New Jersey Devils
4 Devils Trade Target Centers to Improve Depth
The Devils need to do something to upgrade their fourth line. They could start by going out and acquiring a center.

In recent weeks, something has become abundantly clear about the New Jersey Devils: a perennial 20-goal scorer, a career AHLer, and a forward/defense hybrid enforcer do not make for a good fourth line. That’s what the Devils have been working with over the last few weeks after injuries to Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian.
This makeshift fourth line is averaging under eight minutes of ice time a game, and it’s hampering the Devils top nine. With Lazar and Bastian out long-term, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald needs to be proactive and beef up the bottom of the lineup.
While acquiring a fourth line winger should remain a priority, the organization’s lack of center depth has finally caught up to them, and a trade would be the best way to fix the problem. If Fitzgerald goes that route, there should be a handful of effective, NHL-caliber centers on the trade market. The Devils currently have $1.1 million in cap space, per PuckPedia, but that number could rise to $3.45 million if Lazar and Bastian are put on LTIR.
READ: Devils Current Fourth Line Is Not Sustainable; What Can They Do?
Sean Kuraly – Columbus Blue Jackets
Sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference is the Devils Metro Division rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Their spot in the standings is no surprise, and it shouldn’t be a surprise when they start to sell off their pending UFAs, one of which is Sean Kuraly. Kuraly is in the final year of a four-year contract he signed in free agency and has been a solid hand at the bottom of the lineup for Columbus.
The 31-year-old has a $2.5 million cap hit this season, which would eat up the majority of the Devils cap space. However, if Columbus were willing to retain 50% of his contract, he would become much more appealing at just $1.25 million. What makes Kuraly a good option for the Devils 4C spot is his face-off prowess. He’s winning 55% of his face-offs, which leads the team.
While Kuraly’s scoring is down this season, he’s recorded 20-plus points four out of seven full seasons and scored a career-high 30 points on a decent Blue Jackets team back in 2021-22. He also brings a good amount of playoff experience with him from his time as a Boston Bruin. He was an important bottom-six forward during their 2018-19 Stanley Cup run and has played in 57 postseason games.
Nico Sturm – San Jose Sharks
Like Columbus, it’s only a matter of time before the rebuilding San Jose Sharks start trading off their older assets. The Devils and Sharks are no strangers when it comes to making a trade, creating a perfect marriage between Nico Sturm and the Devils. Sturm has a palatable $2 million cap hit this season, but it would be much more appetizing if the Sharks were willing to retain some salary.
Sturm is big-bodied, sneakily fast, and an ace in the face-off dot. The 6-foot-3 German leads all Sharks forwards in face-off percentage, winning 65.6%. His offensive game isn’t overly impressive, but he is shooting at an impressively high rate of 17.6%. Something that is both a pro and a con about Sturm is he doesn’t grade out great analytically. His Corsi and Fenwick percentages are low, and he doesn’t create much offense, but he’s also been saddled on the bottom six of a historically bad Sharks team.
With a change of scenery and significantly more talent around him, Sturm could be the type of player the Devils need to make a run in the postseason. He can kill penalties, win face-offs, and has the speed to adapt to the Devils style of play.
RELATED: Forward Drawing Interest Makes For Intriguing Devils Trade Option
Jake Evans – Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans has continued to work his way up their lineup and has become a solid piece for them. He’s currently playing higher up the lineup as the 2C and is accruing a lot more minutes than usual. The pending UFA has a $1.7 million cap hit, something the Devils can afford, and could be made available if Montreal continues to slide down the standings.
Evans has been a near 30-point scorer twice in his career and has shown flashes of offense at times. Evans is a speedy player who would upgrade the transition game of the Devils fourth line, something that is nonexistent right now. In addition, Evans is one of Montreal’s key penalty killers. He is second on the team in four-on-five ice time with 49 minutes, second to defenseman David Savard.
Vinnie Hinostroza – Nashville Predators
If Fitzgerald and the Devils want to make their Curtis Lazar trade 2.0, then look no further than Vinnie Hinostroza. Hinostroza is currently buried in the AHL, playing for the Milwaukee Admirals. However, there’s plenty to like about Hinostroza and why he would make for a very smart and savvy acquisition for the Devils.
For starters, Hinostroza currently leads the AHL in scoring. There are parallels between him and current Devils Stefan Noesen and Curtis Lazar that show a path for Hinostroza to get back to being a good NHL contributor. He’s a multi-time 20-plus point scorer (including a career-high 39 points in 2018-19), plays with a good amount of pace, has center/winger versatility, and has a cap hit of $775k for the next two seasons.
His last few stints in the NHL weren’t the greatest, but he’s shown that he’s too good for the AHL and likely just needs another shot on a better team in the NHL. For the Devils, they would be able to kill two birds with one stone by acquiring a player who can fill in at center or the wing while also having a cheap body for the next year and a half while every dollar of cap space is important. The likely low cost of acquisition would make this a no-brainer trade to make to improve the fourth line while on a shoestring budget.
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