The New Jersey Devils are finally healthy. After losing players from their bottom six for months, the Devils announced that Curtis Lazar is returning to the lineup on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. That is huge news, as we previously thought that Lazar was going to miss most of the season with a lower-body injury.
The Devils have serious issues with depth at the center position. If they don't move Dawson Mercer to center, then they really don't have anyone who's truly an NHL-caliber player to take over anyone's spot if someone gets hurt.
There are a few reasons why this happened. The Devils really focused on defense and wingers over the last few drafts. They have young stars in Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. They don't need a center to pop in the prospect pool because nobody is making it in the top six. The Devils have two superstars at the position for years to come.
The Devils traded for Erik Haula and Lazar to fill in their bottom-six center spots (at least, that was the plan after Michael McLeod's arrest). So, when Lazar got injured, the Devils really had to just take the best option from the Utica Comets.
New Jersey Devils place Justin Dowling on waivers after Curtis Lazar returns from injury
That was Justin Dowling. He had some NHL experience, playing 100 games in the big show prior to this season. Dowling wasn't terrible, although he was at times an offensive black hole. He was on the ice for about two goals against for every 60 minutes of ice time. That's about the middle of the pack for the team.
Dowling did a good enough job while he was here, but it was always going to end when Lazar returned. The 34-year-old center can return to Utica and help a revitalized team under a new head coach. That is, if he stays with the New Jersey Devils organization.
Dowling was placed on waivers on Tuesday. Now, all 31 other NHL teams have a chance to add him to their NHL roster for free. However, this is unlikely, as Dowling has been seen as an AHL player for most of his career. He did fine while with the Devils, but it was based on rock-bottom expectations. It's very likely he makes it to the AHL and can come back to the Devils if they end up needing him again.