It\u2019s hard to forget the fact that Devils general manager, Tom Fitzgerald<\/a>, boldly claimed the Devils won\u2019t be coming back the same group in 2025-26.<\/p>\n The statement came off the back of elimination from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while admitting he knew his team wasn\u2019t good enough in the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n Fitzgerald\u2019s biggest point of emphasis when talking about upgrades remained depth scoring. Thus, the Devils inked Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov on July 1st, and have also reeled in their big KHL fish, Arseni Gritsyuk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, none of the above has addressed New Jersey\u2019s two biggest needs coming into this summer.<\/p>\n The Devils are desperate for a top-six scorer, and a bottom-six center, two positions that saw inconsistencies last season.<\/p>\n Thus, the Devils have been linked\u2014only by speculation\u2014to Nazem Kadri who is continually in the NHL trade rumor mill.<\/p>\n Last season, the Devils\u2019 third line center position was filled in a rotation between players like Erik Haula, Justin Dowling, Cody Glass, heck, even Paul Cotter got a couple of cracks at it.<\/p>\n Ultimately, depth was one of the factors in New Jersey that proved to be their downfall, and the inconsistencies in lineup deployment certainly didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n Therefore, it\u2019s certainly reasonable to ask if a Kadri trade makes sense for the Devils.<\/p>\n For starters, injecting Kadri into the lineup makes them immediately a better team. Kadri netted 35 goals and 67 points last season, albeit, in a top-six role.<\/p>\n Still, it was Kadri\u2019s third season in his career eclipsing the 30-goal plateau, and he previously had been right under the 30-goal threshold for three seasons prior.<\/p>\n Kadri slotting in right behind Jack Hughes<\/a> and Nico Hischier would potentially give the Devils the best center depth in the entire NHL. Plus, Kadri has the ability to play up in the lineup given potential injuries, or if Sheldon Keefe decided he wanted to bump Jack Hughes to the wing.<\/p>\n Add the fact that Kadri, for lack of a better term, has a dog in him. Look at the Florida Panthers<\/a>, who are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions.<\/p>\n They have players such as Sam Bennett\u2014who many Devils fans wanted if he reached the market\u2014and Matthew Tkachuk. Both players can do it all. Score, defend, and agitate. Those are the players who tend to shine when it matters most.<\/p>\n Well, Kadri has been there and done that. The last time he was in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he finished the postseason by lifting the championship over his head as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. In 16 games that spring, Kadri netted seven goals and 15 points, adding some snarl and elbow grease to the Colorado lineup.<\/p>\n The Devils could use some of that in the forward group, despite the presences of current players such as Cotter and Brenden Dillon.<\/p>\n Regardless, Kadri, at first glance, is certainly a fit for the Devils in terms of what he provides on the ice, and positionally. It makes all the sense in the world for the Devils and Calgary Flames to strike up a deal, too, with their trade history that sent Jacob Markstrom<\/a> to New Jersey last summer.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s another side to this argument.<\/p>\n What does one give up in a potential trade for an aging center on the wrong side of 35 years old?<\/p>\n Recent history tells us it can actually be quite a lot.<\/p>\n The New York Islanders benefitted greatly from dealing<\/a> Brock Nelson to the Avalanche in exchange for top prospect Calum Ritchie, a conditional first round pick in 2026, another conditional pick\u2014a third rounder in 2028\u2014and Oliver Kylington. And that was for a player on an expiring contract.<\/p>\n Now, Nelson is one year younger almost to the day, and was a pending free agent.<\/p>\n Kadri, however, has four season left on a contract that pays out $7 million annually.<\/p>\n The Devils already need to clear out some money if they\u2019re going to ink Luke Hughes<\/a> to a max-term extension. And if they were to entertain the idea of a Kadri trade, they\u2019d need a lot more space with the 21-year-old defenseman likely to eat up most of what\u2019s left.<\/p>\n Therefore, the Devils are looking at the possibility of moving a top prospect and a high draft pick or two that is attached to players who occupy a considerable amount of cap space.<\/p>\n Dawson Mercer is bound to be a player of interest to the Flames at the ripe age of 24 years old next season. Shedding his $4 million would help, however, moving him in a deal that includes a top prospect and high draft picks is far too much for an aging veteran center.<\/p>\n Perhaps there is a way to swap veterans, including Ondrej Palat<\/a> in the deal with top draft capital, and prospects such as Seamus Casey or Lenni Hameenaho.<\/p>\n The Devils have Palat\u2019s six-team trade list to hurdle, however. Would Palat accept the idea of moving to a Calgary franchise that just missed the playoffs last season, and is further down the line on a retool, perhaps nearly a rebuild?<\/p>\n I wouldn\u2019t be optimistic about that.<\/p>\n So, does a Devils trade for Kadri make sense?<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to give a hard yes or no because it depends on what\u2019s going the other way. You don\u2019t want to mortgage too much for a player who is about to be on the wrong side of 35.<\/p>\n Yet, we\u2019ve seen what players of his archetype can do for a team that is looking to get past the first-to-second-round exit bubble.<\/p>\n There\u2019s little doubt that Kadri makes the Devils a deeper, more difficult team to play against on paper. The question is how long can Kadri maintain that play style at this stage of his career?<\/p>\n It would be a gamble worth making, so long as it doesn\u2019t derail the upward trajectory of New Jersey\u2019s current, and future.<\/p>\n For more\u00a0Devils news<\/a>, visit\u00a0New Jersey Hockey Now<\/a>, subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0and like our\u00a0Facebook page.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on\u00a0\ud835\udd4f:<\/p>\n @NJDHockeyNow<\/a>,\u00a0@JamesNicholsNHL<\/a><\/p>\n And on Threads:<\/p>\n @JamesNicholsNHL<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NJHN-plus.png.webp.webp\")
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