The New Jersey Devils have had a glaring hole in their top six since they first drafted Jack Hughes to be their franchise cornerstone. The only season in which he had two true top-six caliber forwards on his flanks was 2023-24, when he had Jesper Bratt and two-thirds of a season of Tyler Toffoli, who was promptly traded to the Winnipeg Jets in an attempt to maximize value at the trade deadline.
In an ideal world, an addition to the Devils' top six would be able to play both on the wing and down the middle, a preference based on the organizational injury woes that have plagued them in every season since their franchise-best 2022-23 campaign. After all, if Hughes or Nico Hischier go down for an extended period of time, as they have in the past, they'd need someone with top-six ability to slot in for them.
Enter the New York Islanders, who are reportedly considering trades surrounding Mathew Barzal.
The now-29-year-old speedster has been a staple in the Islanders' top six since he played his first full season in 2017-18 -- a year in which he totaled 85 points in 82 games. Since then, he has amassed a total of 534 points (153 goals and 381 assists) in 611 games.
Does Mat Barzal make sense for the New Jersey Devils?
Throughout his career, Barzal has sported excellent underlying numbers on an Islanders team that has historically lost their minutes. Only one of his nine seasons has come with an expected goal share (xGF%) of below 50%, sporting a 51.64% this past season. That number was fourth-best on the Islanders among players who played at least half the season, and third-best among forwards. On a per-60 basis, he ranked second on the team in expected goals for per hour (xGF/60).
Simply put, Barzal is an elite offensive weapon, specifically thriving as a playmaker and playdriver. In 2025-26, according to HockeyStats, the star forward ranked in the 99th percentile for zone entries with possession and the 97th for all zone entries, a product of his world-beating speed and acceleration.
From a playmaking perspective, he ended the year in the 94th percentile in shot assists (passes leading directly to shot attempts), the 86th percentile for high-danger passes, and the 82nd percentile for rush shot assists. Keep in mind, this came on an Islanders team with a very weak offense and that struggled immensely in the neutral zone.
Of course, the asking price would be astronomical. He's easily New York's most dynamic and threatening forward, and he is under contract for another five years at $9.15 million per season. However, the two parties have a trade history as recent as this past season, and the Devils both have the assets and the need to acquire a player of his archetype and caliber. Sure, they'd need to clear some cap space, but that should be relatively easy to complete.
Even if it takes Simon Nemec, the 12th overall pick, and another quality asset, the possibility of adding Barzal is too tantalizing to leave unexplored. If Sunny Mehta is looking to put his stamp on the Devils with a big trade, this is a move that checks all the boxes.
After all, Barzal is an elite-playdriving center who would significantly up the average speed of the roster, can play both on the wing and down the middle, fits the age group of the core players, possesses game-breaking ability, and who makes a division rival worse with his absence. Those don't grow on trees.
