On the New Jersey Devils' search for a center

The rest of the league expects the Devils to acquire a center prior to the deadline, per Elliotte Friedman. Who might they target?

Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess

Be sure to join the Discord channel to talk hockey with our writers and subscribers.

---

The NHL trade deadline is just a week away and all indications are the New Jersey Devils will be buying. Rightfully so.

While they have gone through their share of struggles of late, they have an excellent core of dynamic yet responsible forwards, a solid blueline, and one of the best goaltending tandems in the league.

When you zoom out, and take a look at the bigger picture, there is a lot to like.

There are a few things the team could use – as is the case with every club – but seemingly one that has been circled within the Devils’ war room: a center.

This from Elliotte Friedman’s 32 Thoughts:

10. The one team everyone believes will absolutely 100-per-cent trade for a centre? New Jersey.

This is not the least bit surprising. I mean, the Devils have a healthy forward group right now and yet they’ve deployed Justin Dowling as the No. 3 center of late.

With respect to Dowling, he is a 34-year-old journeyman with 24 points through 141 NHL games.

If Sheldon Keefe is at a point where it’s even plausible Dowling is the best option for the role, it is an area that needs to be addressed.

There simply has to be a middle ground between Hughes/Hischier – two top-tier playdriving centers who excel at both ends – and Dowling/Erik Haula, who have combined for two points in 2025.

Center is clearly a position of need and it sure sounds like Tom Fitzgerald plans to take action.

Who could be targeted? Let’s take a quick look at a few names.

Jake Evans (Contract: $1.7M, pending UFA)

There’s been a lot of smoke surrounding Evans and the Devils in recent weeks. I actually did my first deadline profile on him.

Evans is having a career season with the Canadiens. He is pacing for 15 goals and 37 points, both of which would set new highs.

He is a strong skater, he can carry the mail, he can kill penalties, and he’s won 52% of his faceoffs or more in three straight seasons. He’d check a lot of boxes for the Devils.

While I do have concern about buying high on someone who is unlikely to sustain the offensive pace he’s produced at thus far, he’d still be a clear upgrade over what the Devils are getting at 3C now (not much).

Evans has 17 points at 5v5, the same total as Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Chytil, Stefan Noesen and Logan Stankoven.

For reference, Dowling, Haula, and Curtis Lazar have combined for 16 points in that gamestate.

Ryan O’Reilly (Contract: $4.5M, signed through 2026-27)