New Jersey Devils
NJHN Mailbag: Devils New Year’s Resolutions; Depth Trade Targets; Kovacevic Extension?
In our mailbag, we discuss some of the New Year’s resolutions that you, the fans, have for the Devils as we turn the calendar to 2025.

It’s been a roller coaster of a year for the New Jersey Devils and their fans. We’ve seen a coach get fired; a coach get hired, a major roster overhaul, and the team do a complete 180 in the standings from January 1st to December 31st.
As the calendar flips to 2025, NJHN decided to ask you, the fans, what your New Year’s resolutions are for the Devils ahead of what should be a thrilling race to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Let’s not waste any time and have some fun, and thank you for your submissions.
When you factor in the raise for Luke Hughes next year, does that mean Kovacevic can’t come back? If they sign both, someone has to go, right? Who’s out? – @DerMando
We recently discussed how Johnathan Kovacevic’s play has put General Manager Tom Fitzgerald in a tough spot.
Let’s start with Luke Hughes real quick. The pending RFA is having no sophomore slump and will be looking to get paid this summer. What Luke’s extension looks like will entirely shape Fitzgerald’s offseason plans. With roughly $15.45 million in cap space, expect Luke to eat up about half. Whether he signs a three to four-year bridge deal or an eight-year extension, he’ll be taking home a big chunk of the summer budget.
RELATED: Devils GM Reveals Plan to Begin Contract Talks with Key Pending Free Agents
As for Kovacevic, his transformation into one of the better defensive defensemen in the NHL has been a gift and a curse. His play has helped transform the Devils’ defense, but he may be pricing himself out of a return. Fitzgerald will have to make some sacrifices this summer, given what little money he has to spend.
If Kovacevic comes back on a deal in the $3-$4 million range, the Devils will have very little money to address depth and backup goaltending with Curtis Lazar, Tomas Tatar, Nate Bastian, and Jake Allen all pending UFA’s. Fitzgerald would have to look at cheap, near-league minimum signings as well as internal options to fill the void. Did someone say Brian Halonen and Nico Daws time?
If Kovacevic doesn’t come back, they’ll be faced with a similar situation to the one back in the summer of 2023. They opted to let Damon Severson and Ryan Graves walk in order for Luke Hughes and Kevin Bahl to play substantial minutes. They’d be doing the same by letting Kovacevic walk and replacing him with the highly touted Simon Nemec. The difference between these situations is Nemec already has NHL experience, and would be coming into a significantly better defensive situation.
Get depth scoring – @DevilsState
Probably the biggest outcry from Devils fans this season has been the lack of depth scoring, and rightfully so.
Again, we’ve touched on it in the past, and there are a few good depth options at both center and on the wings. I’d put a large wager on Fitzgerald addressing this need by the Trade Deadline. Heck, Fitzgerald even said so himself earlier this month.
While anything can happen at any time, I suspect Fitzgerald will hold pat for the time being and allow cap space to accrue between now and the deadline. When the time does come, expect to hear names such as Brandon Tanev, Trent Frederic, and Mathieu Olivier linked with the Devils.
READ: Forward Drawing Interest Makes For Intriguing Devils Trade Option
All three players play with good speed, are solid defensively, and, most importantly, play with a grit and sandpaper game the Devils need to add to their bottom-six.
Get secondary scoring and a top 6 forward at the deadline – @HartyNJD
Building off of the previous resolution, if Fitzgerald wants to go big-game hunting and add a top-six forward at the deadline, there could be some noteworthy names available.
Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders is someone we’ve discussed. He brings center/winger versatility, as well as a high-end finishing – particularly around the blue paint.
Former Devil and current Chicago Blackhawk Taylor Hall could be another name on the move come March. His production has lessened over the years, and he doesn’t have the wheels he once did, but a possible last crack at a Stanley Cup run could rejuvenate him.
Two other players who could sneakily be on the move but would cost hefty price tags are Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch and Seattle Kraken’s forward Jared McCann.
Tuch is a speedy power forward who would complement any line on the Devils top nine. He’s big, fast, plays with an edge, can be a 20+ goal scorer, and has an extra year on his contract.
As for McCann, the former 40-goal scorer would cost a high price, but with two and half years at $5 million per season, he would be a major addition and medium-term add to the top six. He’s arguably the most underrated shooter in the league – he has a wicked release that he fires off from anywhere. However, what makes McCann the perfect target is how defensively responsible he is, in addition to being one of Seattle’s most consistent penalty killers.
Would like to see them win more than just 3 games in a row – @donnaaa
Wouldn’t we all donnaaa!
The Devils are 0-9-2 following a three-game win streak over their last 11 attempts – and having done so four times already this season.
Long gone are the days of the 12-game win streak of 2022-23.
This perplexing streak has yet to bite them this season but was a major factor in their inability to gain traction on any teams last season. Believe it or not, this time last year, the Devils were just a single point out of a playoff spot.
The Devils will waltz into the playoffs with ease if they keep winning three out of four games, but putting together a winning streak longer than three games will be needed if they want to make a run at winning the Metropolitan division or even the Eastern Conference.
Trade nemec for ryan oreilly and set us up for multiple cups – @JCruzknowspuck
Unlikely, but I get the sentiment.
As mentioned, if the Devils opt to sign Kovacevic, it leaves Nemec in a precarious situation.
All six of the Devils defensemen would be on long-term contracts, and Nemec’s value would decrease by the day. However, Fitzgerald would (and shouldn’t) be in any rush to move their former second-overall pick should they decide to extend Kovacevic.
READ MORE: Devils Need to Avoid a Familiar Mistake with Simon Nemec
That being said, playing out this hypothetical, the Devils could fetch something significantly better than a 33-year-old Ryan O’Reilly. If Nemec were to be moved, the Devils would almost certainly be getting back a star player in their mid-20s as part of a larger trade package.
As for O’Reilly, he’s the type of player that would fit seamlessly as the Devils 3C. A gritty, defensively responsible center who can give you goals and has Stanley Cup pedigree would be perfect for the Devils. However, given his age and $4.5 million cap hit for the next two and a half seasons, an O’Reilly trade probably isn’t in the cards, but the idea of addressing the 3C spot could be.
This is a subject we may go more in-depth on in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
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