Devils Rumors: New Jersey Eyeing Splash Trade
With Jack Hughes out roughly two months after finger surgery and the Metro wide open, multiple insiders say general manager Tom Fitzgerald is expected to be in on at least one marquee name before the March 6 trade deadline.
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has repeatedly mentioned New Jersey as a team ready to pounce if a star becomes available, while James Nichols has zeroed in on one clear priority: center depth.
That need down the middle has pushed a familiar set of names to the front of the rumor mill. Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames and Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators are viewed as the classic “big fish” center targets.
Nazem Kadri
If the Devils want maximum impact, Nazem Kadri fits that lane perfectly. He checks almost every box New Jersey has been missing up the middle while Hughes recovers.
Kadri can center a first line in the short term, win tough matchups, live in the dirty areas and drag games into chaos when needed. Once Hughes is healthy, he can slide into a matchup 2C or 3C role and still play twenty minutes a night between power play and penalty kill.
Nazem Kadri has played 1000 NHL games. pic.twitter.com/kCf1cwc461
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 6, 2025
The cost will be steep. Kadri comes with term, a seven million dollar cap hit and a 13 team no trade list. That screams “premium package.”
Nichols has already floated a framework that starts with the Devils’ 2026 first round pick and top defense prospect Seamus Casey, and it probably does not stop there. Calgary would want real futures, not just cap dumps.
For New Jersey, that is the price of getting a proven playoff driver who already has a Stanley Cup and a reputation as a tone setter when series get nasty.
Ryan O’Reilly
Ryan O’Reilly is the other center who keeps coming up, and for good reason.
He is not the same offensive force he once was, but he remains one of the smartest two way centers in hockey. For the Devils, he could stabilize the top six while Hughes is out, then drop into an overqualified 3C role for a playoff run.
Ryan O’Reilly was very candid when speaking on his play after the Predators dropped their third straight game.
— BarDown (@BarDown) November 7, 2025
(via: @AlexDaugherty1) pic.twitter.com/eP27Zz2jgF
His four and a half million dollar cap hit through next season is more manageable than Kadri’s number, and he has no trade protection on paper, even if Nashville is treating him like he does.
The acquisition cost might be closer to a more traditional rental style package. Likely a first round pick plus a good prospect, rather than the true Kadri level price.
O’Reilly also fits the identity New Jersey has been trying to build. He kills penalties, takes tough d zone draws and knows how to manage games in May and June.
Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
