The New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals are both sitting in a spot where a big swing feels less like a luxury and more like the plan.
They’ve already split the first two games of their four-game season series, with Washington winning 4-2 on home ice and New Jersey answering with a 5-2 victory Thursday night at home. And both clubs are starting to look like teams that expect to be in the playoff mix when the season settles in.
The Devils are 14-6, and after landing Connor Hellebuyck, they look like a team charging toward the top of the Eastern Conference. The Capitals are 10-7 and haven’t looked dominant yet, but they have enough talent to be right there by the end of the year.
What makes Washington so interesting is the mix of current NHL pieces and prospects waiting in the wings. The Capitals have young players who can play now but still can’t find regular lineup spots. Ivan Miroshnichenko is a healthy scratch most nights, while Bogdan Trineyev, a 24-year-old power forward, is still in Hershey even though he’s the kind of player teams usually want when the games get tight in the spring.
That’s part of the appeal of the Capitals’ situation. They have depth in the system, and that gives them options.
Andrew Cristall is another name in the pipeline, a 21-year-old winger with enough skill to fit in a middle-six NHL role. But Washington already has a surplus of wingers, including Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, both of whom were brought in during the offseason and are locked in long term.
So the question becomes what the Capitals do with all of that. They can keep developing those players, or they can turn some of that young talent into another elite piece and still avoid stripping the system bare.
New Jersey’s path looks different, but just as aggressive. General manager Sunny Mehta has already shown he’s willing to operate outside the usual script. The offseason moves, the Hellebuyck blockbuster, and the decision to start Jake Allen instead of Hellebuyck in his return to Winnipeg all point to a front office that isn’t afraid to make a bold call.
Hellebuyck himself summed up the difference when he spoke during his 22-minute press conference on Tuesday before the game against the Winnipeg Jets.
“They handle business differently than I’m used to,” Hellebuyck stated in his presser.
That line fit the moment, but it also fits the way Mehta has handled the Devils. He’s been willing to make big moves, and he’s shown he can get creative with smaller ones too, whether that means moving depth pieces or making lesser deals to create more flexibility. That’s why another major move from New Jersey would hardly come as a shock.
“We’re never done. We’re never done,” Mehta stated ahead of Hellebuyck’s introductory press conference with the Devils.
If the Devils keep trending toward the top of the league by the trade deadline, Mehta could go in either direction: a quieter, under-the-radar addition or another full-force swing.
Washington, meanwhile, has a different kind of urgency. This is Alexander Ovechkin’s last season in the NHL.
The all-time goals leader announced that he’s retiring after this year, and the Capitals want to send him out on top. That means another Stanley Cup run is the goal, just like the one they reached in 2018.
The offseason set them up to chase it. The roster is already strong, and the team also has young players like Cole Hutson and Ryan Leonard coming into the picture. That combination puts Washington in position to buy at the deadline and push hard for a deep playoff run.
As for possible names, Dylan Larkin is on both teams’ trade lists. He checks a lot of boxes as a top-six center who can also slide to the wing and impact the game in different ways. Both clubs already have top-six centers, but added versatility is never a bad thing when the postseason arrives.
Zach Werenski is another name worth watching. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, who won the Norris Trophy last season, will be a free agent after next season and could be a trade candidate if Columbus keeps struggling. The wrinkle is that Washington already has two scoring defensemen, while New Jersey has Luke Hughes emerging as an elite two-way defender, with another Hughes also potentially on the Devils’ radar.
For the Capitals, Nikita Kucherov would be the most eye-catching fit. The Tampa Bay Lightning have no interest in moving the reigning Hart Trophy winner, and his style doesn’t neatly match Washington’s top six. Still, he would raise the ceiling for the Capitals, and there’s the added storyline of him skating alongside Ovechkin, his fellow countryman.
Both teams are in position to make a move. The only real mystery is which one lands the next blockbuster first.
In Other News...
Devils Hot Start Just Got A Boost Fans Have To See
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Connor Hellebuyck also made a strong first impression in his first start for New Jersey since arriving from Winnipeg, turning aside 26 shots to steady the back end when the game was still in the balance. With the Devils sitting second in the division, this was the kind of complete effort that can make a hot start feel even more real. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Just Got A Painful Reminder About Dawson Mercer
Dawson Mercer is wasting no time making the Devils think twice about moving him. In his first 10 games with Winnipeg, the former New Jersey forward has already piled up five goals and three assists, and he has settled quickly into a second-line role while also working on the power-play unit.
Scott Arniel has pointed to Mercers growing confidence and comfort as part of the reason the fit has clicked so fast. For Winnipeg, that kind of immediate impact has helped fuel a recent winning streak, and for New Jersey it serves as a sharp reminder of what Mercer can do when he finds the right spot in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Passed A Tough Depth Test When They Needed It Most
With Brett Pesce, Johnny Kovacevic and Anthony Mantha all unavailable, the Devils had to lean on their depth against Washington and got exactly the kind of response a team hopes for in a pinch. Lenni Hameenaho and Kolyachonok both made their season debuts and both found the net, while Stefan Noesen returned to the lineup to give New Jersey another familiar piece back in the mix.
The bigger takeaway was how the group held together under pressure and still found a way to come through in a tight game. Kolyachonoks goal ended up deciding it, a reminder that on nights when the roster is stretched thin, the Devils can still get contributions from unexpected places and keep the damage from injuries from turning into an excuse. [Read more 🡒]