New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald is on a roll. His summer has been one that Devils fans everywhere should certainly be happy with. Between acquiring assets for expiring contracts and extending core players to deals that are more than fair, Fitzgerald is already making his GM of the Year case for 2024. According to recent reports, Fitzgerald could be dealing forwards Yegor Sharangovich and Miles Wood next.
Earlier today, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Devils are engaged in trade talks with multiple teams regarding Sharangovich. He added that a sign-and-trade is likely for the pending restricted free agent. Fitzgerald has already pulled off a sing-and-trade this summer sending Damon Severson to the Columbus Blue Jackets. New Jersey received a 2023 third-round draft pick.
New Jersey Hockey Now has also learned that the Devils are shopping Sharangovich’s rights and that a deal may come to fruition as soon as Wednesday night on the draft floor in Nashville. Of course, the situation remains fluid, but there’s certainly plenty of interest.
Sharangovich isn’t the only player that has permission to negotiate with other teams at the moment. It was unlikely that Wood was going to return to the Devils following the 2022-23 season. According to a report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Wood received permission to talk to other teams about acquiring his rights prior to July 1st.
Wood is currently the longest-tenured member of the Devils following the departure of Severson. The 27-year-old scored 13 goals and 27 points in 76 regular season games. The Devils acquired Curtis Lazar back in February with one year remaining on his contract at a cost-saving $1 million. Lazar on the roster makes Wood expendable.
Wood missed the majority of the 2021-22 season due to injury skating in just three games. Considering how much time he missed, although he wasn’t perfect, Wood had a decent bounce-back season. He should be appealing to a team that’s looking for speed and physicality. We’ll see where this goes.
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