The New Jersey Devils can’t seem to catch a break, and that issue will weigh heavily on their NHL Trade Deadline plans. Jack Hughes suffered an undisclosed injury in their recent game against the Vegas Golden Knights, which puts his status in question for the rest of the season. New Jersey has a short amount of time to figure it out before the window closes to acquire someone to fill that void.
The Devils were rolling along this season, thanks to the addition of Jacob Markstrom in the offseason. The Swedish netminder provided some stability in the crease and elevated the Devils into a playoff team. However, Markstrom also suffered an injury before the 4 Nations Face-Off, which knocked him out of that tournament and for the next few weeks of New Jersey’s season. The Devils are now battling to remain in a playoff position, which won’t be any easier with the injury to Hughes. New Jersey could be the most intriguing team for the rest of this regular season.
Losing Jack Hughes and not adding would be a nightmare
The Hughes injury came at a terrible time for the Devils. Hughes crashed into the boards after a collision with Jack Eichel, which looked devastating. His teammates and coaching staff shared a similar sentiment after the game, as they looked in poor spirits about the status of their best player. The issue now is whether Hughes will miss the remainder of this season and how it can affect the Devils’ trade deadline plans.
The Devils seem to be putting off Hughes’ test results, likely seeking a second or third opinion. Tom Fitzgerald will want to see some accurate results before Friday, as the Devils could add a player with the $8 million they’ll save with Hughes on long-term injured reserve. The best-case scenario if Hughes is out will be if he can return for the postseason and the Devils benefit from some salary cap circumvention, as teams have done before.
The Devils’ nightmare scenario is that their playoff position is far from guaranteed. New Jersey’s chances of finishing the year with enough success to make the playoffs will significantly lower if Hughes is out for the season. The fix for that will be adding an elite player with the extra salary cap from Hughes being on LTIR, but it’ll be a disaster if they don’t get that player and then fail to make the postseason.
After adding a starting goaltender, the Devils felt they had the team to return to the playoffs this season. However, Markstrom’s injury has also questioned that area of their game. It’ll be disappointing if Markstrom returned in time to play the last month of the season and the Devils fail to make the playoffs.
Devils can turn Hughes’ injury from a nightmare into a trade deadline dream
Let’s face it: there’s no way the Devils can replace Hughes at this year’s trade deadline. The only chance they have of saving their year is if Hughes goes on long-term injured reserve for the rest of the regular season, and they use the subsequent salary to add some elite pieces. CapWages projects the Devils to have $3.4 million at the deadline, which will jump to $11.4 million with Hughes on LTIR. So, are any “elite” players around the league around an $11.4 million cap hit on the trade block?
We know of one disgruntled center on the Vancouver Canucks who could be a fit in New Jersey. Elias Pettersson may want a fresh start, and the Devils could be his new long-term home. The Devils would have to give the Canucks something of value from their roster, which could make Dawson Mercer the most logical fit. Mercer is a young two-way forward who can play any forward position and has a higher ceiling than he has shown in New Jersey. It’d take a few more pieces, but the Devils would buy low on Pettersson.
There are a few issues with this plan. The Canucks aren’t as interested in trading Pettersson as people think. The Devils would also have to make some cap space in the future, as they have some expiring restricted free agent contracts expiring on their blueline over the next two seasons who will want a pay raise.
The good news is that the salary cap is rising, and a player like Timo Meier could likely land the Devils a trade in the offseason to clear $8.8 million off their books. Meier is valuable, but Pettersson could have more upside and is younger. New Jersey could also go for a rental forward, and one of New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson or Kyle Palmieri would certainly be a good fit on paper.
Until a concrete update is released on Hughes, it’s tough to know what the Devils will do ahead of Friday’s deadline. But the superstar’s status should become clear sometime in the next 48 hours.
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