One player the New Jersey Devils could unexpectedly trade in the 2024 offseason

It is no mystery that the New Jersey Devils will seek to make a trade at some point in the 2024 offseason, perhaps around the NHL Draft. Such a move would likely involve moving the 10th overall pick, but it’s not the only trade general manager Tom Fitzgerald could end up making. 

The Devils aren’t necessarily in desperation mode, as they’re still just one season removed from their legendary 112-point outing, but it doesn’t mean they won’t engage in some much-needed reshuffling, especially at the blue line. In a recent post, I outlined just how tough it would be to add a game-changing skater to the blue line, considering the number of defensemen already in the rotation. 

This would almost certainly involve them moving another player elsewhere to make room for a trade, perhaps involving the 10th pick, for a dynamic blueliner who can change the trajectory of a game. The player in question who could be a rather unexpected move among a contingent of fans would be John Marino, who would bring in more value at the moment than Jonas Siegenthaler, whom I also strongly considered. 

New Jersey Devils may need to help the blue line by moving a defenseman

One reason I went with Marino is that he offers more value offensively than Siegenthaler, and he saw the ice in 18 more games. While Marino finished second on the team in defensive point shares (despite being on the ice for a whopping 77 goals at even strength) next to Kevin Bahl, we also need to remember Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec will improve, and Dougie Hamilton should be back to full strength once we reach October. 

This would give the Devils a blue line that has Hughes, Nemec, Hamilton, Bahl, Siegenthaler, Kurtis MacDermid, and a yet-to-be-named, but potentially game-changing defenseman if Marino goes elsewhere. Note that this scenario would involve Marino going elsewhere in a separate trade and that the trade for the game-changing blueliner would involve the 10th overall pick and other assets. 

Marino, given his ability to put up solid play, would also nonetheless garner a decent return as well, perhaps in the form of a forward, something else I implied previously. While the Devils may hang onto Marino, trading him would be a logical move should Tom Fitzerald want to bring in another defenseman in a separate trade. 

Because he’s a potential odd man out, some Devils fans may expect a Marino trade. But he’s got a good track record throughout most of his five seasons between Pittsburgh and Newark, so when you look at the big picture, trading away Marino could still come as a shocker to some. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)