Amadeus Lombardi. (Photo via the Detroit News)
General manager Sunny Mehta stayed busy on Thursday, making a duo of NHL depth trades. This coming after he shipped out defenseman Simon Nemec earlier in the week.
The team first announced the acquisition of prospect forward Amadeus Lombardi from Detroit. They then acquired depth NHL defenseman Declan Chisholm from the Washington Capitals. Each trade saw the Devils part with a fourth-round pick; one in 2026 (to Detroit) and one in 2027 (to Washington).
Lombardi is an extremely intriguing flyer to take. He is only 23 years old and was a fourth-round pick in 2022. The 5-foot-10, 194-pounder is a skill/speed forward who can either play center or on the wing.
He has played exceptionally well in the AHL the last two seasons. This past season he had 42 points in 47 games. The year prior, in 2024-25, he had 40 points in 44 games. Specifically, over the last two seasons his 0.90 point-per-game average ranks 40th among 1,036 AHL skaters to play at least 20 games.
Prior to making the professional leap, his final junior season, he had 102 points across 67 OHL games. That was good for third in the league in scoring.
Lombardi is expected to battle for a bottom-six roster spot out of training camp. He is a restricted free agent, so is owed a new contract. He does not have arbitration rights.
Declan Chisholm. (Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images)
As for Declan Chisholm, the 26-year-old defenseman has played in 125 career NHL games. He has spent time with Winnipeg, Minnesota, and Washington. He most recently played in 26 games for Washington last season. He skated in a career-high 66 games for Winnipeg in 2024-25.
As far as his impacts go, in 2024-25 when he skated in 66 games and was playing 17 minutes a night, both career-highs, he ranked in the league’s 89th percentile defensively according to Evolving Hockey’s on-ice goals above replacement metrics. His impacts this past season in Washington were not as strong defensively, and showed more juice on offense, but in a far less sample size. However, he has always graded very well in defensive transition.
In addition to his NHL experience, Chisholm has played 146 games in the AHL. Over that time, he has 91 points. His most prolific scoring system in the AHL was in 2022-23 for Manitoba as he had 43 points in 59 games.
The left-handed defenseman is signed to a one-way contract worth $1.6 million annually. He is in a final year of a two-year deal, so he will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He will likely be the team’s seventh defenseman to open the season.