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How to strengthen the squad before the stretch run

With the New Jersey Devils approaching the holiday shutdown and also a few months closer to the NHL trade deadline, the Sheldon Keefe-led roster needs a few extra players for a playoff spot and a potential big push down the road. The Devils already have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, along with Tomas Tatar and Dougie Hamilton in the supporting cast. The offseason additions have paid off in the way the Devils have been resilient, strong and defensive so far.

We recently talked about how important Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz and Shakir Mukhamadullin were in the NHL Draft and how general manager Tom Fitzgerald was able to salvage a few potential busts and invest in some great players. This strategic approach has strengthened the team’s future and sparked new optimism among fans. With a solid foundation of young talent, the organization is poised to compete at a higher level in the coming seasons.

Paul Cotter was an absolute beast when it came to being aggressive on the forecheck, and the lack of an NHL sharpshooter and big signing a few years ago in Timo Meier is part of the improvement in physical play. One area for improvement is adding another reliable center to replace Curtis Lazar in the speed, scoring and blocked shots categories and has a knack for faceoff wins. The New Jersey Devils are looking to fill that void, which would be easiest to fill from outside the organization. It will be harder and more expensive for the Devils to land a sharpshooter.

The New Jersey Devils have a 23-year-old experienced forward in the KHL in Arseni Gritsyuk. Arseni Gritsyuk’s potential could represent the biggest improvement on the wing since Jesper Bratt became the New Jersey Devils’ prime-time star sniper, while Minnesota got their hands on their young star in Kirill Kaprizov, who is their go-to scorer. Tom Fitzgerald will be very happy to have retained his prized winger Arseni Gritsyuk, who will round out the top three line up even further. This could come at the expense of a player like Dawson Mercer, who was overpaid last summer, and the Devils had a chance to sign Kevin Labanc but failed to sign him.

The New Jersey Devils may need to keep an eye on the NHL trade rumor market and see what Hudson rival New York Rangers do with a possible trade for Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko, with the possibility of a Jacob Trouba buyout looking more likely than a trade (Cap Hit) for a defender. This would give the New Jersey Devils the average asking price for what certain skaters fetch in this trade market. In their area, the New Jersey Devils don’t have to worry as much about goaltending; Meanwhile, they have Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen in net this season, taking the pressure off the Devils’ defenders.

Overall, this New Jersey Devils team is pretty much set for the NHL holiday break and won’t have to think too much about their wish list until the NHL trade deadline. If teams like Ottawa start going into sellout mode and word gets out that certain names are coming to light, we can perhaps imagine that certain players may be linked not only to the New Jersey Devils, but also here for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Land in 2025. Once there is more separation in the Metropolitan Division, the Devils, Hurricanes and Capitals will most likely be the division’s best, especially given the way they are each primed for an NHL playoff berth this season.

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