3 supposedly unreasonable offseason moves that actually make sense for the New Jersey Devils
Refusing to sign or acquire a top-four talent on the blue line
Most of us can agree that this looks like a bad idea on paper, but it’s really not a deal-breaker when you think about it. We know goaltenders like Kaapo Kahknonen and Jake Allen can do an adequate job manning the net. And even if they both aren’t there next season, someone of worth will be in the crease.
Further, the Devils have a lot of intriguing young talent on the blue line, including Luke Hughes, John Marino, Jonas Siegenthaler, Simon Nemec and an older player they just brought back in Kurtis MacDermid. This group can make an adequate jump in one offseason, and in a worst-case scenario, they will at least somewhat improve heading into 2024-25.
The Devils could use one more talent at the blue line, that much is certain, but it doesn’t need to be a top-four talent. Hughes, Marino, Sigenthaler, and Nemec can hold down the top-four, and we also can’t forget about Dougie Hamilton, whose absence was a major reason behind the group’s decline.
That said, Tom Fitzgerald may not even need to bring in a full-time blueliner. Instead, someone who can rotate into the lineup when needed, either as a seventh defenseman if the Devils went 11-7 for a game, or even as insurance.
Win-now mode or not, this isn’t a bad group, and one with the potential to be great. Landing another blueliner would be a solid option, even if it meant moving one of the players mentioned above - most likely either Marino or Siegenthaler in an effort to concoct a trade package to land an even better defenseman - but if he did nothing, there’s hardly any reason for concern. If Hamilton makes it back and plays at 100 percent, that fact alone will improve this group by a landslide.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)