a player like Dawson Mercer being overpaid this past summer, and the Devils had the chance to sign Kevin Labanc but lost out on signing him.
The New Jersey Devils may have to keep an eye on the NHL trade rumor market and see what the Hudson Rival New York Rangers do with potentially trading Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko, with the potential of a buyout of Jacob Trouba more likely than a trade (cap hit) for a defenseman. This would give the New Jersey Devils the average asking price for what certain skaters yield in this trade market. In their area, the New Jersey Devils don't need to worry so much about the goaltending; meanwhile, they have Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen in the net this season, taking stress off the Devils' defenders.
Overall, this New Jersey Devils team is pretty much set for the NHL holiday freeze and does not have too much to overthink for their wish list through the NHL Trade Deadline. If teams like Ottawa begin sell-off mode and the word gets out that certain names come to light, maybe we can see certain players potentially not only be linked to the New Jersey Devils but also land here for the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once there is more separation in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils, Hurricanes, and Capitals are the most likely to be the cream of the crop in the division, especially the way they are constructed this season for an NHL playoff berth each.