New Jersey Devils Trade Targets: Who Could Be This Summer's Tyler Toffoli?

Travis Konecny - Philadelphia Flyers

This wouldn't be the first Devils-Flyers trade ever, but it would certainly be the biggest. That being said, Konecny is the perfect blend of Ehlers and Buchnevich, and there may not be a better player available for the Devils to go get.

The Flyers would be incredibly foolish to trade away a player of Konecny's calibre, but he too was subject to trade rumors during the Trade Deadline. Still, at just 27 years old, Konecny is eligible for an extension on July 1st, and will likely command a huge raise from his current $5.5 million AAV.

The Devils are all too familiar with Konecny's "Brad Marchand" type game and how dangerous he can be out there. He has the skating, elusiveness, and skill of a typical 5'10", 190-pound forward, but the fearlessness and chippiness of a player five inches and 20 pounds heavier.

Konecny has put together back-to-back 30+ goal, 60+ point seasons, while also growing into an agitator that you hate to play against, but love to have on your team. The two biggest downsides to Konecny are his injury history and his next contract. He hasn't played a full season since 2018-19 and missed many games in two of the last four seasons. Despite him still being young, could the Devils commit max term and likely $8+ million AAV for someone who may not play all 82 games most years?

The most obvious barrier in a Konecny to the Devils trade is the Flyers willingness to trade to a rival. He is a heart and soul player that you typically don't trade to one of your biggest rivals. Even if they were to move him, there would be plenty of suitors not named the Devils, or not in the Metropolitan division that would want his services. That being said, some of the health concerns aside, Konecny is the type of player you try to go all-in on.