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Insider Reveals Two Potential Devils Trade Targets

NHL Insider Kevin Weekes speculates two names that could be New Jersey Devils trade targets prior to the NHL Trade Deadline.

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New Jersey Devils
Boston Bruins center Trent Frederic celebrates his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Last night, the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers played 65 minutes of playoff-style hockey, giving fans a glimpse of what a seven-game series between the two would look like.



While players and fans were catching their breath during the second intermission, former Devil-turned-NHL insider Kevin Weekes perked some ears while speculating on a pair of trade targets that GM Tom Fitzgerald could be interested in.

Weekes was non-committal on whether the Devils were actively in negotiations regarding Trent Frederic and Josh Mahura, but both players are now firmly in the mix to be trade targets before March’s Trade Deadline.

In the case of Frederic, it’s a player that makes sense for what the Devils lack in their bottom six and was someone we discussed earlier in the year. The report also reaffirms what Fitzgerald said in his state-of-the-union back in December that the Devils need more for their depth players.

RELATED: Forward Drawing Interest Makes For Intriguing Devils Trade Option

Frederic would add a whole lot of snarl to the Devils bottom of the lineup while injecting a bit of offense that’s sorely needed. His seven goals and seven assists this season don’t jump off the page, but his last two seasons showed he’s a more than capable contributor. Last season, he scored a career-high 40 points and added five more points in 13 playoff games. That was coming off a season where had put up a career-high 31 points.

Along with adequate secondary scoring, Frederic brings a ton of physicality that could pay dividends come playoffs. He’s currently second on the team in hits after leading the Bruins in that category last year with 204 hits.

The 26-year-old forward is on an expiring contract with a $2.3 million cap hit.

As for Mahura, that was a name that came out of left field.

Earlier in the night, Weekes reported that in addition to forward help, the Devils were sniffing around the possibility of adding a depth defenseman. It’s something that most were not speculating on, but it makes sense.

The Devils are having a renaissance season defensively, but are very thin on the backend past their current starting six. After losing Nick DeSimone to waivers, the Devils best options, should a defenseman go down, are Colton White, who’s played just 84 career games, and 20-year-olds Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey. Long-term Nemec and Casey will become great players but would be a major gamble if thrusted into a playoff lineup.

READ: Considering a Devils Trade Swapping Star Prospects for Long-Term Balance

The Devils also have Santeri Hatakka, who working his way back from injury, and despite a promising training camp, shouldn’t be relied upon anytime soon.

Mahura is a low-cost option that makes sense for the Devils.

The 26-year-old defenseman has over 220 career games under his belt, including 21 postseason games with the Florida Panthers when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2022-23. Mahura has graded out as a middle-of-the-road defenseman on a subpar Seattle Kraken team this year. He shares a 48.3 percent On-Ice Goals percentage and a 48 percent Corsi and Fenwick percentage, according to MoneyPuck.

In addition to steady defensive play, Mahura is on an expiring contract with a $775,000 cap hit.

If the Devils are going to add before the trade deadline, a bulk of their projected $5.7 million deadline cap space will likely go towards plugging some holes within the forward group. Fitzgerald acquired a defenseman in a similar situation in Johnathan Kovacevic, and it’s worked out pretty well for the Devils so far. A savvy and cheap move for a player like Mahura is exactly the type of trade to be expected from Fitzgerald.

There are less than two months until March 8th’s NHL Trade Deadline, and talks will only begin to intensify as it approaches.

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