The New Jersey Devils have made it clear they need one very specific thing before the NHL Trade Deadline. They want to add a center. It’s not rocket science. Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar fell off a cliff, Michael McLeod got arrested, Dawson Mercer hasn’t been able to play center, and they stopped focusing on center in the draft because they have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. Because of all of this, the Devils now not only have no center depth, but they don’t have anyone worth playing at the position after Hughes and Hischier.
It’s not a surprise that the Devils need a center, but can it be slightly kept under wraps? It’s way too out there. Elliotte Friedman revealed as much on the latest 32 Thoughts article for Sportsnet.
"The one team everyone believes will absolutely 100-per-cent trade for a centre? New Jersey. "Elliotte Friedman
Some of the centers Friedman mentioned as available are Nick Bjugstad, Jake Evans, Yanni Gourde, Luke Kunin, and Scott Laughton. None of them really move the needle, except maybe Jake Evans, but the Devils might not have the right pieces to get him.
The New Jersey Devils need to be less transparent about their NHL Trade Deadline needs.
This has a familiar feeling to it. Is this not exactly how the conversation around the Devils was last season, only that time it was for a goalie? Now, the conversation there lasted months, and this one will last about two weeks, but the thought process is the same. Teams will hold onto their centers and ask for high prices because they know the Devils are in the running.
The center market probably doesn't fall until a piece of the puzzle moves. Mikael Granlund did get traded to the Dallas Stars, but they paid a pretty big price for him. First-round picks will get the ball rolling, but the Devils don't have their pick for this season. They traded it to the Calgary Flames, along with Kevin Bahl, for Jacob Markstrom. That was due to the Devils being way too transparent about needing a goalie.
The news is out there now, so it probably will take a premium to get a center now. Nobody wants to be the team that got hosed despite the league knowing Tom Fitzgerald was asking everyone about their center options. If anything, it will take to almost the end of the deadline to make a deal, similar to the Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen deals last deadline.