The New Jersey Devils bolstered their center depth chart in a trade made just before Wednesday’s pre-Olympics roster freeze.
As reported by Elliotte Friedman and later confirmed by the team, the Devils acquired Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick. Bjugstad, 33, will now play for his eighth NHL team and his sixth in five seasons.
Bjugstad has always been best known for his outstanding size, standing at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds. He’s struggled with various injuries over the course of his career and has never scored more than 24 goals or 45 points in a season. But he provides depth and experience to a Devils center group that relatively thins out after Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
Bjugstad is already with the Devils, as he was spotted at Thursday’s practice. With Hughes day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, it’s possible the Devils need Bjugstad to make his debut in Wednesday’s game against the Islanders, their last before the Olympic break.