Josh Anderson badly wanted by top contender in prospective trade

Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson is getting checked out. His name has come up several times in past months in trade chatter, and now Habs podcast host Tony Marinaro reports that New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald wants the winger badly.

“One team that wants him badly, and I mean badly, because I’m sure there’s a couple of teams that would take him. The New Jersey Devils want Josh Anderson badly,” he said.

While there are reports that the Devils were not ready to move the second overall pick for the power forward at the 2022 NHL Draft, Marinaro believes Fitzgerald could be convinced to move a top youngster in a bigger package to make this transaction happen.

“They’re not trading Jack Hughes and they’re not trading Nico Hischier. I don’t know how much they’d be willing to give up, but they have some players that are not on this team right now. I’m talking about defenseman Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Alexander Holtz,” suggested Marinaro on what type of return Anderson could get the Habs. “They want Josh Anderson badly, and it doesn’t mean you have to do a ‘one-vs-one’ deal. You can spice it up by throwing in other players or other picks, but I can tell you right now, based on what I’m hearing, that the Devils want Anderson badly.”

The Devils could feel the pressure to trade for Anderson as the trade deadline grows closer. Marinaro claims there are more teams besides the Devils who would look to acquire Anderson. There are reports that the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are also interested in the gritty winger.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes might look for a bidding war closer to March 3rd, and Anderson’s value in the trade market could be much higher by that point.

This is going to be a fun watch to watch!