The New Jersey Devils want to make big changes this offseason. They hope to put together the kind of team that can go from playoff contender to Stanley Cup contender. For that to happen, they need to upgrade the roster. Devils' GM Tom Fitzgerald has a chance to do that in multiple different ways. They can use the direct approach, adding players to fill their direct needs, including the bottom six and depth centers.
The Devils could take a different approach. They could look to add the best players available across the league, find a way to make the salaries work, and then let the bottom six upgrade through the trickle down effect. If a player jumps into the top six, the players that are there currently are forced to move down.
Many thought that would mean players like Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand, but the Devils have a chance to add someone who is truly a game changer. The Dallas Stars are reportedly open to trading start Jason Robertson. Multiple outlets have released the report, and now that we look at the whole picture, the writing might have been on the wall when the Stars traded for Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an eight-year deal worth $12 million per season.
The Devils should be all over Jason Robertson if he's available
The Devils would be an intriguing option for the Stars. They can give him multiple different options to make this deal work. Could they add Jesper Bratt or Timo Meier to a deal? While on paper, Robertson is better than them, it doesn't improve the Devils enough to make them a Stanley Cup team. Also, the Stars aren't looking to add salary. If they move on from Robertson by putting him on the trade block, they are looking to replenish with young assets.
The Devils have a treasure trove of defensemen prospects. It starts with Simon Nemec, the former second-overall pick who showed he deserves to be an NHL player this past postseason. Dallas needs serious upgrades on the right side. Nemec would change everything for their defense. Imagine if he pairs with Miro Heiskanen? They could turn into the best pairing in the league.
Beyond Nemec, the Devils also have Seamus Casey, Anton Silayev, Ethan Edward, Topias Vilen, and Daniil Karpovich. Nobody would be surprised if any of them became regulars in the NHL one day, some sooner than others. Having depth on defense in the prospect pool is important.
There are a few other options for the Stars to make a Devils trade work, but we'll get with to that in a future article. For now, it needs to be known that the Devils should take advantage when a player of Robertson's caliber becomes available. He's coming off back-to-back 80-point seasons, and he had 109 points in 2022-23.
Yes, the Devils would have to figure out his next raise. It might be the biggest contract on the Devils' books, and it could set the stage for a Nico Hischier extension, as well, but the right deal makes the Devils a Stanley Cup contender. No price is too high for that.