Devils target – With the New Jersey Devils finishing 40-34-3 and missing the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team’s off-season focus is starting to crystallize. General manager Sunny Mehta is looking at two trade-market fits: Brock Boeser for more consistent scoring, and Rasmu
When the New Jersey Devils didn’t reach the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it sharpened the sense that the roster already has stars but still needs clearer edges to convert potential into postseason runs.
New Jersey’s season featured Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier as centers on the top two lines. supported by wings Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. plus defenseman Luke Hughes.. Hughes is under a deal that will pay him an average of $8 million through the 2029-30 season. while Bratt ($7.9 million) and Meier ($8.8 million) are under contract through 2030-31.. Luke Hughes is set for an average of $9 million through 2031-32.. Hischier is the exception in that core: he earns $7.25 million, and his contract concludes with the 2026-27 season.
That timing matters for the off-season conversations around the roster.. Hischier needs an extension. and the current contract structure gives new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta room to move with confidence.. The Devils still finished with a 40-34-3 record. but their postseason absence places pressure on Mehta to do “fine tuning” and aim to climb “a couple of notches” from here—possibly challenging the Carolina Hurricanes for Metropolitan Division superiority before going on to a successful Stanley Cup run next year.
Free agency and the NHL Draft will be part of that path, but the Devils also have two specific trade targets taking shape.
The first is Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks, viewed as a winger who can provide regular goal-scoring.. Boeser has been held to 25 goals and 22 goals in each of the past two seasons. but the case for him rests on who he’s played for and what it could mean with stronger support.. The expectation is that if Boeser were on a contending team. he would have an excellent chance of returning to the 40-goal level he hit in 2023-24.. That season also came with an All-Star selection and a power-play edge, including 16 goals on the man advantage.
At 28. Boeser’s profile is presented as a match for what New Jersey could use immediately: a quick release. size and strength to establish position in front of the net. and the ability to take contact in the dirty areas while either delivering shots on goal or passing to an open teammate.. Even though the Devils are not perceived as needing a first- or second-line center—because they have Hischier and Hughes—Mehta is still encouraged to make a serious trade offer for Boeser as one of the better wingers potentially available.
The second target shifts to defense, where New Jersey is described as not having an overly impressive defensive crew.. Luke Hughes is acknowledged as someone who has a chance to become a legitimate star. but he’s not considered there yet.. His season ended prematurely with a shoulder injury. which required surgery. and he is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.. Dougie Hamilton is described as not being a great fit for the Devils and as having been involved in numerous trade rumors prior to the deadline during the season. leaving open the possibility that he could be part of any offseason movement.
For a more direct solution, the focus lands on Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers.. Listed at 6-4 and 208 pounds. Ristolainen is positioned as a defender who can neutralize some of the league’s best forwards by using his size and strength.. His game is also outlined as tougher in the high-danger areas—punishing players who skate into those zones—and more complete through stick work. including blocking shots and passes.. He’s presented as capable of making an impression as a defensive stalwart.
Ristolainen’s offensive numbers are not portrayed as a selling point.. The 13-year veteran scored 1 goal and added 13 assists last season. but the belief is that New Jersey already has enough offensive weapons to carry scoring needs.. His familiarity with Eastern Conference competition is also part of the pitch: he played eight years with the Sabres and just completed his fifth season with the Flyers.
The relationship between New Jersey’s missing the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the shape of its contracts is hard to ignore: with a core featuring long-term deals for Jack Hughes. Jesper Bratt. Timo Meier. and Luke Hughes. the one-contract question around Nico Hischier ending after the 2026-27 season sits right alongside a roster that finished 40-34-3 and still has to “fine tune” quickly to reach the postseason—and potentially surpass the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan.
As Mehta works through the off-season. the Devils’ direction appears to be set by two needs tied to this summer’s opportunities: more reliable scoring from the wing with a serious offer for Boeser. and a tougher defensive presence with a look at Ristolainen. while balancing the status of Luke Hughes after shoulder surgery and the uncertainty already linked to Dougie Hamilton.
New Jersey Devils Sunny Mehta Jack Hughes Nico Hischier Jesper Bratt Timo Meier Luke Hughes Brock Boeser Vancouver Canucks Rasmus Ristolainen Philadelphia Flyers NHL trade targets 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs