According to Pierre Lebrun, the New Jersey Devils have spoken to Gerard Gallant about their head coaching position.
Lebrun notes that interim coach Alain Nasreddine is still a contender for the position, but the Devils have spoken to others, including Gallant.
Gallant was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this season.
Taylor Hall has been traded to the Arizona Coyotes.
*Breaking News *
As per what I’m told ; @ArizonaCoyotes send F Nick Merkley, and Nate Schnarr, D-Man Kevin Bahl, conditional 1st Rd 2020 pick and conditional 3rd Rd 2021 pick for Hall from @NJDevils .@NHL @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) December 16, 2019
Blake Speers is also going with Hall to Arizona.
Pierre Lebrun has details on the conditional 2021 3rd round pick:
There's a hard 1st-round pick in the Hall trade PLUS another conditional 1st-round pick IF the Coyotes re-sign Hall AND win a playoff round. The conditional pick becomes a third-round pick if neither of those things happen. And a 2nd-round pick if one of those 2 things happen
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 16, 2019
As reported several places, The Devils are retaining half of Taylor Hall’s contract to facilitate the trade.
Elliotte Friedman reports the Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils might be closing a Taylor Hall trade.
There is word this afternoon NJ/ARIZ are working on closing a Taylor Hall deal
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 16, 2019
Hall has been held out of New Jersey’s lineup for the past two days as they closed in on trading the star winger.
The Devils have placed goalie Cory Schneider on waivers.
#NJDevils goaltender Cory Schneider will be placed on waivers at noon ET for purpose of assignment to Binghamton (AHL).
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 18, 2019
Schneider, 33, has a cap hit of $6 million through 2021-22.
In Schneider’s first three seasons with the Devils, he posted a 69-71-27 record with a 0.924 SV% and a 2.15 GAA. Since 2016-17, he’s gone 43-60-22 with a 0.904 SV% and a 2.97 GAA, as he’s battled hip injuries.
The Devils recalled Louis Domingue to supplement Mackenzie Blackwood in the crease.
The New Jersey Devils have re-signed Nico Hischier to a 7 year deal with an average annual salary of $7.25 million.
Breakdown of Nico Hischier's $50.75M, seven-year extension with #NJDevils:
$3M SB/$4M salary
$7.25M salary
$4.5M salary
$7.75M salary
$7.75M salary
$8M salary
$8.5M salary— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 18, 2019
2019-20 is the final season on Hischier’s entry-level contract.
The Devils announced that they have re-signed Pavel Zacha to a 3 year contract.
The New Jersey Devils today re-signed restricted free agent center Pavel Zacha to a three-year deal worth $2.25 million AAV.https://t.co/4qRE6JwI7I
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 10, 2019
There was a report yesterday that Zacha had agreed to terms with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.
Zacha, 22, will be two seasons away from unrestricted free agency after this contract.
Image from Александр Головко via Wikimedia Commons
Sportsnet, passing along a report from Finland’s Iltalehti, says that Ilya Kovalchuk may be plotting a return to the NHL in 2016-17.
Because he ‘retired’ from the NHL to get out of his 15 year contract with the Devils, Kovalchuk would need the permission of all 30 NHL teams to return to the league prior to the 2018-19 season.
Kovalchuk will turn 32 next month.
Marek Zidlicky has been traded to the Red Wings, reports Tom Gulitti.
Marek Zidlicky traded to Detroit for third rd pick in 2016.
— Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) March 2, 2015
Detroit has been rumored to be in on Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf for most of the day, but the two sides obviously couldn’t work out a deal.
TSN reports that if Detroit gets to the Stanley Cup Finals this season, the pick will be upgraded to a 2nd.