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The New Jersey Devils fell in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. New Jersey believed it had the roster needed to contend for the Stanley Cup this past season. However, injuries helped derail a promising season that ended in defeat at the hands of their division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Devils are certainly pleased to make the postseason, especially after the disaster of a 2023-24 season. The Devils were at the forefront of Stanley Cup contention heading into that year. And yet, it all fell apart. The team drastically underperformed in 2023-24, missing the playoffs entirely as Lindy Ruff was fired as head coach midseason.
New Jersey is one-for-one in playoff qualification under Sheldon Keefe. However, the Devils did not hire Keefe to make the playoffs. His job is to win a Stanley Cup with this impressive core. And he's tasked with achieving this goal sooner rather than later.
The Devils have not made many major moves this summer, though. Their marquee signing was former Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown. He signed a four-year contract with New Jersey in NHL Free Agency. Of course, the biggest item left to take care of is re-signing Luke Hughes, who is an instrumental part of this team.
All this is to say that the Devils could be active on the trade front. And it might not only to acquire talent for a Stanley Cup push. With this in mind, here are two way-too-early trade candidates for the Devils before the 2025-26 season.
Ondrej Palat could be cap dumped
The Devils signed Ondrej Palat to a five-year contract in 2022 NHL Free Agency. It was a lofty deal, paying the veteran winger a total of $30 million over the course of the contract. New Jersey believed they were getting the final piece to their top-six. Unfortunately, this has not played out.
Palat struggled with injuries during his first campaign with the Devils. Thankfully, he has avoided serious injury over the last two seasons. But he hasn't returned to his previous form. This past season, the veteran forward scored 15 goals and 28 points in 77 games.
At this point, Palat's salary is holding New Jersey back. Clearing his money off the books could allow them to sign Hughes on the contract he's earned. It also allows the veteran winger to start fresh on a new team and in a new system. It's not an ideal end to the relationship, but it's certainly a likely resolution at this point.
Devils' Dawson Mercer could benefit from trade
The Devils could certainly part ways with some of their younger talent. Dawson Mercer was once a top prospect for this team. In fact, it seemed as if he was destined for a top-six role after scoring 27 goals and 56 points in his second NHL season. However, he has struggled to reach those heights since.
Mercer has never missed a game in his NHL career, which certainly works to his favor. In the last two seasons, though, he has fallen well short of that 56-point mark. In 2024-25, he scored 19 goals and 36 points in 82 games.
At this time, it appears Mercer is set to serve as the third-line center. He is still 23 years old, which means he has a chance to turn things around. In saying this, he's young enough that other teams could see a future for him in their organization.
The Devils are going to swing a major trade at some point within the next few years. It could happen as soon as this upcoming season. If they want to preserve their impressive prospect pipeline, they could make Mercer available as a change-of-scenery candidate.
