The New Jersey Devils’ defense is not in good shape to start the season. They have never been fully healthy. Johnny Kovacevic missed all of training camp, and Seamus Casey got hurt in the last preseason game. Kovacevic might return to the lineup in the next few weeks, but Casey is going to be out until at least Christmas. 

Now, the injury issue is likely about to get worse. Jonas Siegenthaler went into the boards hard in the Devils’ matchup with the Utah Mammoth. Eventually, Brenden Dillon fought Jared McBain, which only exacerbated the issue. 

Now, the Devils have to make a choice. With Kovacevic still not ready to play, and if Siegenthaler is out long-term, they are down to four starting defensemen. The most obvious move would be to move Dillon up to the Dougie Hamilton pairing, but that leaves the Devils with a big problem.

They have Declan Chisholm, but who should play on his pairing? That’s the million-dollar question. The options are not great.

Looking at the AHL, there are three distinct options: Vladislav Kolyachonok, Topias Vilen, or Ethan Edwards. The most likely option to start is Kolyachonok, but Vilen might be the choice with higher upside. 

Either way, it’s not an ideal choice. However, there is a get out of jail free card here. Sunny Mehta can make a call to Detroit and get the Red Wings out of their own misery. Well, at least one of their miseries.

Simon Edvinsson is an obvious target for the Devils

Right before the season, we discussed a possible Edvinsson trade, and there are some issues there for the Devils. The price for the trade is one thing, but the contract is the bigger detriment. However, if the Devils can get this contract down to $8 million per season, they can make this happen by trading Dillon and Dawson Mercer. That won’t be the whole trade, but it would make the contracts work.

There’s an additional reason why this trade makes sense for the Devils now. It could actually help them eventually get Quinn Hughes. 

We talk about the types of pieces the Devils will need to get Hughes in the future. Imagine if they had a young, high-leverage defenseman to move in the deal. This would immediately replace the most valuable piece the Minnesota Wild gave up in the Hughes trade, when they sent Zeev Buium to the Vancouver Canucks. 

The Devils also have an extra first-round pick in 2027, a draft that is starting to look pretty weak. The Devils could lose a pick in the Edvinsson deal and still have one to trade for Quinn Hughes.

All in all, an Edvinsson trade makes sense for the Devils. He actually had some practices in training camp despite not having a contract, so he’s not completely cold. He could immediately help the Devils, and he could either stick around long term or be trade fodder in the future. It’s truly a win-win. 

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