The New Jersey Devils were not quiet this past offseason, with Sunny Mehta taking over for Tom Fitzgerald. He sent Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers for Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist. Then, he traded Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames for Etienne Morin and three draft picks (including two first-round picks). He signed Anthony Mantha, re-signed Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk, and he traded for depth players Amadeus Lombardi and Declan Chisholm, who have both played integral roles in the early Devils season.
He capped it off with his biggest move. He sent a first- and second-round pick to the Nashville Predators for Luke Evangelista. Then, he signed Evangelista to a long-term deal, getting this offseason signed, sealed, and delivered.
So far, the Devils' season has been inconsistent. They are 5-4-0 at the time of this writing. Winning more games than they lost, especially with Jack Hughes having zero regulation goals, is still where the Devils want to be.
But it turns out that the Devils might have another big move they can make, and it’s one of the most anticipated moves in the NHL this season. No, it’s not Connor Hellebuyck. Despite the relative struggles of the goaltenders, Hellebuyck is not the right piece for this puzzle (especially since he hasn’t played in a game yet this season and likely won’t for a while).
No, the piece the Devils could add is Dylan Larkin. See, Larkin has been asking for a trade for months, watched as a media firestorm began, saw his GM get fired, probably because of how this was mismanaged, and now he’s back and playing for the Detroit Red Wings.
We have been calling for the Devils to get into this negotiation since it came out. There was one issue: the Devils aren’t on his original trade list. That only included the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers. That is, until now.
The New Jersey Devils have been added to Dylan Larkin's expanded trade list
A report from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, who had the original three-team trade list, claims that Larkin has expanded his trade list to 10 teams. This gives interim GM Shawn Horcoff new teams to connect with. One team that isn’t on the list is the Montreal Canadiens, who have the assets Detroit probably wants. Larkin likely doesn’t want to play north of the border, so that probably doesn’t change.
What really makes this interesting is the relationship Larkin has with the Hughes brothers. He is reportedly very close with Quinn Hughes, who is the one brother the Devils don’t have. He has been seen with the brothers all summer, and many expected him to push for a trade to the Wild to connect with the eldest Hughes brother.
If the Devils can trade for Larkin, they can secure the last piece that makes the Devils the most desirable franchise to Quinn Hughes.
But it’s more than that. Larkin might be a tad overrated, and the Devils would have to slightly overpay, but he does exactly what the Devils need. He scores at a great rate, and he does it consistently. He’s also on an awesome contract in today’s NHL. He has a cap hit of $8.7 million through 2031.
The Devils have multiple reasons to get in on this negotiation.
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