Devils Use Deadline to Setup Summer Splash | COLUMN

The 2024 NHL trade deadline concluded at 3 p.m. ET Friday afternoon. And the Devils were involved in four total transactions on the day. The overall sum of those trades is below…

What was added:

G Jake Allen (Montreal – 50% retention)
G Kaapo Kahkonen (San Jose)
2024 third-round pick (Winnipeg)
2025 second-round pick (Winnipeg)
2026 fourth-round pick (Winnipeg)

What was traded:

F Tyler Toffoli (Winnipeg – 50% retention)
D Colin Miller (Winnipeg)
G Vitek Vanecek (San Jose)
2025 third-round pick (conditional)
2025 seventh-round pick

The Devils took both an immediate approach and a future approach with some of these moves, most notably the reconstruction of the goaltending position. Allen and Kahkonen added depth to the crease, while the team moved on from Vanecek, who may not play for the remainder of the season due to his lower-body injury. But this also helps them to address the goalie position moving forward in the summer.

Allen is under contract through next season and the Canadiens are retaining 50-percent of his contract of $3.85 million ($1.925). Kahkonen will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, giving the team the option to retain his services or not. Both Nico Daws and Akria Schmid will be restricted free agents in the summer.

Overall, the Devils have opened up cap space with Vanecek and Toffoli moving on ($6.525 million). They also added some draft picks to their fold. That gives them both the money and extra capital with which to go after a big-time goaltender in the summer. And general manager Tom Fitzgerald didn’t hide his intentions.

“This off-season gives us a chance to look at the market, what’s going to be available this summer and really add something we haven’t had here in a while. That’s the goal,” he said. “This is an opportunity to set ourselves up this summer to have the cap space for a position of need. And quite honest, be big game hunting.”

And Fitzgerald foresees the Devils having a new tandem in net next season, which will feature Allen and a (hopefully) top-tier goaltender.

“We’re looking at a potential tandem that’s right up there in the league if I’m able to land one of these big fishes,” Fitzgerald said. “Being able to go out and get a veteran, with a lot of character, great locker room guy, great athlete in Jake Allen, who’s excited to be a part of our organization – he has a no-trade clause and he waived it to come to us because he sees the opportunity and the upside.”

As far as the current situation, the Devils will have Allen and either/both Kahkonen and Daws to finish out the remaining 19 games of the current season. Allen may not play in the immediate future for the Devils due to immigration and a need to improve his conditioning. Fitzgerald believes Allen will need a few practices to get up to speed.

The Devils are hoping Kahkonen will be in the fold for Saturday afternoon’s contest against the Carolina Hurricanes. New Jersey has assigned Schmid to Utica of the American Hockey League and will carry Daws and Kahkonen against Carolina. However, if Kahkonen doesn’t arrive in time, the club will recall Schmid.

As far as the past, the Devils did inquire about Allen earlier in the year. However, New Jersey was on his no movement list. It wasn’t until recently that Allen opted to waive the clause to allow for a trade to the Devils.

But Allen wasn’t the only goalie that Fitzgerald has pursued during the season. He’s been in the market all year long.

“Getting goaltenders is a tough thing. They’re a hot commodity. When you have them, you don’t give them up,” he said. “There is a market. People performing have set that market. All I’m trying to do is be fair in that market. But you also need a team that wants to make fair deals too and not extorting you for every big asset you have.”

The Devils did not expect to be in this position at the deadline this year. But as the odds of their making the postseason have dwindled these past weeks, the club had to take a hard look at some rentals on their roster.

With Toffoli and Miller on expiring contracts, the Devils managed to net some assets rather than letting them walk and getting nothing in return. The second- (2025), third- (2024) and fourth- (2026) round picks are assets to be used either in the draft or part of any future trade – perhaps that big fish goaltender.

The Devils had hoped to retain Toffoli. But both parties were far apart on the length of the contract.

“Two, three weeks ago I spoke to his agent about a contract. We talked about term,” Fitzgerald said. “Circled back 10 days ago and realized he was pretty hellbent on more term than we were willing to do.”

With the prospect of losing Toffoli in the off-season for nothing, the Devils decided it was best to add some capital instead.

“At this time, it’s the right thing to do for the organization because of where we’re at,” Fitzgerald said. “It was an opportunity for me to grab some assets for a player that we’re unsure if he was going to be able to comeback.”

Fitzgerald did not close the door on Toffoli, who led the team with 26 goals, returning to the team.

“Tyler is a great kid. I would do that trade seven days, twice on Sunday over again,” Fitzgerald said trading for Toffoli last summer. “He’s our leading scorer. Great in the locker room. He’s everything I thought he would be. A player that I have interest in the off-season if he’s interested in New Jersey.”

Now, the team on the ice will finish off the season and fight for whatever hope remains of a playoff berth while the team in the operations department starts looking ahead to the summer to make a splash.

“We looked at this deadline as a transitional deadline,” Fitzgerald said. “Moving forward how we can set ourselves up in the off-season cap-wise, grabbing some assets now. But remembering with our team and the core players that we have winning is important here.”