New Jersey Devils

Devils Trade Targets: 4 Centers to Fill Potential Jack Hughes Void

The New Jersey Devils very well may need to fill a Jack Hughes void. Here are four options in a Devils trade to do so.

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2025

No one who is available and on the market is going to amount to what Jack Hughes provides for the New Jersey Devils. Therefore, expecting an outsourced player to come in and fill his shoes will surely be disappointing. However, there are available centers on the NHL trade market. A Devils trade to strengthen the center core was necessary before, and with Hughes injured, it’s even more necessary now.

Presumably, Nico Hischier is the Devils’ 1C until further notice. Anyone acquired through a Devils trade would likely slot behind the Devils captain, and if Jack Hughes does return, he could play as a 3C.

We’ve already highlighted that Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has to get to work.

So, where can he look for fits this season, and to fit his M.O., players who can stick around beyond?

Here are some four options to pursue in a Devils trade that could fill a top-six role in Hughes’ absence.

Brayden Schenn

New Jersey Hockey Now learned New Jersey had mild interest in acquiring the St. Louis Blues captain in a Devils trade. However, the cost of acquisition was outside their level of comfort.

Brayden Schenn is in the fifth year of an eight-year contract that carries an AAV of $6.5 million.

So what does that tell you?

It says to us that Fitzgerald is open to acquiring players that will play for the Devils beyond this season. That’s not too different at all from his track record, acquiring Timo Meier two deadlines ago, and Jake Allen last season.

In 62 games this season, Schenn’s scored 12 goals and 28 points.

He’s no barn burner like Jack Hughes, but can chip in 20 goals a year and play a responsible two-way game.

With Hughes in the lineup, Schenn is an ideal 3C. However, in the case of injury, he can hold his own in an increased role such as the one he’s playing in St. Louis as their 2C.

Casey Mittelstadt

Casey Mittelstadt is an intriguing option. He’s another player who fits the long-term billing of a player that can serve the Devils beyond the 2024-25 season.

His fit with the Colorado Avalanche just hasn’t worked out.

Mittelstadt had back-to-back 55-plus point seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, which was enough for Colorado to sell Bowen Byram one-for-one in exchange for the Minnesota native.

In 61 games this season, Mittelstadt has 10 goals and 33 points. His two-way game is solid and in a 3C role, he’d be an ideal fit, especially given his age at 26 years old.

However, in an elevated role, perhaps he’d fair well next to a playmaker in Jesper Bratt who could open up more opportunity for Mittelstadt to find the back of the net.

Ryan O’Reilly

For starters, Ryan O’Reilly is familiar with head coach Sheldon Keefe, previously playing for him with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 13 games after he was traded from the Blues.

O’Reilly scored four goals and 11 points in that span, proving to mesh well in a Keefe-led system, the same system the Devils head coach utilizes in New Jersey.

He’s in the second year of a four-year contract that carries a $4.5 million contract. That’s a favorable contract to absorb, especially due to the rising cap over the next several seasons.

Much like the first two options, the 34-year-old center is an ideal 3C who can play up in a 2C role when necessary.

Nashville has certainly underperformed this season, and GM Barry Trotz could be looking at ways to retool his roster. Selling the former Stanley Cup Champion and Conn Smythe recipient is certainly one way to recoup assets of value.

O’Reilly checks a lot of boxes. The Devils should consider him before Friday’s 3 P.M. deadline.

Brock Nelson

Brock Nelson is the only player on this list who could be a pure rental.

Hear me out, however.

Remember when the Devils and New York Islanders connected on a deal that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to Long Island? That netted the Devils forwards A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Could Fitzgerald pull off a reverse and reel in both Nelson and Palmieri, two expiring forwards who would certainly boost the offense in New Jersey?

The Devils don’t have their first round pick in 2025. However, perhaps the Islanders would be okay with their 2026 first if the additional assets are favorable.

The Devils need a top-six center, and Nelson fits the bill. However, before the Hughes injury, they also needed a complimentary top-six scorer, and Palmieri is certainly that player with 19 tucks this season, and seven goals in his last 10 games.

Not to mention Palmieri’s familiarity with the Devils organization, playing six seasons in New Jersey.

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