NHL Trade Rumors: 3 Hard-Hitting Trade Targets Linked To NJ Devils

The New Jersey Devils fell flat this season in their hopes to chase down a playoff spot, and general manager Tom Fitzgerald will be a busy man this summer as he tries to help boost the club back into the postseason.

One area the Devils can use some help in is the Department of Sandpaper. Yes, they're looking for some grit, and James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now has linked several hard-hitting forwards to the Devils. We look at these 3 trade possibilities:

Sam Bennett

The Florida Panthers are going to have a salary cap crunch this summer. Most notably, 57-goal man Sam Reinhart will be an unrestricted free agent and is obviously due for a huge raise. Others, like Brandon Montour, also will need to be re-signed. No doubt, Bennett is an important part of what the Panthers do, but could he and his $4.425M cap hit possibly be sacrificed in a trade? He certainly brings the grit that the Devils need, and does it all while scoring 20 goals as well.

Lawson Crouse

Who knows what the new Utah franchise will do this summer as they re-make the organization in the move from Phoenix. Crouse is signed up for three more seasons at a $4.3 million cap hit. Do the new owners want more cap wiggle room? Does Crouse want to relocate from Arizona to Utah? These are all questions the Devils should be asking of the 23-goal scorer, who has been a heavy-hitting forward throughout his eight years in the NHL, always averaging near the 200-hit mark.

Eeli Tolvanen

The 25-year-old had a solid season in the middle six for Seattle, setting career highs with 41 points and a rousing 210 hits. But the Kraken are due for a big overhaul this summer, from all accounts, and perhaps Tolvanen could be one of those they'd be looking to exchange for other assets.