3 teams that need to trade for Noah Hanifin right now

2. Noah Hanifin might not be the only Flames player that the Devils target

The New Jersey Devils have been one of the more disappointing teams in the NHL this season, putting up a 26-21-4 record through their first 51 games of the season. They're as healthy as they've been in a while with Jack Hughes returning from injury after the All-Star break, but they sit eight points out of a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division and four points back of a Wild Card spot entering play on Tuesday.

Goaltending has been the biggest reason why New Jersey is where they are right now, but their team defense which was so good last season has taken a step back. Departures of Ryan Graves and Damon Severson haven't helped, but injuries to their top defensive pair consisting of Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler have been noticeable. Hamilton is expected to miss most, if not the entire regular season, and while Siegenthaler is expected back sometime soon, the Devils have to be aggressive now.

The Devils have played better defensively since the All-Star break with impressive performances against quality teams like the Avalanche and Hurricanes, but they're far from perfect on that end of the ice. Hanifin would help with that immensely, at least for this season.

While they're discussing Hanifin, the Devils can potentially loop goalie Jakob Markstrom into the deal. They can use him arguably even more than Hanifin. Both would be ideal, but Devils fans would settle for just Hanifin as well.