The New Jersey Devils received tough news on Wednesday as the team announced superstar forward Jack Hughes underwent shoulder surgery which ends his season. There is no way to sugarcoat it, Hughes is a massive loss. The 23-year-old was playing like one of the better forwards in the league, on pace for over 90 points, while owning on-ice impacts in the league’s 98th percentile according to Evolving Hockey.
Without Jack, the Devils season has even more uncertainty that it already had. Since the beginning of January, the team has been treading water, posting a 9-11-3 record. Over this stretch, the team’s main issue has been goal scoring. New Jersey is averaging 2.40 goals per game which is the third-fewest in the league. Losing Hughes will likely only exacerbate this problem, putting the Devils in an even more precarious situation than they already were ahead of Friday’s rapidly approaching trade deadline.
#NEWS: Jack Hughes underwent shoulder surgery earlier today and will be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 5, 2025
Jack is expected to make a full recovery and be available for training camp.: https://t.co/m06KjtAdPj pic.twitter.com/E2qNzfROk6
With all that being said, New Jersey still sits in a playoff spot. The Metropolitan Division’s third-ranked team sits four points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets and five points on the New York Rangers, the two current wild card teams in the Eastern Conference.
So, with the last main opportunity to improve the team’s roster on Friday, losing your most valuable player, and with absolutely no guarantee of a playoff spot yet, how should general manager Tom Fitzgerald approach Friday’s trade deadline?
The Approach
Tumultuous season aside, the Devils still have a terrifically bright future. The team’s core is all aged on the right side of 30, there are some strong prospects still in the system, and the team’s salary cap situation, especially with the cap ceiling on a constant strong rise, is more than manageable. The team is also led by a general manager in Tom Fitzgerald who has overall done a solid job and a head coach that has strong success under his belt.
With all that being said, New Jersey cannot contribute to compromising that said future on Friday. Longevity of assets is important in building any sustained winner. Trading these assets for players who may only contribute for one year, in a season where the playoffs are now looking a lot less certain than it was just a couple weeks ago, would be ill-advised and help a team positioned to contend for years to come see that window become much shorter.
On the other hand, it would be a tough pill to swallow, for the organization and for fans, to see the team full on sell or stand pat at the deadline. Especially since there still is a real chance the Devils make the playoffs, given they are six points to safety and their schedule lightens up tremendously down the stretch. By no means is this season over.
Given that, and the fact the Devils now have over $13 million in cap space thanks in large part to Hughes being placed on the long-term injured reserve, deals involving assets that will contribute past this season or smaller depth rental moves would help not only chase a playoff berth this season, but also go toward helping avoid compromising the future.
Another potential option, given the new-found cap surplus, is making deals similar to the one New Jersey already made for prospect Shane LeChance; play mediator and get a “free asset,” for retaining salary in a deal between two other teams. Whether that be additional picks or another prospect. Those two approaches are how general manager Tom Fitzgerald should approach the deadline.
Potential Options
So, with the grand plan in place, who are some of the players the Devils should target?
Quickly identifying the Devils’ needs would lead you to the forward group. Help down the middle, even before the injury to Hughes, was a must. Plus, the team can always use some depth on defense, especially with the recent injury to Dougie Hamilton.
With the mindset of looking for players with term, cheap depth rentals, all while keeping in mind needs of top-six winger, middle-six center, and depth defensemen, here are some specific options split by category.
Players That Can Help Now and Later:
- Rickard Rakell, W (PIT)
- Dylan Cozens, C (BUF)
- Casey Mittelstadt, C (COL)
- Alex Tuch, W (BUF)
- Ryan O’Reilly, C (BUF)
Cheap Help Now:
- Anthony Beauvillier, W (PIT)
- Nick Bjugstad, C (SEA)
- Joel Armia, C (MTL)
- Justin Brazeau, W (BOS)
- Brian Dumoulin, D (ANA)
All of the players in the first category are under contract past this season. All the players in the second are free agents after this season, though, would likely come cheap via a late-to-middle-round pick or lower-level prospect.
Some of the potential guys on the move that the Devils should not target are the types such as Brock Nelson, Mikko Rantanen, Brock Boeser, Brandon Tanev, and types like that. Pieces that fit the category of guys that cannot help you past this season and will cost you notable assets.
Final Thoughts
It certainly has not been a great couple months for the New Jersey Devils. All has culminated in an impending trade deadline that will be extremely tricky for general manager Tom Fitzgerald to navigate. As mentioned, the team still has an extremely bright future. Specifically, one that cannot be compromised by a plethora of moves in a season where the playoffs are in very large question now, and one that will be played without the team’s superstar.
However, with the fact the playoffs are still very much a possibility, New Jersey should not mail it in and focus entirely on the future. There are moves to be made, either cheaper rentals or for individuals that can help past this season. The main goal of Fitzgerald and staff this deadline is to try to find a place in the middle; not overly-aggressive, but still take a shot if the opportunity so arises.