The New Jersey Devils made a trade prior to the NHL freeze ahead of the Olympic break. Players cannot be traded after 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, among other movement. With so much hovering over the Devils right now, many expected it to be a quiet day in Newark.
That wasn’t the case. The Devils made a trade to add a fourth-line center. It’s something we’ve been desperate to see for months. They signed Luke Glendening and Kevin Rooney in training camp to PTOs, and Glendening won the job while Rooney went to the Utah Mammoth.
Glendening has been awful this season. His offensive numbers are in the negatives, and Sheldon Keefe finally started benching him when injuries allow. The Devils have tried Paul Cotter in that spot, but he’s not a natural center (and some could argue he hasn’t earned an everyday spot in the lineup).
On Wednesday, the Devils added a center from the St. Louis Blues, acquiring Nick Bjugstad.
Devils gets Nick Bjugstad from the Blues in exchange for a mid round pick and AHL player.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 4, 2026
Bjugstad, 33, has another year left on his deal next season at a $1.75M cap hit. https://t.co/g2kGBSca6X
The Blues get a conditional fourth-round pick and Thomas Bordeleau from the Devils for Bjugstad. Bjugstad had six goals in 35 games this season. The 33-year-old once had 24 goals with the Florida Panthers, but that was more than a decade ago. Today, he’s a decent fourth-line center who isn’t likely to score the 22 goals he had for the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24.
This is a weird move, as it’s considered a buy, but Bjugstad is signed for relatively cheap ($1.75 million) for this season and next season.
The Devils hope this solves a problem they’ve had for a while, giving them four centers signed through next season (Bjugstad, Cody Glass, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes). Obviously, they need more to add depth, but it’s a decent start.
Will there be more moves on the horizon? Only time will tell.