The New Jersey Devils will certainly be a team to watch incredibly closely this off-season. General manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed that changes to the club's roster are on the way, as he is not satisfied with where the team is at right now.
The Devils have an array of pending free agents who they could move on from, but the trade route is another potential way that New Jersey could make changes to their group. Now, with the off-season right around the corner, a new Devils forward has entered the rumor mill.
In his most recent Trade Targets board for Daily Faceoff, insider Frank Seravalli listed Devils forward Erik Haula at the No. 14 spot.
Seravalli writes:
"He (Haula) has the ability to play center, which is a nice versatile bonus, but if GM Tom Fitzgerald is beefing up his middle/bottom six forward group, Haula could be on the out."
Seeing Haula being viewed as a possible trade candidate is not too surprising. The Devils are due for some changes to their group, and it could make sense for them to move on from the 34-year-old forward if it means landing an upgrade for their third-line center role.
Haula's full no-trade clause expires and changes to a six-team no-trade list on July 1. Thus, the Devils would have far fewer restrictions to move him once the off-season is here if they hope to.
Haula's trade value may not be the highest right now, however, as he had a tough 2024-25 season. His offense was noticeably dropped, as he had 11 goals, 10 assists, and a minus-6 rating in 69 games. This is after he had 41 points in 80 games during the 2022-23 season and then 35 points in 76 contests in 2024-25.
A potential Haula trade would also free up $3.15 million of cap space, which is something that the Devils would benefit from. However, there could also be some risk in the Devils moving the veteran, as he could very well have a bounce-back season in 2025-26.
Nevertheless, it is going to be intriguing to see if Haula ends up being a player the Devils trade this summer from here.
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