The New Jersey Devils have acquired center Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. In exchange, the Devils sent Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional 2026 fourth round pick, as reported by Elliotte Friedman.
“Nick Bjugstad traded from STL to NJ for a mid-round pick and a prospect. AHL contracted player goes to Blues to balance the contracts for both clubs,” Friedman said of the deal.
Bjugstad, 33, has six goals and one assist in 35 games with the Blues. The heavy-hitting center recently spent some time on injured reserve in December, during which the Blues sorely missed his physicality.
âI think we miss his heaviness, another right-shot center to take face-offs, another guy who can penalty kill,â head coach David Montgomery said of Bjugstad. âBut 5-on-5, itâs that heaviness that he can bring to our offensive end, especially and back defending our own end from a centerman.â
Bjugstad Brings Physicality to Devils
The Devils have been on the hunt for physicality for some time. In order to compete in the Metropolitan division, they’ve been in need of hard hitters. Bjugstad has 73 hits on the season, among the top-10 hitters on the Blues. The Devils sit 10 points away from a playoff spot with just 26 games remaining on their schedule this season. In order to make their late season push, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has added some snarl to the lineup.
In 795 career games, Bjugstad has 163 goals and 174 assists for 337 points. He’s played a solid depth role throughout his career, earning career highs with 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 2017-18 with the Florida Panthers. The 6’6″ center is capable of playing key minutes on the bottom-six and should serve to stabilize the Devils’ lineup.
In addition, Bjugstad has one year left on his contract next season making $1.75M. This move gets Fitzgerald and the Devils a depth center on an affordable term they can move into a more defensive-minded role moving forward.
Blues Earn Draft Pick, Prospect from Devils
In exchange, the Blues earn a mid-round pick and prospect from the Blues, kickstarting their rebuild. The Blues currently sit 31st in NHL standings with a 18-32-6 record. They’ll look to trade players like Justin Faulk and Robert Thomas in order to acquire picks and prospects. Trading Bjugstad is the opening shot of this new era.
Bordeleau is a 24-year-old depth forward currently playing for the Utica Comets of the AHL. He has two goals and six assists for eight points in 35 games. The conditional fourth round pick the Blues acquired will be the latest of one of three picks — the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, or the Devils.
The Blues now have eight picks in the next draft, having sent their 2026 second round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. The Athletic‘s latest trade board has four of the top 40 spots occupied by Blues players: Jordan Binnington, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Brayden Schenn. The NHL trade deadline will take place on Tuesday, March 6th at 3:00 p.m. EST. The Olympic freeze is set to take place at 3:00 p.m. today until February 22nd at 11:59 EST.
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