Many are wondering about what else the New Jersey Devils will be doing this offseason. Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is still working on a Luke Hughes extension as he looks to clear cap space. Not to mention, he is dealing with the Dougie Hamilton rumours that won’t go away. Plus, the Devils have been looking to add a center, depth scoring, and a top-six scoring winger. And now, a new report from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet names the New Jersey Devils as a potential destination for Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri.
As mentioned on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Mick Kern and Jonathan Davis, the Devils still need an edge to their game. The forward group is too small and a little soft, if we are being honest. The Devils have two of the top 20 centers in the NHL right now in Nico Hischier, who should have been a nominee for the Selke Trophy, and Jack Hughes, but after that, there isn’t much.
Michael McLeod was coming into his own as a third-line center before the Hockey Canada Trial. Though he was acquitted, it would be hard to believe the Devils would bring him back again. Cody Glass, Dawson Mercer, and Paul Cotter don’t jump off the page.
Nazem Kadri would bring that edge to the Devils. Not to mention Devils’ head coach would have a familiar face in the lineup. But Flames general manager Craig Conroy would be asking a lot for Kadri. Calgary finished with 96 points last season and just missed making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is their goal again this season, so Conroy would have to be interested in trading Kadri, which isn’t open to.
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But if Conroy were to trade try and trade for Kadri, would he waive his no-trade clause to come to New Jersey, and what would the Flames want in return? Well, they would need a player or two to help them stay competitive. Not to mention some draft capital and a top prospect from the Devils’ farm system.
The first name that comes to mind is Dawson Mercer. As DevilsNation.com has documented, Mercer is a player that teams are interested in. Even when the Calgary Flames traded Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey, part of the original ask was Mercer. Even teams like the Nashville Predators, with whom the Devils spoke about Ryan O’Reilly at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, wanted Mercer in return. Not to mention the year before, when the Devils and Predators engaged in trade talks about Juuse Saros, Mercer was part of the ask from Nashville General Manager Barry Trotz.
So, Mercer has value on the trade market. But is Mercer enough for the Flames to say yes to a trade? Probably not. You have to think someone like a Simon Nemec or a Seamus Casey, plus a first-round pick would be involved. With the Flames looking to open their new building in a couple of years, they want to remain competitive in the Western Conference. There is nothing that stands out offensively that would help the Flames remain competitive.
On the surface, adding Kadri would make a ton of sense. The Devils need a guy who can play either center on the second or third line. However, does it make sense for the Devils to trade for a player who is still making $7 million a season and still have him on the third line? That was the reason New Jersey did not make a trade with the Vancouver Canucks for J.T. Miller. New Jersey wasn’t sticking Miller on the third line, making $8 million a season.
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Again, Jack Hughes could move to the wing, but the Devils want him playing center. Additionally, the Flames are not retaining any salary if they are taking on a new one. Then there is the matter of the salary cap for the Devils. If $7 million is coming onto the books, plus the $7-$7.5 million for Luke Hughes, another move or two to clear cap space would need to happen.
And just like the idea surrounding moving Dougie Hamilton, does it make sense for the Devils to get worse up front to add that bite they had been missing up front? Yes, Nazem Kadri is a good player and someone the Devils could use, but right now, they don’t have the assets to make it work.
There are still many moving parts that Fitzgerald needs to seal before the New Jersey Devils can effectively address another primary need without causing the team to regress. The best course of action is to find a cheaper option that can bring the same bite as Nazem Kadri.
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