Trade Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils

Glendening has already been largely rendered redundant by the Bjugstad pickup. The former has struggled as New Jersey’s fourth-line pivot after a successful professional tryout in training camp, limited to four assists in 52 games with a -11 rating. Even for a defense-first bottom-six piece like Glendening, that’s disappointing output on both ends. He’s not providing any penalty-killing value, averaging a career-low 9:54 of ice time per game, and has won 51.7% of his draws after hovering near 60% for much of the last few years. While Dadonov could have some intrigue, there likely won’t be any callers on Glendening.

MacEwen has only suited up in three NHL contests this year because of injuries, but he’s accumulated 240 games of NHL experience and could fill a token enforcer role for a contender looking to beef up their 13th forward spot.

Long-term cap space is something of a concern for the Devils. Arseny Gritsyuk needs a new deal this summer, and captain Nico Hischier‘s deal is up in 2027, along with Dawson Mercer‘s. It would make sense for New Jersey to consider moving a player with term at a position of excess if the deal lowered their cap spend while getting at least some NHL-ready talent in return. They already made a similar swap by sending Ondřej Palát to the Islanders for Maxim Tsyplakov, although they had to attach a mid-round pick to do so.

There are multiple candidates on defense who jump out. Dougie Hamilton has seen his name pop up in rumors for the Devils to clear cap space as far back as last offseason, but his no-movement clause – which runs until the deal expires in 2027-28 – has allowed him to block at least one deal. For his $9MM cap hit and limited defensive utility, teams would want to see more production than the seven goals and 21 points he has in 52 games this season, too.

Johnathan Kovacevic earned a five-year, $20MM extension off his breakout 2024-25 campaign, but knee surgery has limited him to two assists and a -6 rating in 11 games. Getting a team to take on a four-year risk without seeing more of a post-surgery sample size might be difficult, though.

Team Needs

Goaltending Help: Jacob Markström simply hasn’t been a passable starting option this season. With a two-year, $12MM extension set to kick in next year, that’s a problem. He’s posted a .882 SV% in 30 games while allowing -10.9 goals above expected. Veteran Jake Allen remains a high-end 1B option but can’t handle more than 30 or so appearances a year. Third-stringer Nico Daws has been excellent in call-up action but is having a very difficult year in AHL Utica, where he owns a .881 SV% and 6-13-10 record in 28 games. 2024 second-rounder Mikhail Yegorov once looked like he could compete for NHL time as soon as next season, but he has taken a considerable step back with Boston University this year. That’s left the Devils in a tough spot organizationally, top to bottom. Moving Markström would be difficult, but attempting to swap Daws for someone who could serve in a three-goalie rotation with him and Allen might be worth exploring.

Depth Scoring: Everybody’s had a tough time finishing in Jersey this season outside of Hughes, who’s held up his end of the bargain with another point-per-game season. Injuries have limited him to just 36 appearances, though, and the Devils’ offense is in the basement as a result. At 2.51 goals per game, only the Flames are scoring at a lower rate. Sure, Jesper Bratt and Hischier and Timo Meier have all had offensive step-backs, but they’ve gotten minimal support from bottom-sixers like Paul Cotter (5 G, 10 P in 54 GP) and Stefan Noesen (3 G, 7 P in 38 GP). Adding a more consistent middle-six scoring option, either at center or on the wing, should help the push for a playoff spot next season as Bratt’s, Meier’s, and Hischier’s numbers rebound.