The New Jersey Devils are reportedly in on every center that's available at the NHL Trade Deadline. We would love the Devils to make a big move for Ryan O'Reilly or Elias Pettersson, but in reality, the ones that are available are Ryan Donato of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues, and Scott Laughton of the Philadelphia Flyers.
All of those players would have to come with a pretty massive overpay. Teams are willing to give up serious capital to get the players they think best fit their needs. Those three teams are waiting for said overpay.
A new report ties the Devils to an overpay for the Blues captain. Schenn is a fine player for what he is, but he doesn't really make the Devils better, and he has a big cap hit. According to Puck Pedia, Schenn is due $6.5 million against the cap for three years after this one. That's already a huge risk for a 33-year-old who seems to be out of his prime, but it gets worse.
As #njdevils look at the center market, it sounds like Brayden Schenn is someone they like. As mentioned yesterday, they'd like a top-six C w/ term if they're to move their '26 1st round pick.
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) March 7, 2025
Schenn has full trade protection and has significant term left.@DailyFaceoff
Trading a first-round pick for a player of Brayden Schenn's caliber would be a disaster for the New Jersey Devils.
This has to be a deal breaker for Tom Fitzgerald. We talk about the overpay that was the Brian Dumoulin trade, but this would be a future-shifting disaster. Losing a first-round pick in 2026 (the Devils don't have a 2025 first because of the Jacob Markstrom trade) would hurt the Devils future ability to make trades. Adding Schenn's cap hit for a player who's barely a third-line center is also bad.
Please. Do not trade for Brayden Schenn. This would just be another Ondrej Palat contract on the books #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/6TWBNNLGER
— Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_NJD) March 7, 2025
Fitzgerald needs to avoid this trade with every fiber in his being. This wouldn't move the needle for the Devils now, and it could just be another Erik Haula for more money. Schenn is most valuable to the Blues because of his status as their captain and their current playoff chase. The Devils can't pay the Blues value for him. They have to stick to their own values, and there are much better players to spend their 2026 first-round pick on.