Mild, Medium, Hot: Evaluating Three Trade Proposals from the Devils

The New York Islanders are on the clock. After coming out of the break and going 3-3-0, they have fallen to 13th in the Eastern Conference. They currently sit just three points outside of a playoff spot. Yet, with so many teams to hop over, it seems like the Islanders will sell.

Last night in UBS, the game finished with flooding emotions. Brock Nelson broke down postgame on the ice as the fanbase offered him well-wishes ahead of a potential trade. Kyle Palmieri also received a curtain call and was named the #2 star of the night.

All of that drama leaves the Islanders with decisions to make. Based on last night, it sure seems the franchise is preparing for a divorce with Nelson and Palmieri, at the very least. So, who could be interested in the players? Is there a package deal out there?

Enter the New Jersey Devils. It feels like a perfect match with Jack Hughes out indefinitely and the Devils desperately needing wing depth. I called up NJ Hockey Now’s James Nichols, and we hashed out three different trade proposals for three different deal styles.

Mild: Devils Trade NJD 2025 2nd Round Pick & VGK 3rd Round Pick for Kyle Palmieri:

Why the Islanders do it: This is the sticker price for Kyle Palmieri. The Islanders do it for the added draft capital; two top-100 picks this season added to their own pool of selections. At that point, Lou Lamoriello can either restock the prospect cupboard or flip the picks for immediate help, whether it’s now or in the summer. The Islanders aren’t interested in a total rebuild. Unless someone comes along and wrecks the market by offering a 1st, this is likely the best the Islanders can get for Palmieri.

Why the Devils Do It (Nichols): Kyle Palmieri is exactly the kind of complimentary top-six scorer the Devils are lacking. He’s a candidate to play next to Jack Hughes (if he returns this season) which will bump down Ondrej Palat to his proper place in the lineup.

Palmieri, a former Devil, knows the organization already and would be coming back to a much different situation from when he left a rebuilding Devils squad. Following the Islanders’ win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Palmieri was asked to reflect on his time on Long Island as it’s anticipated he will be traded. He explained he loved winning and competing for a playoff spot. He’ll get that experience on a playoff-bound Devils team and could even see his goal pace increase on a higher-skilled team.

Palmieri is up to eight goals in his last 12 games and has 20 on the season thus far. The cost acquisition of a second and third-round pick is more than fair when the Devils have second-round picks to spare. And in this situation, they’re not giving up another first-round pick with the chance that Palmieri is just a rental.

Medium: Devils Trade 2026 1st Round Pick, NJD. 2025 2nd Round Pick & F Cam Squires for Brock Nelson

Why the Islanders do it: This is about the minimum price for Brock Nelson. There are talks that the Islanders could be getting a player like Brad Lambert and Winnipeg’s 1st for him, so if New Jersey is going to trade for him, it takes an unprotected 2026 1st in next year’s loaded draft plus a second and one of New Jersey’s top forward prospects (#4 F in the Athletic).

Cam Squires is a fourth-round pick from 2023 but has seen his stock rise since his draft, and he’s drawn comparisons to Tyler Toffoli. He’s far from the worst prospect that the Islanders can land. Squires has 19 goals and 61 points through 50 games with the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL. He’s worn a letter (an A) for the last two seasons and scored 33 goals and 72 points last season. In the playoffs, he also thrived, recording nine goals and 20 points in the 14 playoff games for the Eagles.

Circling back to that 2026 1st, that’s the most valuable piece. For all we know, the Devils could have a bad year. After all, they’re a sub .500 in 2025 (9-11-3). It gives the Islanders two 1s in 2026 to hold or sell for an elite forward they’re hunting for.

I think the Islanders would struggle to move Nelson in-division, but if they do, it would take a package like this, with maybe even a little more from the Devils. The Islanders may ask for Seamus Casey or Simon Nemec, but the Devils would not move them in this deal.

Why the Devils Do It (Nichols): Brock Nelson is the top NHL trade target across the board. Therefore, it’s likely that Lou Lamoriello knows he can apply an in-division tax if the Devils are serious suitors for Nelson. The Devils are handing over a number of valuable assets in this trade, thus including their 2026 1st round pick and Cam Squires, a former fourth-round pick with NHL upside. Squires has been increasing his stock as one of the QMJHL’s top scorers in recent seasons and profiles as a “Tyler Toffoli type.”

He’s still years away from NHL games, however. The Devils need help now, and in this case, they’re not forking over their top forward prospects in Lenni Hameenaho or Arseni Gritsyuk and receive a center who can fill the 2C role now that Nico Hischier is filling Hughes’ 1C void.

The Devils don’t want to let a second consecutive season slip away from them, and adding Nelson bolsters their forward group, especially if Hughes returns. Adding a perennial 30-goal scorer in Nelson, who plays center and showed a solid two-way game among the NHL best at the 4 Nations Face-Off, checks a lot of boxes for the Devils.

Hot: Devils Trade 2026 1st Round Pick, NJD 2025 2nd Round Pick, Lower of EDM/WPG 2025 2nd Round Pick, NJD 2026 3rd Round Pick & F Herman Traff for Brock Nelson (50% Retained) & Kyle Palmieri