The New Jersey Devils had a very quiet trade deadline. Indications were that it would be the case as early as Thursday night. As NHLRumors.com via Jimmy Murphy of RG Media, the Devils were looking to make a hockey trade, and nothing materialized as President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald said Friday following the trade deadline.
Well, I thought it was going to be very quiet from the get-go. When you’re talking about trying to make hockey trades, swapping out some young players for maybe more established players or similar ilk as some of the young players. I just really thought there’d be some traction with teams. But I guess there was just a sense of a lot of tire kicking with people, and so expect this kind of, but it wasn’t without effort, trying to see if there was some sort of hockey trade that we could make to help our team. More importantly, for next year and moving forward.
Throughout the week, many names were mentioned, including Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brenden Dillon, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Simon Nemec. Even Dawson Mercer‘s name was thrown out there. However, with the new playoff salary cap rules, no more double retention, and, of course, all the no-trade and no-movement clauses throughout the league, it was tough to make deals.
Devils Rumors: Will New Jersey Move Simon Nemec Or Any Other Defensemen?
Speaking of which, Kovacevic told reporters on Friday that he was not inclined to waive his no-trade clause, and he likes it in New Jersey. For those not following, Kovacevic is in year one of a five-year deal that pays him $4 million a season and has a full no-trade clause in the first couple of seasons.
In regard to Hamilton, who has been the subject of trade rumours since July and was asked to waive his no-trade clause early in the season in an alleged move with the San Jose Sharks. There was the scratching earlier in the season that got antenna’s raised. Whether it was a move to force a trade, a slippery slope, or poor performance, Fitzgerald said he was not being shopped by the New Jersey Devils, according to Fitzgerald.
No, I honestly I did not have Dougie Hamilton’s name out there. Did I get calls from a couple of teams assuming that I had Doug’s name out there? Yeah, but there was no shopping or putting him out there on the market to see what I got. I didn’t do that. I was in line with his representation. They knew exactly what I wanted to do. I want him to keep playing well for us. There was, honestly, there was more noise out there than there actually was.
As DevilsNation.com and NHLRumors.com have documented throughout the season, a Hamilton move could happen this summer, given his $7.4 million signing will be paid on July 1st. However, the feeling is that his time could be coming to an end as he has denied multiple media requests prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. He has been sticking to his 10-team trade list pretty firmly. The Devils have been sticking to the point; if they were to trade Hamilton, they want assets in return.
NHL Rumors: Who is Actually Available From the New Jersey Devils?
Another defenseman whose name had been out there was Simon Nemec. The 22-year-old was drafted second overall by the team in 2022. He is an RFA this summer and needs a new contract. Nemec just switched agents. He has proven he is a top-pairing guy in the league. All he wants is an opportunity.
While Fitzgerald is confident he will sign him to a new deal, he did say Nemec is a part of the organization until he is not.
I’m confident. Yeah, we definitely get a deal done with Simon. Like, he doesn’t have arbitration, he doesn’t have any rights. But with that being said, we have seven NHL everyday players on our back end. I’m trying to shake one of them loose here in the offseason will be my goal, and maybe to give us some help up front, maybe a top-six winger or something. But with Simon, yeah, he did change agencies. Went through what he means to us. He’s a good young defenseman. He’s part of our organization, until he’s not.
The last part is interesting; he is part of our organization until he is not. Reports have been that the Devils are willing to move him for a young top-six player in return. Not a William Eklund type out of San Jose. Which, by the way, was never on the table. But more of an impact player like Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Jason Robertson, or a player of that ilk.
Devils Rumors: A Top Six Winger Will Cost the New Jersey Devils a Hefty Price
Again, the goal is to add to the top six. It should have been the goal for the past couple of offseasons, but it wasn’t. So it will be interesting to see what other pieces Tom Fitzgerald moves in the offseason to improve his hockey club.
The real question will be, can he be allowed to make those moves?
