For as long as we can remember, Josh Anderson has been tied as a trade target of the New Jersey Devils. The Montreal Canadiens' winger signed a seven-year contract prior to the 2020-21 season. Seemingly the entire time, he's been tied to trade rumors.
To be fair, Montreal was rebuilding for part of that, so offloading a $5 million winger makes sense when he's getting older, but the reports were they wanted a huge return for him. It makes sense on paper, as Anderson plays a certain style of game that earned him such a long extension. However, Anderson's play after getting paid did not warrant the price of his trade target.
That hasn't stopped people from tying Josh Anderson to the New Jersey Devils. In their constant pursuit of a "Tom Wilson" type, Anderson's name is constantly brought up. In 2022, Canadiens fans tried to raise the possibility that the Devils would trade Jesper Bratt for Anderson. We already declined their offer back then.
Canadiens fans also thought they could use Anderson to get the second-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, giving them back to back picks at the top of the draft. That was never happening.
The Devils would consider Anderson as an addition... if he were coming at a league minimum contract. The Canadiens would have to buy him out of his current contract to be even remotely worth it.
Yet, this week, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff once again mentioned the Devils as a landing spot for Josh Anderson. How does that make any sense?
Josh Anderson to the New Jersey Devils is nonsensical in 2025
Anderson was healthy of most of the season, had a really good team around him, and he still put up just 27 points. It was a better year than he's had, since he did score 15 goals, but he offered little else. It's just not enough to trade anything for him because his contract is still terrible.
Anderson is an interesting player if the Devils want to rework their bottom six, but we need to stop pretending he's going to be the next Tom Wilson. He's 31 years old. He will only get worst from here, not better.
The Devils should have no interest in this trade piece, just like they've had no interest in the past. The Canadians can find a trade partner elsewhere. Anderson is on the final year of this terrible contract, so a team would be willing to take a chance on him. The Devils are not that team.