Despite injuries, the New Jersey Devils remain one of the top teams in the East and in the NHL. They’ve certainly overcome a plethora of adversity thus far, missing some of their best players both at forward and on the blueline.
New Jersey’s continued success is the mark of a good team. That means that at some point, with the expectation of clinching the playoffs, general manager Tom Fitzgerald should be seeking a Devils trade.
Speaking with Devils beat reporter James Nichols on the latest Devils Rink Report, host of The Sheet and NHL insider, Jeff Marek, turned his attention to the trade market and pointed squarely at Nashville.
“So there’s a couple of [players who could fit in New Jersey], and I’m going to go to Nashville for both,” Marek said. “And there are two players I think about that can really help here.”
First, a superstar winger. For now, the Devils have that figured out internally. However, if you’re going to go all in, go all in. Especially when the East is wide-open for the taking.
“The cap is the cap, right? Like, if you can make the money work, have at it… But, if you’re going to make noise for the Stanley Cup this year, and already the Devils have shown to be one of the teams that have distinguished themselves as being a contender, I would wonder about Filip Forsberg,” Marek said.
Marek believes Forsberg’s mindset could align perfectly with a contender.
“I know everyone’s minds revolves around Steven Stamkos… or maybe Jonathan Marchessault… But, I don’t know that at this point in his career, Filip Forsberg wants to go through any kind of rebuild. So perhaps, if that’s the direction Nashville goes, I can see Filip Forsberg.”
Forsberg certainly has familiarity with Jesper Bratt, a fellow Swede who played with Forsberg on Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The second name comes with a classic Devils lesson from former Devils forward, Bobby Holik.
“I remember having a conversation with Bobby Holik, Marek started. “I said, ‘How come it worked out with New Jersey and you, and it didn’t work out with the New York Rangers?’ And he said, ‘Jeff, it’s really simple. If Bobby Holik is your third line center, we’re going to win the Stanley Cup. But, if Bobby Holik is your first line center, we’re not going to win the Stanley Cup.’ And I kind of get the same vibe about Ryan O’Reilly.”
In Nashville, things aren’t exactly going swimmingly. That’s partially because O’Reilly is being asked to play above his weight class.
Behind Hughes and Nico Hischier in the depth chart, the Devils’ center depth would receive a necessary boost in O’Reilly, adding another piece to the championship formula.
“If Ryan O’Reilly is your third line center, man, you might win the Stanley Cup. If Ryan O’Reilly is your first line center, you’re not going to win the Stanley Cup.”
For a Devils team already in the contender tier, Marek’s fantasy-GM targets are clear.
“So those would be the two that I would circle… What does Sheldon Keefe need here? Those would be the ones that I would circle.”
Filip Forsberg as an elite top-six winger and Ryan O’Reilly as a luxury third-line center—two Nashville pieces that could push New Jersey from contender to favorite.
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