James Nichols
I’m sure plenty of you are going to hoot and holler at me for this, but for a potential New Jersey Devils trade to happen, they have to play the waiting game. I have more on Dougie Hamilton, if he is going to be traded, below, but there’s a reason why the dam is being blocked.
If you’re one of those claiming, “Tom Fitzgerald hasn’t done anything!” Well, practice those exercise breathing technics, take a step back, and look around the league. Who has lately?
Now, that’s not an excuse. There are things that still need to be accomplished here. However, hold your reservations until the summer is actually over, before claiming it is on *check’s calendar* July 22nd.
Let’s do that hockey.
Devils Trade Rumors & News
New Jersey Hockey Now: If it’s going to happen, a Devils trade involving Dougie Hamilton could hinge on a couple of wild cards being dealt first.
Yesterday, the NHL tweeted out this graphic, which brought about very mixed emotions:
How far will the @NJDevils go with this projected lineup? 🤔
Read more from @NHLdotcom ➡️ https://t.co/Ks3Zqblm6D pic.twitter.com/w6VEeakddC
— NHL (@NHL) July 21, 2025
Some thought this could be a playoff-caliber lineup. Others trashed the combinations. And many took exception to certain positions, such as a top line Ondrej Palat remaining, stashing Evgenii Dadonov on the fourth line as a 20-goal scorer, and Brenden Dillon manning the top D-pair.
The truth of the matter is this aligns with the combination history. Something tells me this won’t exactly the squad we see iced on Oct. 9th when the Devils open their season. However, if it is, it’s also not the worst lineup they’ve seen, at least on paper. I’m optimistic it’s a better lineup than last season, but only by a very slim margin. This could still be a team who is bounced in the first round of the playoffs.
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NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Anthony Mantha suffered a season ending injury early last season with the Calgary Flames. He’s on the road to recovery, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are giving him his next chance in the NHL. However, it’s not the first time the Pens have sought Mantha on the market.
Philly Hockey Now: Gavin McKenna made his choice when he chose to continue his career at Penn State. Porter Martone is a candidate to make the Philadelphia Flyers out of training camp. However, it’s likely he heads back to a development level, and has decided to continue his hockey career in the NCAA at Michigan State.
DFO: This was an interesting nugget from Michael Russo. He reports the Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov are far apart on a new contract. Without a doubt, Kaprizov will become the highest-paid winger in the game, but it’s not done, and makes you wonder if it will be in Minny.
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