5 moves New Jersey Devils must make to return to playoffs

2. Make a bid for John Tavares

Now we’re getting into the heavy-hitting portion of this piece.

The Devils have $20 million to work with this offseason, and maybe more depending on how much the salary cap increases. The previous three moves would all help the team move in the right direction, but New Jersey needs a few more major contributors to make a run at the Stanley Cup. John Tavares would undoubtedly be one of them.

Tavares, 27, is one o the most prolific players in the NHL. In the prime of his career, the New York Islanders might lose him in free agency, and the Devils could be the beneficiary. New Jersey has a good pitch for Tavares, which would include not having to move, a huge payday, staying within the Metropolitan Division and playing on a contender.

In his career, Tavares has played in 669 regular-season games over nine campaigns and racked up 272 goals and 621 points. Incredibly, the Islanders have only won a single playoff series over that time due to incompetence. If he decides to leave the organization, he’ll have interest from every club with the cap space to make a deal happen, giving the Devils plenty of competition.

Still, New Jersey could make a real run at him and should. With Tavares in the fold, the Devils would have a top six that includes Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Marcus Johansson, Nico Hischier and Tavares. Not bad.