In case the Connor Hellebuyck news wasn’t crazy enough, the trade drama around the NHL got a little spicier this week. Dylan Larkin is demanding his way out of Detroit and will no longer play with the team in hopes of a trade. Then there was the bomb of the weekend: Tampa Bay Lightning star and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov wants out after the season and prefers a trade. 

This has the league on notice, and many teams are preparing for a busy trade season (in case the offseason wasn’t busy enough). Which teams can land Larkin? Who can get Kucherov if he’s available for a trade? Who can sign Kucherov to a long-term deal if he’s asking to be the highest-paid forward in the game? 

The New Jersey Devils are right in the mix. A Kucherov move is unlikely, but a Larkin trade is within reason, especially since Mehta proved he’s willing to make a big trade, with Hellebuyck being a case in point. 

The Devils will have some competition in the Larkin sweepstakes. 10 teams are on his trade list, plus the Montreal Canadiens, who aren’t on his list, have enough assets to fill a void at center if he changes his mind. So, it’s a tough trade to pull off and where this week’s Devils Notebook begins. 

Can The Devils Give The Red Wings The Best Larkin Offer? 

Larkin is willing to lift his no-trade clause to join 10 teams. That list includes the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Capitals. Plus, the Montreal Canadiens, who aren’t on Larkin’s list, have enough to offer if he changes his mind and will heavily pursue the top-six center. 

The Avalanche, Golden Knights, Lightning, Panthers, and Stars don’t have enough to convince interim GM Shawn Horcoff. So, that whittles down the list to six teams. Which one can make the best offer? Let’s start with what the Devils can put together. 

Devils Offer: Anton Silaev, Cody Glass & A 2027 First

Anton Silaev is the difference-maker in any Devils offer. He’s the young defenseman the Red Wings would want who can eventually develop into a shutdown option, much like Simon Edvinsson is now. If the Devils don’t want to move Silaev, they must consider a young NHLer on the roster. Someone like Arseny Gritsyuk checks off that box, but considering the season he’s having, it’s unlikely Mehta moves him. So, the prospect defenseman and one of the two first-round picks, plus Cody Glass as a placeholder at center, make the most sense. 

Carolina Hurricanes: Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger-Sorum & A 2028 first

The Hurricanes have prospects on top of prospects who are in the American Hockey League but have no path to the NHL roster because of their depth. It gives them the luxury of emptying the prospect pool to make this trade work. The Hurricanes also have a spare first-round pick from the Mikko Rantanen trade that they can offer to sweeten the offer. 

Minnesota Wild: Danila Yurov, Ryan Hartman & 2027 First

Danila Yurov can swing this trade. He’s a young center developing into a building block. It’s something the Red Wings want, and the question from the Wild side is whether they want to move one of the few future pieces in their system. They don’t have much, so it seems necessary to fill the center need.

Montreal Canadiens: Michael Hage, Oliver Kapanen & Adam Engstrom

The Canadiens are another team with prospects on top of prospects and can put together one of the best offers, if not the best. Michael Hage and Oliver Kapanen give the Red Wings two young centers to build around, while Adam Engstrom is a defenseman who fills a void. The only holdup is Larkin, who doesn’t have the Canadiens on his list. 

Utah Mammoth: Caleb Desnoyers or Dmitri Simashev

The Mammoth have three big-name prospects they might eventually slip for a star player. Caleb Desnoyers might be enough to get this deal done as a young center with high upside. Otherwise, Tij Iginla is a top winger in their system, while Dmitry Simashev is already on the NHL roster and a stay-at-home defenseman the Red Wings would want. 

Washington Capitals: Andrew Cristall, Ivan Miroshnichenko & a 2027 First

The Capitals are another team with a surplus of prospects, specifically at wing, that they can move in an intriguing package for Larkin. The Red Wings want centers, and both Protas brothers check that box, but it’s doubtful the Capitals will move either. That said, Andrew Cristall is a high-upside player, especially on the offensive end, who can allow them to pull off this trade. 

Which Offer Would The Red Wings Take?

The Canadiens have the best offer on the table, while the Mammoth have the best prospect to offer, whether it’s Desnoyers or Iginla. However, the complete package that is the best offer is the Hurricanes deal. It includes two high-end prospects and a first-round pick. Plus, if the Hurricanes want to up the ante, they can add defenseman Charles Alexis-Legeault to the deal, another prospect who is blocked from joining the NHL roster.

The Devils are close. They have a good offer. That said, they can’t make the best one. They can also add a piece or two to one-up the other teams. However, from Mehta’s perspective, it’s better to keep his offer on the table and not overpay for Larkin. His offer would still get a move done, but it’s unlikely it’s the one the Red Wings will choose.  

The Devils Have A Goal Chase Developing Between Hischier & Gritsyuk: Who Wins It? 

Much like a home run chase, the Devils have a goal-scoring chase developing one month into the season. It’s the best type of competition, a healthy one that helps the Devils win games.

There’s Nico Hischier, the veteran with seven goals, four on the power play (the rest of the team has three on the man advantage). He took the team lead when he found the back of the net twice against the Colorado Avalanche. 

Then there’s the newcomer, the challenger of the group. Arseny Gritsyuk retook the lead from Hischier with his two-goal night against the Vegas Golden Knights. He has eight on the season and is showing how good he is on the Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt line. 

Speaking of Hughes, he’s hot on Gritsyuk and Hischier’s heels with six goals. Plus, he has the team lead in points with 16 in 14 games, making him the only point-per-game player on the Devils.

Who will win this race? The safe bet is Hischier, the veteran known for his ability to consistently find the back of the net. However, don’t put it past Gritsyuk to have a breakout year. 

With the way Gritsyuk has developed with the Devils, the 25-year-old winger is poised for a big payday when his contract is up. The good news is that Mehta has time with Gritsyuk on a three-year deal with a $3.2 million average annual value. 

Quick Hits

Kucherov asked for a trade this week, and it drew mixed reactions around the hockey world. The Lightning don’t want to trade him, and there’s a chance they keep him all season, knowing he still gives them a good chance to win the Cup. Yet, there’s also a chance he joins a contender as a rental and then signs a lucrative deal in the offseason. 

This will impact the Devils if he’s traded to a team in the Metropolitan Division, and the three teams to watch are the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals. The Capitals particularly have a sentimental value for Kucherov if he wants to play alongside Ovechkin in his final NHL teams. If he is traded to any of those teams, it makes for a fun division chase. 

Speaking of the division, the first month is a good enough sample size to see how it’s shaping up. While a team can’t win a championship in the first month, they can certainly lose one, and a slow start can doom a team for the rest of the season. That looks to be the case with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils have left those teams in the dust and now are fighting at the top with the Hurricanes, while the Capitals, Rangers, and New York Islanders will be hot on their heels. 

The Devils are back home this week and continuing their Western Conference swing. They host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and then the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Nov. 5, before heading back on the road for the weekend. 

The Oilers are an interesting team for the Devils because it’s a true test for Hellebuyck. He’s easing his way into the starting goaltending role but hasn’t faced a tough offense, certainly not the league-best one that averages 4.21 goals per game. If Hellebuyck stops the Oilers, it’s proof the Devils need that he’s ready for the full workload and can carry them to a great season. 

Speaking of Hellebuyck, the Devils did a good job easing him into NHL action. He only faced 18 shots against the Dallas Stars and 21 against the Vegas Golden Knights. With the way the defense is playing, Hellebuyck can fully acclimate after missing training camp. 

The Devils traded Rémi Poirier to the Capitals for a seventh-round pick. With the Hellebuyck acquisition, there wasn’t a path for Poirier on the NHL roster, and a trade gives him a chance to start on the Capitals. The big thing for the Devils is that Mehta claimed him off waivers and managed to add a draft pick at the end of the day. It’s another future piece he’s adding that he can eventually use to make another trade, which would surprise nobody if he did.