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A little bit ago, I set out to answer some of your mailbag questions from Reddit, Twitter/X, and Discord. Today, let’s finish out the series and answer some more!
Out of that crop of six players, at this point in time, I’d assume Amadeus Lombardi, Declan Chisholm, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Dawson Mercer are the ones who will be on the roster. The Devils spent to acquire the now-waiver-eligible Lombardi and have spoken quite highly of his skillset, with Sunny Mehta calling him “much more than depth.” They also spent to acquire Chisholm, who is getting paid nearly double league-minimum — I have a hard time believing the Devils want to use $1.6 million on a seventh defenseman, especially with Vladislav Kolyachonok on a one-way deal, too.
Lombardi on the roster would give the Devils 14 forwards and 24 rostered players with Lenni Hameenaho in Utica. They’d have to clear a roster spot up front, and Stefan Noesen seems like the odd man out from both a stylistic perspective and a cost-to-benefit ratio perspective in terms of his $2.75 million cap hit. If they want Chisholm as more than a seventh defenseman — which I think they do — that leaves Brenden Dillon and Jonas Siegenthaler as two left-handed options to be on the move. Given their respective age curves, AAVs, and ceilings, I feel like Dillon is the one to go.
I’ve been back-and-forth with Mercer’s future, even saying that I think the best option given the roster in front of him is to trade him for futures and increased flexibility, but I think he’s likely to stay put on the roster regardless of my opinion on the player. If he is traded, it seems like it will be at the trade deadline or in a package for a top-six player or franchise-altering defenseman (wink wink).
I think they’re done acquiring for the summer, barring some unprecedented availability of a true needle-mover (Dylan Larkin, Quinn Hughes, for example). They’re almost certainly not done from a trade perspective, simply because they have roster spots to free up.
That said, I do think the Devils are already primed for a big 2027 Trade Deadline, given their cap situation and the pieces they will have available.
I’m excited to see if the bets that Mehta made are going to pay off. He cited Mantha as a buy-low target, put major stock in Lombardi and Chisholm, is gambling on a three-goalie rotation, and is doing little to differentiate a defense corps that struggled at times during 2025-26. I have confidence in those choices panning out — Mehta is smarter and more calculated than any of us — but they’re gambles nonetheless.
Yes and no, and I think it depends on if the Devils are keeping their powder dry until the Quinn Hughes saga wraps up. If Quinn extends in Minnesota, I’d be more inclined to want him on the Devils. If not, I’d hold off, even if I think the real Elias Pettersson is closer to his peak performance than he is to his last two campaigns.
I’ve eluded to it a few times now, but the true ideal target is the final Hughes brother. Until he puts pen to paper and shuts me up, I can’t help but think it’s a possibility. The Devils need a true #1 defenseman, especially one with the gravity of Hughes. He would be a franchise-altering acquisition.
Beyond him, any number of top-six wingers would do. Perhaps Alex DeBrincat becomes available at the trade deadline. Perhaps Dylan Larkin opens his trade list to include New Jersey. Perhaps the Ducks think they need to move on from Troy Terry. Perhaps Ryan O’Reilly will be on the move. There are infinite possibilities, to be honest. If I were to pick one target from that group, it would be DeBrincat.
I think the writing is on the wall for Anthony Mantha to start the year alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Mantha himself mentioned the prospect of it in his initial post-acquisition interview with the organization, and Sunny Mehta noted that he sees the appeal, stylistically speaking. There will, of course, be changes throughout the year, but I would be surprised if Mantha wasn’t with the team’s two best playmakers to begin 2026-27.
I can’t decide between Shake Shack’s nuggets and Wendy’s spicy nuggets for the top spot. Burger King’s chicken fries are a close third, but their nuggets themselves are pretty bad. I can’t stand McDonald’s nuggets texture-wise, I haven’t had KFC’s nuggets themselves, I haven’t eaten at Chik-Fil-A in a decade, and I’m not sure I’ve been to any other fast-food joints.
Again, thank you all for the submissions. This is it for the off-season mailbag — I’ll try to do one of these during the season as well!
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