Devils badly need a top-six winger. Here’s who they should target

The Devils need another top six winger — and fast. Giving Ondrej Palat and Stefan Noesen those minutes just isn’t going to cut it for a team serious about contending in 2025-26.

It makes sense why general manager Tom Fitzgerald didn’t sign one this offseason — the free agent market was a complete crapshoot — but that doesn’t mean he can just ignore it. He must start working the phones to shore up his lineup’s starpower, even if that means parting ways with some of their bigger contracts.

With that, let’s look at five wingers the Devils should be all over, separated in three tiers — pie-in-the-sky options, more realistic ones and a bonus dark horse candidate. Here goes:

The dream candidates

Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues

The Blues are reportedly bullish about rookie Jimmy Snuggerud. They think he can seamlessly replace Jordan Kyrou in their lineup. This is why the 27-year-old was near the top of Frank Seravalli’s trade board in early July.

Things have seemingly calmed down since then, though Fitzgerald might want to see if he’s still available. A speedy two-way playmaker, Kyrou has put up 30-plus goals and 67-plus points in three of the last four seasons, including a near 40-point season in 2022-23. He’s an excellent shooter and can keep pace with the Devils’ quick pace in transition.

His $8.125 million contract is big, so Fitzgerald would have to get creative — maybe even coughing up Dougie Hamilton in return —but it might be worth it to finally add a finisher to the top six.

If Hamilton is going to be involved in any trade though, it should be for…

Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars

I wrote this in last week’s mailbag and I’ll write it again: If I were Fitzgerald, I’d go all-in for Dallas’ Jason Robertson. He has exactly what New Jersey needs: A quick, accurate shot, sharp playmaking skills and is excellent at identifying — and attacking — the gaps in the D-zone. He’s two years removed from a 109-point campaign and has logged a pair of 80-point seasons since then.

Oh, yeah, he also grew up a freakin’ Devils fan!

Robertson is still looking for an extension from the cap-strapped Stars, which is why he’s found himself in trade rumors. If the Devils can somehow snag him without giving up one of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt or Timo Meier, they’d instantly become serious contenders in the East.

So, how could they pull that off? The exact package is a mystery (these superstar trades can be tricky), but it would surely have to start with Hamilton, picks and quality prospects. Dallas wants to stay competitive and Hamilton, who’s still a star righty defenseman, would be a great fit. Yes, this blockbuster might leave the Devils with some blueline and bottom six holes, but trust me here: Robertson would be well worth it.

The more realistic ones

Jared McCann, Seattle Kraken

The NHL rumor mill has slowed down in August, but Seattle’s Jared McCann always seems to be on the block. He’s another obvious Devils target — and a far more affordable one than Kyrou and Robertson (he has a $5 million cap hit)

McCann is a superb shooter, logging 60-plus point campaigns in each of the last three years with an average of 31 goals. He came back to Earth a bit last season — potting just 22 goals and 61 points — but he seems likely to break out if he’s plunked on a line with Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes.

The package here should revolve around Dawson Mercer, plus maybe another prospect or pick. Mercer, a potential change-of-scenery candidate, has more than enough upside for Seattle to bite on this.

Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh Penguins

Rickard Rakell is another player whose name seems to be permanently etched on the trade block.

The 32-year-old Swede posted a career-best season last year with 35 goals and 70 points. The year before? He had 37 points in 70 games. The year before that? Sixty points and 28 goals in 82 games… Yeah, he has a slight consistency problem. But he scores at a high clip and hustles in the defensive zone too.

With three years left on his deal at $5 million AAV, he’s a no-brainer Fitzgerald target. He’ll have steep competition though, with plenty of teams seeking top six forwards coming off career years.

The dark horse

Tyler Toffoli, San Jose Sharks

I mean, it worked the first time, right? I don’t think the Sharks would trade Tyler Toffoli back to the Devils because he seems to have great chemistry with franchise player Macklin Celebrini… But man, would he be an intriguing addition.

Toffoli potted 33 total goals in his lone season in Newark, with 26 of them coming before he was shipped to Winnipeg at the deadline that year. The injury-riddled Devils wound up missing the playoffs, but it certainly wasn’t because of him.

Now healthy and more mature, the Hughes-led Devils would be a fun landing spot for Toffoli, whose game is aging well at 33. Alas, barring a complete collapse by the Sharks, this scenario doesn’t seem likely.

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Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. You can follow him on X @ryannovoNHL

Devils badly need a top-six winger. Here’s who they should target

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