New Jersey Devils trade tiers - Part 1

I combed through the forwards and tiered them based on quality of player, contract status, fit, and the likelihood of being moved.

Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

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We are slowly inching towards the off-season, and all the fun that comes with it, as only four teams are still hunting for the Stanley Cup.

With that in mind, I thought it’d be fun to look through the New Jersey Devils under team control and put them in trade tiers based on their impacts, contract status, and likelihood of being moved.

We’ll start with the forwards.

Untouchables

Jack Hughes (remaining contract: 5 x $8M)

Jack is one of the best and most dynamic players in the NHL. He has developed into a fantastic finisher and very few players facilitate as much offense for their linemates.

Hughes has produced 98.6 points per 82 games over the last three years and, at 24, is smack in the middle of his prime.

Unless Tom Fitzgerald can go out and land another mid-20s forward who produces 100 points per 82 games, drives play, can log as many minutes as the coach throws at him, and is locked up long-term at way below market value, there is no world in which trading Hughes makes a lick of sense.

He’s the face of the Devils and he loves it that way. He has zero trade protection yet his future with the team couldn’t be more entrenched than it is.

Nico Hischier (2 x $7.25M)

Hischier is everything you could want in a hockey player. He scores goals, he creates for others, he drives play, he wins faceoffs, he plays in all situations, he constantly puts his body in harm’s way for the team, he is spoon-fed minutes against the toughest competition every night, and he’s as low-maintenance as they come.

You will never hear Nico complain about his role, you will never hear Nico throw any teammate under the bus, and you will never hear Nico steer blame in any direction other than his own.

He is an elite player and an even better person. He’s not going anywhere, for any reason.

Jesper Bratt (6 x $7.875M)

It took a while for the Devils to truly fall in love with Bratt – certainly longer than it should have – but I think the entire organization has seen the light.

It’d be pretty hard not to given what he’s done over the last couple of years. I mean, the Devils sucked in 2023-24 and couldn’t score for half of this past season and the guy still ranks top-10 in assists over the past couple of seasons.

Bratt can also drive his own line, is exceptional at tilting the ice in the Devils’ favor, and has carved out a nice role as a secret weapon on the penalty kill, so his value to the team is through the roof.

A $7.85 million AAV already looked like a steal. Combine his increased role with a soaring cap and Bratt’s contract legitimately looks like one of the best in the sport.

Timo Meier (6 x $8.8M)

I would have thrown Meier into the ‘closest thing to untouchable’ category. However, his no-trade protection – he has a full no-movement clause for three more years – makes him completely untouchable.

For a moment, we’ll pretend he has a modified NTC and trading him would be semi-plausible. I still would consider it extremely unlikely.

For years, the Devils have wanted to diversify their attack while becoming a little ‘harder to play against’ and Meier embodies that. He generates a ton of shots, is a high-danger chance machine, scores close to 30 goals in bad years, and is a bull in a china shop.

There are very few goal scorers who also a) play a physical brand of hockey and; b) drive play at 5v5. Meier does both.

Meier took heat for squandering some chances early in the series against the Hurricanes yet he sill led all players – on either team – in 5v5 points during the 1st round while also constantly getting his nose dirty.

He was a force and legitimately looked like one of the most dominant players on the ice. That’s what this guy can give you in a playoff setting.

If the Devils could trade Meier, I’d still be shocked because they’d immediately be looking to replace what he brings to the table.

The door is open

Dawson Mercer (2 x $4M)