For the last several seasons, the New Jersey Devils have been stuck chasing their tails in one big circle in an effort to close roster holes they themselves opened and neglected.
Aside from at least one top-six winger, the Devils' greatest offseason need this summer is a No. 3 center, and particularly one who can step in and perform in an elevated role should something happen to either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
Some Devils fans are prepared to pony up an annual number north of $8 million for Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett, this year's Conn Smythe winner, in an effort to add size and skill to a much-maligned Devils forward group.
And Bennett's a great player who has earned whatever payday he has coming for him in the next few weeks. But seldom talked about is the player who allows Bennett to play in the role he does on the Panthers - Anton Lundell.
Anton Lundell this postseason:
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) June 18, 2025
•FLA up 24-8 in his 5v5 minutes
•In the SCF - up 8-3, while controlling 61% of expected goals and 64% of chances
•17 5v5 points (tied with Luostarinen for 2nd most, only behind McDavid's 18)
•Just 2 goals against in 37 shorthanded minutes
Lundell, 23, was drafted by the Panthers with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and has been to the Stanley Cup Finals in three of his four NHL seasons.
The Devils and GM Tom Fitzgerald, of course, opted to draft for need in the 2020 draft, selecting right wing Alexander Holtz with the seventh pick.
But drafting for need is not a great way to extract value from the dart board that is the entry draft. Holtz, who has already been traded away to the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire a fourth-liner in Paul Cotter, has fewer NHL goals and points than each of the six forwards drafted immediately after him, including Lundell.
The Devils quite literally would have been better off drafting any of the other top forwards, and by securing Lundell, the Devils would have secured a center depth of Hughes, Hischier, and Lundell, giving them three lines anchored by players who would allow their coach to deploy them to do different things on the ice.
Instead, Hughes is forced to score, Hischier is forced to play the matchups, and the other two lines are forced to struggle and generally contribute very little.
Lundell is already a two-time Stanley Cup champion who scored 44 points in his first NHL season and scored a career-high 45 points this season playing behind Bennett and Sasha Barkov. In the playoffs, the Finn added six goals, 12 assists, and 18 points in 23 games.
Last year, Lundell had three goals, 14 assists, and 17 points in 24 games. It's hard to ask for much more from a guy who was supposedly a third-line center.
Because Fitzgerald and the Devils continue to overthink their draft process and consistently get things wrong, they're now in the market to spend a glaring amount of money to patch over holes that never should have existed.
In 2024, the Devils selected Anton Silayev, a physical, buccaneering defenseman who is big, strong, agile, and lightning quick. But they also drafted him because his size and play style contrast those of more offense-oriented players like Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, and Seamus Casey.
On the other hand, Konsta Helenius, "the center from Finland," was a consideration for Fitzgerald even though he is only 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. It's very likely the Devils repeated their 2020 draft mistake by opting for perceived need over value once again.
Helenius, 19, scored 14 goals and 35 points in the AHL this season and was named the league's top prospect at the end of the season.
The NHL is a copycat league, and Fitzgerald and Co. always seem to be one or two steps behind everyone else. As long as that remains the case, they'll continue to pay the price year after year.