The New Jersey Devils have hit a rough patch lately. They lost two games after a three-game winning streak for the Devils, first to the Philadelphia Flyers and then to the Columbus Blue Jackets. As the team prepares to meet the Dallas Stars soon, rumors have emerged surrounding the team’s future moves.

Contributing to such a discourse, an insider has shared on social media that Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald could be in contention for a veteran forward of this struggling Western Conference team.

New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald’s Rumored Interest in Jonathan Marchessault

According to David Pagnotta, the Devils may be interested in 34-year-old Jonathan Marchessault of the Nashville Predators. In his pursuit of a “big fish”, Fitzgerald may also partake in the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes if it ever comes to that; Stamkos has not been able to produce at the same level in Nashville, which he once did with the Tampa Bay Lightning, prompting speculation about his future with the Predators.

” I fully expect Tom Fitzgerald to be engaged in some of the big fish; whether it’s Marchessault or Stamkos…Brayden Schenn in St. Louis,” Pagnotta stated, as shared by the NHL Rumour Report on their X profile.

Marchessault, for instance, is in the second year of his five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Predators. However, a move surrounding him comes with stipulations. First of all, the forward is obviously old, and secondly, the once-famed Vegas Golden Knights star has barely been able to live up to the standards he had once set himself, much like Stamkos.

Factors like these can significantly impact the progress of things. “But despite the fact that those are pedigreed players who have won championships, they’re older players who are not getting any faster, and the market isn’t that deep.

I think that the teams who are struggling are open for business in the sense that they’re willing to listen, but they’re not quite ready yet to part with primary assets,” TSN’s Darren Dreger expressed, as reported by Chris Cerullo of RMNB.

However, notwithstanding such issues, given the current state of Predators, a move is not unlikely. Thus, for all we know, Fitzgerald may take things up with Barry Trotz. Discussing how a development surrounding Stamkos or Marchessault could unfold, Dreger stated that there is a likelihood that the Predators will be asked to retain a significant amount of their salaries for the rest of their contracts.

Both veterans have seen a considerable decline in performance; any move surrounding them is likely to spark significant debate among the franchise’s fan base.