When it comes to trade rumors, the New Jersey Devils might lead the entire NHL this season. The Quinn Hughes drama alone caused dozens, if not hundreds, of headlines. The rumor mill was essentially inside the room, and until we finally heard from Tom Fitzgerald this month, but we didn’t get the answers that the rumor mill tends to reveal.
Even beyond the Quinn Hughes miss, the Devils have been tied to Jordan Kyrou, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Nazem Kadri, and others. They’ve also had heavy rumors around Dougie Hamilton, which came to a head when they benched him (and he’s been on fire ever since). Ondrej Palat, Simon Nemec and Dawson Mercer have also been in trade rumors. It’s been rumor city in Newark, New Jersey.
Yet, the Devils are the only team that hasn’t actually done anything. At least, in their own division.
Teams in the Metropolitan Division to make a trade since the season began:
— Charlie Borges Jr (@CharlieBorgesJr) January 27, 2026
- Rangers
- Islanders
- Blue Jackets
- Penguins
- Flyers
- Hurricanes
- Capitals
Teams in the Metro to NOT make a trade since the season began:
- Devils
Quite literally nothing from Tom Fitzgerald.
The New Jersey Devils are the only Metropolitan Division team that hasn't made a trade since the puck dropped on Opening Night
So, as you can see, and as was pronounced in the headline, the Devils are the only team in the Metropolitan Division that hasn't made a trade yet.
Just this weekend, the Carolina Hurricanes got Viktor Neuchev from the Buffalo Sabres. Last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins got Ilya Solovyov from the Colorado Avalanche.
There have been bigger trades, too. The Penguins traded Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner (among other pieces). The Penguins also traded for Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. This came after Columbus picked up Mason Marchment from the Kraken.
The Devils did make a trade. They sent Kurtis MacDermid to the Ottawa Senators for Zack MacEwen. It looked like a slam dunk trade at the time, but then MacEwen suffered multiple injuries, and now he’s out for the season.
The Devils have been desperate for something. They needed to make a move of some kind. At one point, it looked like Tom Fitzgerald and Sheldon Keefe might not make it past the week. They’ve both weathered the storm, but that can change in a week.
You know what could change their fortunes? A trade. However, they haven’t done anything since the puck dropped on the season.