The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions as of Sunday, but the off-season rumor mill took no time to get moving. The New Jersey Devils are involved.
Over the last couple of days, Kevin Weekes of ESPN and NHL Network speculated about two players currently on the New Jersey Devils.
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Over the weekend, Weekes reported that the New Jersey Devils are shopping goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
After signing him to a contract extension during the 2025-26 season, which is worth $12 million over 2 years (cap hit of $6 million each year), they are already trying to move off of him.
For one, Markstrom wasn’t good enough in 2025-26. He was supposed to be a stopgap at the position for the Devils during his tenure, but he has not lived up to it.
Markstrom took over as the starting goalie for Sweden in the Olympics, but his NHL numbers left a lot to be desired. His 3.07 goals against average and .883 save percentage were simply not good enough.
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Not only would the Devils be upgrading at the position if they moved on from Markstrom, but they would also free up all of that cap space, which they desperately need.
Weekes also reported that teams are calling about defenseman Simon Nemec. This is an entirely different situation, because Nemec still has a long NHL future ahead of him. He could even be a star.
Nemec was the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, but his transition to the NHL hasn’t gone the way he had hoped. The Devils didn’t unleash him once he reached the NHL, and his usage has been questionable at best.
2025-26 was a career year for the young Slovakian defender. He had 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 68 games played. His defensive game is still a work in progress, which is normal for a 22-year-old with under 200 NHL games played.
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The prize for trading Markstrom is freed-up cap space and the potential for better goaltending from elsewhere. The prize for Nemec could be high-end help at forward, specifically a goal-scoring winger, which is something the Devils also need.
Dougie Hamilton has been in trade rumors since last fall, but it hasn’t come up in a while. Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Jonathan Kovacevic, and Jonas Siegenthaler are the NHL defencemen currently under contract.
If another team were to acquire Nemec, they would need to sign him, as he is a restricted free agent. He is likely to get a nice contract with his upside as the main point of emphasis.
As for goaltending, potentially without Markstrom, Jake Allen is signed to a long-term deal. They also have Nico Daws and the potential to make a trade for someone else that they think can help them.
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Reporting on Nemec and Markstrom isn’t the only New Jersey Devils nugget from Kevin Weekes over the last week. He also noted that talks are ongoing between the team and captain Nico Hischier. He speculated that they will come to a medium-term contract in the $11-13 million range.
It is incredibly important for the Devils to sign Hischier unless they are bringing in another center of equal or better value. Hischier is a premier two-way player who impacts the game in all three zones.
Paired with Jack Hughes, who is a dynamic offense-focused center, Hischier is a perfect complement. Getting him extended, as he is entering the last year of his current deal with a cap hit of $7.25 million, is the most important task of the entire offseason.
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One thing is for certain: Sunny Mehta is wasting no time when it comes to trying to make the roster better.
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