New Jersey Devils Mindset is Buy at the Trade Deadline
James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now: Nichols writes that after the Devils last few performances and being right in the middle of things, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has focused on being a buyer at the NHL Trade Deadline.
NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings
The holes the Devils need to fill have been well documented, especially between the pipes. New Jersey continues to be linked to Jacob Markstrom as the Flames and Devils continue to work out a deal. While that is on hiatus, the Devils are looking at other options to fill that position, including John Gibson, Juuse Saros, and Elvis Merzlikins.
Nichols notes that those goalies come with a heavy price, and he could go down a cheaper road with Kaapo Kahkonen. Then, of course, there is Marc-Andre Fleury. If the Wild fall out of things, he could be a name on the move.
The Devils also need help on the defensive side of things and continue to be linked to Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Alexandre Carrier. One thing is for sure, Fitzgerald and the Devils will be looking to be aggressive this deadline season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Have An Interesting Trade Deadline Coming Up
Tyler Kuehl of The Daily Faceoff: Kuehl writes Pittsburgh Penguins Kyle Dubas has some tough decisions to make with the trade deadline looming. Jake Guentzel is a name that continues to swirl. His injury, which may keep him out for about four weeks, may affect whether they deal with him or not.
NHL Rumors: Direction of the Penguins Will Determine Jake Guentzel’s Future in Pittsburgh
The Penguins continue to be an inconsistent team. However, Dubas has not publicly indicated he will trade Guentzel away. The Penguins gave away several assets to acquire Erik Karlsson and they do not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
Guentzel could fetch that and more. However, the question remains do the Penguins want to trade a player like Guentzel with a bare cupboard coming along?