The New Jersey Devils are looking to make moves, as NHLRumors.com and DevilsNation.com have documented. Not only are they looking into Quinn Hughes, but the Devils are looking for a top-six forward, namely a center.
The name that New Jersey continues to be linked to is Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators. However, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet stated on his 32 Thoughts Podcast, O’Reilly will have to want to go to New Jersey, and the Devils need to make a lot of moves happen to clear space before that trade even occurs.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Elliotte Friedman: “When Ron and I started Headlines on Saturday, he threw it to me, and I just said, you always ask, who’s who’s busy this week, who’s the team that’s out there, who’s the team that’s active? And the answer was Devils.
Devils Rumors: New Jersey Looking To Make a Big Splash
And you sort of work your way backward. And if you’re a Devils fan, they’re there because of the injuries. And I’ll say this, the Devils showed a heck of a lot of fortitude. Early in the year, they were one of the first teams, really, to start losing a lot of bodies. And I think they started 13-4-1, and they were really missing guys, including, they won their first game after that weird Jack Hughes injury, right?
And they were showing a lot of big guts, big guts. You know what? I think when you have that amount of injuries, eventually it reaches a point where it catches up to you. And the Devils are going through that spin cycle right now. Like they’re not out of the race as we wake up Monday morning. They’re one point out of the playoffs, but they’ve lost five in a row.
So they’re in it right now. They’re, they’re really going through a tough phase, as every team does, and I think Tom Fitzgerald was looking for help. He’s looking to see what’s out there.
And I think that’s where a lot of the noise came. And because of all their injuries and their cap situation, the Devils are dollar-in, dollar-out. And so what that means is, if they’re going to try to trade for someone, if they have a target, and the team isn’t willing to take closer to equal dollars back, they have to find other deals to clear their cap room. And my educated guess here is that exactly is what’s going on.
NHL Rumors: Quinn Hughes Was Asked About the New Jersey Devils Trade Talks
So not only are the Devils trying to make deals to add, but if they can’t make the salaries equal on these trades, they’re looking for ways to move a player or two somewhere else, to clear up their roster. And I believe 100% that that is one of the things that Tom Fitzgerald is trying. Where can I do, if I’m going to make for arguments sake, let’s just say I’m going to use Ryan O’Reilly, because I do think he’s a legitimate target of theirs.
Let’s just say they were going to make a trade for Ryan O’Reilly. Okay, well, maybe Nashville doesn’t want to take back some of the Devils salary, but the Devils want the player. So they have to move something else to another team. That’s what’s going on there, I think.
So that’s why I believe their name is out there because they’re talking to a lot of teams just trying to see what possible business they can do.
I think they really like O’Reilly. I do now again. O’Reilly has a say over this. He doesn’t technically have a no-move, but the Predators have promised that he’ll be treated like he has one. And you look at the Devils down the middle, (Nico) Hischier. They have Dawson Mercer play number two center right now with Hughes out.
But even if Hughes was back, if you were going to go down the middle with Hischier, Hughes and O’Reilly, I think you’d feel pretty good about your chances. I think that would be a really good trio. Again, O’Reilly has to want to do it and, and we’ll see if the Devils can make a deal.
Pierre LeBrun mentioned Steven Stamkos. I’ve heard his name with the Devils in the past. Again, Stamkos does have control. So he would want to do it, and they have to make a deal.”
NHL Rumors: Are Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault Tradeable?
Again, the New Jersey Devils have a lot of work to do before any big trade can happen. Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of irons in the fire, but he has to be careful not to trade away assets he can use later. Not to mention does he have the assets to make all these moves.
But the Devils want a center and really like Ryan O’Reilly.
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