The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is just two days away. Despite the injury adversity the New Jersey Devils have gone through, they remain buyers in the market. When analyzing the needs New Jersey has, they might not find a better partner than the New York Islanders in a potential Devils trade.
Said needs haven’t changed. Perhaps, they’ve only intensified due to recent events. The Jack Hughes injury reinforces the need for a center. The lack of scoring continues to reinforce the need for a complimentary top-six winger.
The Islanders have both available on the market. We teamed up with NYI Hockey Now colleague, Russ Macias, to come up with three Devils trade proposals of different levels with the Islanders that share equal value for New York.
Mild: Devils Trade NJD 2025 2nd Round Pick & VGK 3rd Round Pick for Kyle Palmieri
Why the Devils do it: Kyle Palmieri is exactly the kind of complimentary top-six scorer the Devils are lacking. He’s a candidate to play next to Jack Hughes (if he returns this season) which will bump down Ondrej Palat to his proper place in the lineup. Palmieri, a former Devil, knows the organization already, and would be coming back to a much different situation from when he left a rebuilding Devils squad.
Following the Islanders’ win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Palmieri was asked to reflect on his time on Long Island as it’s anticipated he will be traded. He explained he loved winning and competing for a playoff spot. He’ll get that experience on a Devils team that is playoff-bound, and could even see his goal pace increase on a higher-skilled team. Palmieri is up to eight goals in his last 12 games and has 20 on the season thus far. The cost acquisition of a second and third round pick is more than fair when the Devils have second round picks to spare. And in this situation, they’re not giving up another first round pick with the chance that Palmieri is just a rental.
Why the Islanders do it: This is the sticker price for Kyle Palmieri. The Islanders do that for added draft capital; two top-100 picks this season add to their own pool of picks. At that point, Lou Lamoriello can either restock the cupboard or flip the picks for immediate help, whether it’s buying and selling now or having a very big summer. The Islanders aren’t interested in a total rebuild.
Unless someone comes and wrecks the market by offering a 1st, this is likely the best the Islanders will get for Palmieri. — Russ Macias
Medium: Devils Trade 2026 1st Round Pick, NJD 2025 2nd Round Pick, & F Cam Squires for Brock Nelson
Why the Devils do it: Brock Nelson is the top NHL trade target across the board. Therefore, it’s likely that Lou Lamoriello knows he can apply an in-division tax if the Devils are serious suitors for Nelson. The Devils are handing over a number of valuable assets in this trade, thus including their 2026 1st round pick and Cam Squires, a former fourth round pick who has NHL upside. Squires has been increasing his stock as one of the QMJHL’s top scorers in recent seasons, and profiles as a “Tyler Toffoli type.” He’s still years away from NHL games, however.
The Devils need help now, and in this case, they’re not forking over their top forward prospects in Lenni Hameenaho or Arseni Gritsyuk, and receive a center who can fill the 2C role now that Nico Hischier is filling Hughes’ 1C void. The Devils don’t want to let a second consecutive season slip away from them, and adding Nelson bolsters their forward group, especially if Hughes returns. Adding a perennial 30-goal scorer in Nelson, who plays center, and showed a solid two-way game among the NHLs best at the 4 Nations Face-Off checks a lot of boxes for the Devils.
Why the Islanders do it: This is about the minimum price for Brock Nelson. There are talks that the Islanders could be getting a player like Brad Lambert and Winnipeg’s 1st for him, so if New Jersey is going to trade for him, it takes an unprotected 2026 1st in next year’s loaded draft plus a second and one of New Jersey’s top forward prospects.
Cam Squires is a fourth-round pick from 2023 but has seen his stock rise since his draft, and he’s drawn comparisons to Tyler Toffoli. Far from the worst prospect, the Islanders can land.
Circling back to that 2026 1st, that’s the most valuable piece. For all we know, the Devils could have a bad year. After all, they’re a sub .500 in 2025 (9-11-3). It gives the Islanders two 1s in 2026 to hold or sell for an elite forward they’re in the hunt for.
I think the Islanders would struggle to move Nelson in-division, but if they do, it would take a package like this, with maybe even a little more from NJD. — Russ Macias
Hot: Devils Trade 2026 1st Round Pick, NJD 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2025 2nd Round Pick (Lower of EDM/WPG), NJD 2026 3rd Round Pick & F Herman Traff for Brock Nelson (50% Retained) & Kyle Palmieri
Why the Devils do it: Remember when the Devils sent the Islanders Palmieri and Travis Zajac back in the day? There was also the deal in which Andy Greene was dealt to Long Island too. It’s time to return the favor. Of course, the Islanders aren’t giving away Nelson and Palmieri for free. It’s going to cost a pretty penny. However, in separate deals, the first, second, and fourth round picks could perhaps net the Devils Nelson.
Add Kyle Palmieri to that and the Devils are sending over another fourth round pick and Herman Traff, who is a large, physical forward with bottom-six scoring upside. The Islanders are getting a lot of futures, something they severely lack, and the Devils are getting the center and depth scoring they seek. Win-win, if you ask me.
Why the Islanders do it: This is where it gets super crazy! The Islanders would gain that unprotected 2026 1st, which they covet in this deal. On top of that, they’d gain two top 64 picks this season, giving them at least four.
We know Lou Lamoriello isn’t interested in a full-scale rebuild, which gives him a ton of flexibility with his roster construction.
As for Herman Traff, the Athletic ranked him as the Devils’ #6 prospect but their #2 forward prospect. Traff is young, drafted in the 3rd round last year. He’s been described as a heavy winger with a great shot and a big-time motor. He sounds like a kid worth taking a shot on. He’s currently in the SHL.
Again, this would be tough for the Islanders to do as an inner-division trade. But if they’re being offered the right deal, it will never be turned down. I think the Islanders may ask for a 2026 second instead of another 2025 second, as the Islanders do not own their own 2026 second (Josh Bailey trade). However, the Devils have three 2025 seconds and only their own 2026, so it’d be tough to see NJD gut their own draft next year for this trade. — Russ Macias
For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.
Follow us on :
@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10
And on Threads:
