On Friday night, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported the New Jersey Devils are not expected to extend a qualifying offer to pending free agent center Cody Glass, which would make him an unrestricted free agent who is able to negotiate and sign with other NHL teams on his own accord.
This does not necessarily mean the Devils won't find a way to keep Glass; his qualifying offer is $2.5 million and the Devils are likely looking to sign him for less than that.
The concern, with just over a week until July 1, is that there is not a whole lot of time left to find a solution, with GM Tom Fitzgerald now running the risk of his top NHL trade deadline acquisition leaving the Devils for free on the heels of a botched contract negotiation.
The optics, particularly in the eyes of increasingly inpatient Devils fans, would be terrible. But that doesn't mean Fitzgerald can't salvage the situation should Glass leave without a new deal. Let's discuss three other free agent options at the center position who would be silver linings in this hypothetical scenario.
Nico Sturm
Current Team: Florida Panthers
Nico Sturm, one of the NHL's best defensive fourth-line centers, is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion after he, alongside former Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek, joined the Florida Panthers by way of the San Jose Sharks during the 2024-25 season.
Sturm, 30, played just 15 regular season games and eight playoff games for the Panthers, recording one assist. When Sturm joined the Colorado Avalanche via Minnesota Wild trade in 2022, he had just three assists in 21 regular season games and two assists in 13 playoff games.
Whether it's the grind of the playoffs or struggling to deal with being traded during the year, Sturm has five points in 30 playoff games, but it may help drive down his price to the benefit of the Devils.
Sturm is just two seasons removed from a breakout campaign that saw him pot 14 goals, 12 assists, and 26 points on the lowly Sharks. Perhaps Timo Meier, a former Sharks teammate, can help recruit Sturm to the Devils with New Jersey in desperate need of passable center depth and, hopefully, a permanent, effective fourth-line staple.
If Sturm can find the form that made him so impressive in San Jose and Minnesota, a cheap prove-it deal would be a massive win for the Devils.
Kevin Rooney
Current Team: Calgary Flames
New Jersey Devils fans may have seen enough of Kevin Rooney from his earlier stint in Newark, which lasted from 2016-17 to 2019-20.
With career-highs of just eight goals and 14 points, Rooney has never been a great offensive player. At age 32, that's not going to change, but Rooney does have a respectable (relative to his role) career shooting percentage of 9.7%.
Let's just say #NJDevils don't keep Cody Glass for whatever reason... pic.twitter.com/bILqTvGOzS
— Jonathan Bailey (@ByJonBailey) June 21, 2025
The former Devils center played a career-high 70 games for the Calgary Flames last season, scoring five goals and five assists in a depth role. Rooney brings decent size at 6-foot-2 and is actually a surprisingly effective penalty killer, which the Devils need more of if they wish to preserve Jack Hughes for the sake of his health.
Rooney is already familiar with his former Devils teammates and may not require an every-night role; he played just 50 NHL games for the Flames between 2022-23 and 2023-24. Depending on the cost, the Devils could do worse than a dart throw on an old friend in Rooney.