4 potential National Hockey League trade deadline deals

The New Jersey Devils could use some goaltending help this year

New Jersey Devils Receive: Jusse Saros (G)

Nashville Predators Receive: 2024 1st, Alexander Holtz (F) & Seamus Casey (D)

At the beginning of the season, if we were told that the New Jersey Devils would be out of a playoff spot post-all-star break, most people would have been confused.

Here we are in the middle of February and the Devils are four points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Most of this can be traced back to both superstar centers Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier missing multiple weeks throughout the beginning of the year due to injury but the goaltending has not been consistent for the Devils. 

Both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid have above a 3.10 GAA and less than a .900 save percentage on the season. Even with the emergence of Nico Daws in recent weeks, if the Devils want to be a contender they need to swing for the fences and get an elite netminder.

Jusse Saros of the Nashville Predators is an option for them to consider as the trade deadline approaches.

Nashville is a team that is looking to retool on the fly and has a great young goaltender in Yaroslav Askarov who can take over the duties full-time for the Predators.

Jusse Saros has struggled this year but is still seen as a top-tier goaltender in the league and rightfully so. Nashville knows they can get a haul for him and a team like the New Jersey Devils that have a plethora of assets could give the Predators exactly what they are looking for. 

Because Saros is still under contract for another year after this season at just $5 million, he will cost a lot of assets. Nashville should be looking for a first-rounder, a top prospect, and an NHL-level player in return. In this deal, that is exactly what they get.

Alexander Holtz is still a young player that can develop into a top 6 forward but at the very least is a middle-six winger with scoring upside. Seamus Casey is one of the best prospects in the entire NHL.

With Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec already in the NHL, the Devils could look to want to keep Casey to truly solidify their blue line full of young talent, but to get a player of Saros’ caliber an elite prospect or elite NHL player will needed to be included to make the deal work. 

Nashville will get to reload their prospect pool with the addition of Casey and New Jersey can add an elite goaltender in Saros while cup-chasing in an Eastern Conference that is available for the taking.

In a corresponding move, Vitek Vanecek will likely be getting dealt from New Jersey to make room for Saros. The Devils give up a lot in this deal but it is not every day that a player of Saros’ caliber could be made available.