5 New Jersey Devils rumors we're happy never came to fruition
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils were incredibly busy this offseason. There was much on the to-do list for Genral Manager Tom Fitzgerald. He had to hire a new coach (or hire the interim to full time), trade for a goalie, make necessary changes to the defense, and add some help for Jack Hughes and/or Nico Hischier.
Due to the fact that the Devils had so much to do, they seemed to be in literally every rumor from the time the season ended to the middle of July. Heck, the Devils are still in rumors even though they will likely have no cap space left after re-signing Dawson Mercer.
Now all rumors were created equal. Some rumors were reasonable and likely could have happened. Some even seemed likely, even if they didn't end up happening. Then there were the rumors that were clearly being leaked by the other sides. Teams were trying to extort the Devils in certain situaitons, especially when it comes to the goalie situation. This brings us to our first rumor that we're happy didn't happen.
Which rumors would have been calamities for the New Jersey Devils?
1. Trading Dawson Mercer for a goalie
The Devils didn't want to go for just any goalie on the trade market. They wanted a legit difference maker. Fitzgerald has been trying to piece together the goalie position for years while he prayed that one of his young goalies develops enough to become starter. All last season, as the Devils enjoyed league-worst goaltending for most of the year, teams were asking for the moon in return for a starter.
This included names like Juuse Saros, Linus Ullmark, Jordan Binnington, and Connor Hellebuyck before he was re-signed by the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils ended up trading for Jacob Markstrom because the price matched what the Devils were willing to pay.
Players like Saros and Ullmark were going to cost the Devils an insane return, and some rumors said that the price started with a game-changing piece, which most assumed meant Dawson Mercer or Simon Nemec. The Devils ended up getting a top starter for a protected first-round pick and defenseman Kevin Bahl. This was the smart direction to go in.