The New Jersey Devils made the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They met the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the postseason, but were unable to advance. It was a bit of a disappointing result after a promising season for New Jersey. But making the playoffs is a good first step after missing the postseason in 2024.
The Devils want to compete for the Stanley Cup sooner rather than later. New Jersey traded for Jacob Markstrom to improve its goaltending last summer to aid in that goal. And it’s unlikely this goal changes over the course of this upcoming offseason.
New Jersey has business of its own to take care of this summer. But they could still make moves to bolster their roster. Bleacher Report writer Adam Getz believes a trade for Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann makes sense for the Devils following their playoff elimination.
“McCann’s name came up at times prior to the trade deadline, but nothing ever appeared to get close. He would be an extremely interesting name for the Devils to pursue because of his finishing ability and flexibility throughout the lineup. He can play anywhere on a team’s top-three lines, while also having the ability to shift between center and wing when needed,” Getz wrote of the potential fit in New Jersey.
Jared McCann Could Be On The Trade Market
Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesSeattle Kraken forward Jared McCann could be a target of the New Jersey Devils this summer.
McCann has emerged as a star since joining the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. The veteran forward is Seattle’s only 40-goal scorer, achieving the feat in 2022-23. His 91 goals over the last three seasons are more than Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel over the same span.
The Kraken came within a game of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. However, they failed to defeat the Dallas Stars in that series. And they have not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the two years since that defeat in Dallas.
Seattle is not going through a rebuild at this time. But they also aren’t close to competing for a Stanley Cup. As a result, putting McCann on the trade market makes sense. The Kraken forward is signed for two more seasons at a reasonable $5 million. He could bring back a haul of picks and prospects this summer if Seattle decides to pull the trigger.
Devils Look To Make Changes This Summer
The Devils had their eyes on the Stanley Cup in 2024-25. New Jersey fell well short of this goal, which has been deemed unacceptable. General manager Tom Fitzgerald said that this team will look different in 2025-26, and some tough decisions will be made.
“We’ve got a lot of decisions to make on certain players whether we bring guys back, trade players (but) we won’t be coming back with the same group (in 2025-26),” Fitzgerald said during his end-of-season press conference, via NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale. “I can tell you that because it wasn’t good enough.”
The extent of the changes made by New Jersey obviously remains to be seen. In any event, it does appear as if the Devils will be active this offseason. And that could open the door for trades to acquire a player like McCann.
Devils Pushed to Trade for 40-Goal Scorer After Playoff Elimination