The Devils are coming off a needed bounce back season last year after a disappointing 23-24 campaign in which the club missed the playoffs after going into the season considered a top Cup contender.
New Jersey is hoping to take another step forward this year after their 91 point 24-25 season that saw them eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1st round of the playoffs. They are hoping to go on a deeper run in this 25-26 edition.
In the process of looking to increase their playoff odds, the Devils have been aggressive in attempts to improve their lineup. Recently they tried to acquire a former 40 goal scorer from an average western conference team.
Who did the Devils try to acquire?
Via Ryan Novozinsky, the Devils reached out to the Seattle Kraken for Jared McCann’s services but were rejected. The 29 year old forward recorded 22 goals and 39 assists leading his Seattle squad last season.
It would make sense for the Devils to eye McCann. Having established himself as a consistent top line forward producer with the Kraken the past 4 seasons, he would be a dangerous winger to add in their top 6. He could play with Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier up front in a first or second line role.
A McCann acquisition could have given the Devils a potential top 6 of McCann-Hughes-Bratt on line 1 and Meier-Hischier-Palat on line 2. This would have been one of the most potent forward groups in the NHL.
With that being said, it would have likely cost the Devils a heavy price to land McCann. Perhaps it was not meant to be, but it will be curious to see what if any future moves New Jersey has cooking as they continue to pursue the forward market.
