It has been a crazy day in the NHL with it being the trade deadline. The New Jersey Devils were active today, trading Keith Kinkaid to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2022 fifth-round pick. There is still time until the deadline and there is room for more moves to be made. But the Devils have a game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, so let’s get into it.

Who/What to Watch

Connor Carrick… The 24-year-old defenseman will be making his Devils debut tonight. He was acquired from the Dallas Stars along with a third-round pick this year for defenseman Ben Lovejoy. Carrick has 34 points in 181 games so far through his young career. While a lineup is not confirmed for New Jersey, it is known he will be paired alongside Mirco Mueller tonight, so it will be interesting to see two young players on the same pair together and what they can do.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi… This kid was a lot of trouble for the Devils the last time these two teams met. He scored a goal and seemed to be all over the ice the entire night, a game New Jersey won 3-2 in overtime. He is going to be a major asset for the future of Montreal, and he will need to be held off the scoresheet this time if the Devils want to win.

Prediction

This is a tough one because we still have not reached 3:00 PM so there is no telling if either side is even done making trades. But if everything remains the same, or even if it doesn’t, I do not believe it will make too much of a difference. I will be taking Montreal to win by a final score of 3-1.

When/Where to Watch

7:00 PM MSG+  RDS (Montreal Area)