The New Jersey Devils have always been a team that will assess the entire market and make a lot of calls but make very few deals. The man behind that strategy, Tom Fitzgerald, is no longer in charge. Before the season ended, the Devils made a change, and they waited a few weeks before hiring Sunny Mehta.Â
Now, we’re all guessing to how this offseason will go. We know that Mehta has an insane to-do list ahead of him. At the top of the list is re-signing Nico Hischier. However, adding to this roster has to be up there, too.Â
The Devils have some obvious needs, including a top-six winger. Outside of that, they could go with a lot of options. They could use another center for depth, but they’re pretty fine with Cody Glass and Nick Bjugstad in the bottom six. They could use another defenseman, but they technically have seven NHL defensemen. They’d need to trade multiple to get an upgrade. The goalie situation is also a mess, but they might be stuck there because of Jacob Markstrom’s contract.Â
Because the Devils could be after players at pretty much every position, there are a lot of players that make sense for them.
One team that has been tied to the Devils a lot is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They were one of the few teams that were a bigger disappointment than the Devils, but they were rewarded with the number-one overall pick and the rights to either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. That changed their trajectory and likely changed how they are going to approach this offseason with new GM John Chayka.
A player that was expected to be on the trade block is Max Domi. He’s played all over the lineup for the Maple Leafs since signing there in 2024. He still has two more years left on his contract, paying him $3.75 million per season.Â
Max Domi is not a player the Devils will target after news of his surgery
While Domi hasn’t been what was expected when they signed him, but he’s still giving them something for the price.Â
Maybe Mehta saw someone who could be had for a cheap return, but now, that’s off the table. Domi had surgery this offseason, and while it wasn’t expected to be serious, apparently, something went wrong. Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reports that something went "terribly" wrong, and the impact is not yet known.
That should be enough to have the Devils take Domi off their trade board entirely. It's an unfortunate situation for Domi and the Maple Leafs. It's a situation the Devils should avoid at all costs.
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