The New Jersey Devils made a very surprising move right before the Olympic break. It wasn’t surprising in the hole it filled, as it was something the team has needed all season, but it was surprising in the timing.
For most of the season, the Devils have been playing with Luke Glendening as their fourth-line center. That has not gone well. What started as a tryout with nothing to lose led to a player who could not add offensive value on the bottom six.
The real issue was that Glendening was the only option as their fourth-line center. Kevin Rooney signed with Utah after the Devils gave him a PTO, too. This led to Glendening playing 52 games with zero goals and just four assists.
To address this “issue,” the Devils traded for Nick Bjugstad. We don’t have that the Devils traded for more depth at the position, but what we do hate is the Devils buying a player who has another year left on his contract when the season is essentially over. This also doesn’t really address the Devils’ most pressing issue.
The Devils cannot score, and neither can Bjugstad. He scored 22 goals just a couple of years ago, the 33-year-old has just six goals this season.
Now, reports have come out that the Devils are looking at trading multiple pieces, and Bjugstad is hardly untouchable. After just four years with the franchise, the Devils could be flipping Bjugstad to a new franchise.
The New Jersey Devils could trade a player they got less than a month ago
Chris Johnston of The Athletic has Bjugstad on his trade board. That might surprise some people, but it makes a ton of sense when you really look at the facts of the situation.
The Devils have an even worse chance of making the playoffs than they did when they traded Bjugstad. The former Coyotes star hasn’t been great with the Devils, although it’s a really small sample size. If the team is having a little buyer’s remorse, maybe it’s easier to cut bait.
The Devils only gave up Thomas Bordeleau and a fourth-round pick in the NHL Draft to get Bjugstad. Can the Devils recover a similar, or maybe even better, return near the trade deadline? It wouldn’t be crazy for teams desperately go after a bottom-six center with a third-round pick when their other options fail.