Surprisingly, at least depending on who you ask, the offense, and particularly its depth, is still very much a weak point for the New Jersey Devils, and time is quickly running out to fix that.
The return of superstar forward Jack Hughes was theoretically meant to reinvigorate the team, but instead, the Devils floundered to 2-1 and 3-1 defeats to the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders, respectively, with one of the two goals scored in those games coming from Hughes himself.
That's hardly a welcome back for (or from) the guy who has been carrying the team. And, despite all the recent offseason acquisitions that were made - Evgenii Dadonov, Connor Brown, Tomas Tatar, Stefan Noesen, etc. - this is the reality for the third season in a row now.
In truth, the Devils still have not replaced Tyler Toffoli, whom they traded away to Winnipeg not even one full season into his tenure in New Jersey after the team crashed and burned out of the playoff picture and also fired Lindy Ruff.
Fortunately, there is one name on the NHL trade market who can step in for the Devils, and it's one the franchise has already been connected to on a few occasions.
Future Hockey Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos has had his name out there since last season, rotting away on an aging and uninspiring Nashville Predators team that has no hope of seriously contending for the Stanley Cup, let alone a playoff spot.
Now, the Preds are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and won three straight heading into the Christmas break, but even with that, they are still behind *checks notes* San Jose and Seattle in the standings.
Stamkos, 35, is the oldest player on the Predators roster and arguably still has the most to offer to a contender, as he's just a season and a half removed from the 40-goal, 81-point campaign he enjoyed in his last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Stamkos will turn 36 in January and has two years remaining on his contract at a whopping $8 million cap hit, and his full no-move clause means he dictates where he ends up. It may work out that the Devils are in the Eastern Conference, where Stamkos has played most of his career, but that remains to be seen.
Understandably, that's the biggest concern for most Devils fans, given that the roster is already weighed down by Ondrej Palat and his $6 million cap, and their overall lack of cap space, and that's compounded by Stamkos's terrible start to the season.
However, in his last 22 games, the 35-year-old has 14 goals, six assists, and 20 points. Now slot him in next to Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt or Nico Hischier and Timo Meier.
Due to the reasons mentioned above, there is obviously major risk attached to trading for Stamkos, and we have no idea what a trade package might need to look like; we can at least assume the Devils will have to outbid other teams.
At the same time, inaction is a choice, and it has plagued Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald far too often with this core in the position it's in. The Devils still need center depth and real depth scoring, and Stamkos can technically check both boxes depending on how head coach Sheldon Keefe utilizes him.
After heading into the Christmas break on the lowest of lows, Fitzgerald and the Devils need to take a true risk and swing for the fences, or they will be put in a position to suffer a colossal meltdown once again.