One reason the New Jersey Devils must pursue Leon Draisaitl and one reason they shouldn’t

The New Jersey Devils made one trade to bolster their goaltending unit, and it shows that they’re for real trying to get back into the playoffs and pick up where they left off in 2022-23. But there’s one more player out there who would more than help the Devils get near the 112-point threshold again, and that’s Leon Draisaitl, whose time in Edmonton could be coming to an early end.

Thanks to cap restraints and such, the Devils would be a difficult landing spot for Draisaitl should the Oilers move him. But if general manager Tom Fitzgerald somehow can figure out how to bring one of the NHL’s best forwards to Newark, why not inquire to Oilers general manager Ken Holland and explore the possibility? 

It makes sense, as acquiring Draisaitl and inserting him into a lineup that already includes a plethora of high-scorers would make opponents cringe when they’re slated to play the Devils. And yeah, I know, the cap issue, because it would be tough to acquire Draisaitl without a plan to sign him to a long-term extension, which would sail north of $10 million. 

But you can see why pursuing and trading for Draisaitl, if he’s available, would essentially make it safe to predict the Devils will make perennial deep playoff runs. That said, there are also major downsides to trading for Draisaitl, and the main one is the sacrifices Fitzgerald must make. 

A Leon Draisaitl trade would have pros and cons for the New Jersey Devils

Thanks to such limited cap space, there is no way Tom Fitzgerald can acquire Draisaitl without making serious concessions that would include giving up another first-round pick. That’s just common knowledge, and it would come shortly after they just traded a 2025 first-round pick for Jacob Markstrom. 

The Devils would also be trading established players to Edmonton in this deal, but it would give them another chance to move Jonas Siegenthalar or John Marino. While they already traded one blueliner in Kevin Bahl, there are still plenty of prospects who could be NHL-ready next season, like Santeri Hatakka, just to throw a name out there, so it would make sense to part ways with either Siegenthalar or Marino. 

But one of the two wouldn’t be the only ones on the move, if Tom Fitzgerald would be interested in trading them at this point. What I’m saying is, he would be making more than a few roster transactions to fit someone like Draisaitl into the lineup, then still need to fill the rest of the lineup. 

Considering how much money Draisaitl would cost in a situation like this, the Devils could have a very weak bottom-six, and that would be a risk-and-a-half. The upside is clear, as New Jersey could be the highest-scoring team in hockey with Draisaitl if a trade commenced. But wow, the number of concessions Fitzgerald would need could make this trade less than ideal, especially if adequate depth becomes an issue.

Update: This post was published shortly before the Oilers and Ken Holland parted.