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Devils To Acquire Cody Glass From Penguins

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The New Jersey Devils are set to acquire young centerman Cody Glass from the Pittsburgh Penguins, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The full trade sends Glass and Jonathan Gruden to New Jersey in exchange for prospects Chase Stillman and Max Graham, as well as a 2027 third-round pick.

Glass was playing through his first season with the Penguins. Pittsburgh acquired him from the Nashville Predators alongside a third-round and sixth-round draft pick this summer in exchange for depth minor-leaguer Jordan Frasca. The move was intended to give Glass a much-needed change of scenery after his years in Nashville were derailed by injury and inconsistent ice time. But Glass’ struggle to earn lineup attention has continued with the Penguins. He has just four goals and 15 points in 51 games this season.

Glass has made up for that low scoring with more well-rounded play away from the puck, posting a career-high 52.7 faceoff percentage, 43 hits, and 31 blocked shots. Those defensive stats have helped Glass hold onto a menial role in Pittsburgh’s bottom-six. He’s averaged just 13:25 in ice time this season, exactly one second lower than his average with Nashville last year.

The 25-year-old centerman is still working to vindicate the top-10 draft acclaim he earned when the Vegas Golden Knights selected him sixth-overall in 2017. Glass became the first draft pick in Golden Knights history after scoring a dazzling 94 points in 69 WHL games in his draft year. He followed it with 102 points in 64 games, then 69 points in 38 games – painting the picture of a tireless and capable playmaking centerman. He seemed to keep that up when he turned pro at the end of the 2018-19 season, netting five points in his first six AHL games.

The ramped up scoring earned Glass his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season, but he quickly lost his grip on elite scoring. He scored just 12 points in 39 games as an NHL rookie, and proceeded to tally just 11 points in 35 games over the next two seasons while splitting time between the major and minor leagues. Midway through achieving those totals, Glass was traded to Nashville in a three-team trade that sent Nolan Patrick to Vegas and Ryan Ellis to Philadelphia.

Nashville opted to return Glass to the minors soon after acquiring him, in hopes that he’d rediscover his top scoring. He certainly did – with 62 points in 66 games with the Milwaukee Admirals. Those numbers gave Glass the boost needed to score a career-high 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games of Nashville’s 2022-23 season. He seemed geared up to finally find his NHL stride headed into last season, but nagging injuries quickly got the best of him. Glass played in 41 games and scored just 13 points last year, prompting a move to Pittsburgh in advance of this season.

Now, Glass will prepare for another move. He’ll join a hot New Jersey Devils offense in need of a scoring boost after news that superstar Jack Hughes will miss the remaining season with an upper-body injury. Glass should be one of the many beneficiary of Hughes’ near 21 minutes of average ice time suddenly opening up. He’ll compete with Erik Haula and, potentially, Dawson Mercer for minutes in the middle lane. New Jersey will also need to find more support on their power-play, which could give Glass the set up he needs to rediscover the commendable scoring he managed in Nashville.

Pittsburgh will land sly additions in Stillman and Graham. Stillman has struggled to find his footing in the AHL this year, with just nine points, 26 PIMs, and a minus-14 in 46 games. He was far more productive as an AHL rookie last year, when he managed 14 goals, 24 points, 72 PIMs, and a minus-two in 54 games. The Devils originally drafted Stillman in the first-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He followed his draft with two more years in the OHL, capped off by an OHL Championship win with the Peterborough Petes in 2022-23. Stillman had 48 points in 59 games that season, bringing his juniors totals up to 131 points in 176 games and three seasons. He is the son of 16-year NHL veteran Cory Stillman, who is currently the head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Chase’s brother Riley Stillman is also a defender for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Graham has found himself in a similar position to Stillman, racking up the penalty minutes in juniors in the face of right around point-per-game scoring. He has 35 points and 79 PIMs in 34 games with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets this season, following up on his 42 points and 135 PIMs in 67 games last year. Graham was a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and seems headed for the track of a hard-nosed grinder when he turns pro next season.

New Jersey Devils Expressing Interest In Brayden Schenn

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As originally reported by Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, and later confirmed by James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, center Brayden Schenn has become a focus player for the New Jersey Devils today. Factoring in their reported interest in Nashville Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly, the Devils are aggressively pursuing a top-six center and are unafraid of any remaining term.

Schenn would check a lot of the same boxes that O’Reilly does. He’s a veteran two-way center who can play in New Jersey’s top six for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign before transferring to a third-line role once Jack Hughes returns next season.

He shouldn’t cost any more than O’Reilly, either. Schenn has three years at a $6.5MM cap hit remaining on his current deal with a full no-trade clause this season. That no-trade clause transitions to a 15-team no-trade clause for the last three years of his contract.

The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, may not fill the offensive gap left by Hughes, but his physicality and defensive skills are exceptional. This season, he has scored 12 goals and accumulated 38 points in 63 games with the Blues, showing a slight improvement in points per game compared to his previous season, during which he recorded 20 goals and 46 points.

Meanwhile, Schenn has already eclipsed 100 hits on the season for the 14th consecutive year and is averaging higher than a 50.0% success rate in the faceoff dot. New Jersey is already 11th in the league in hits given this year with 1401, but their faceoff rate could use some work as they rank 24th with a team success rate of 49.05%.

Given the trade chatter surrounding Schenn the last several weeks, the Devils would undoubtedly have to part with their 2026 first-round pick in the hypothetical trade. St. Louis is known to be seeking additional assets, but a first-round pick is an imperative part of the deal. New Jersey appears inclined to make that a part of any package for a promising center, but they’ll pursue all other options before pulling the trigger.

Devils Sign Johnathan Kovacevic To Five-Year Extension

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The Devils are closing in on an extension with pending UFA defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The team later announced it’s a five-year deal worth $20MM, paying him an average of $4MM per season. The year-by-year salary breakdown is available in the team release. Per PuckPedia, the deal carries a no-trade clause through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade from 2027-28 until its expiry in 2029-30.

New Jersey acquired the 27-year-old from the Canadiens last summer in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. It was a prudent move from the Devils, who’ve gotten solid defensive play out of the righty in career-high minutes. Averaging 19:43 per game, he’s posted 1-13–14 with a +11 rating in 63 games.

The hulking 6’5″, 223-lb defender doesn’t play an uber-physical game, but still ranks fifth on the Devils with 81 blocks and seventh with 83 hits. Since breaking into the league with the Jets in 2022, his value has come from strong possession play in defensive-oriented minutes. His pairing with the now-injured Jonas Siegenthaler has been one of the best shutdown units in the league this season, allowing only 1.82 expected goals against per 60 minutes. According to MoneyPuck, that’s ninth-best in the league among pairings with at least 150 minutes together.

The Devils now have their top three right-shot defensemen under contract next season. It calls into question the future of 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec, a 21-year-old righty who’s failed to impress in his NHL minutes this season. After posting 3-13–19 with a minus-seven rating in 60 games last year, he’s recorded just one assist in 15 showings in 2024-25 while averaging 15:29 per game. Reports as recent as last week still indicated New Jersey was unwilling to leverage him in a trade, however.

Trade Deadline Notes: Marchand, Leafs, Nelson, Devils

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The Trade Deadline is mere hours away, and despite a quiet build up, multiple major headlines have started to boil to the surface – all captured by TSN’s latest Insider Trading. The deadline could be headlined by the Boston Bruins parting ways with team captain Brad Marchand, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic during the Insider Trading segment.

A Marchand trade would be era-defining for the Bruins. He has been in Boston for the entirety of his 16-year, 1,090-game NHL career. Cracking franchise record books is a tough feat on an Original Six club but Marchand nonetheless ranks fourth in Boston history in career goals (422), games played (1,090), and penalty minutes (1,113). He also ranks fifth on Boston’s all-time points leaderboard.

Nearly two decades after his first introduction to the team, Marchand now stands as Boston’s last connection to days past. Where Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, and David Krejci have retired – Marchand has continued on. He took on the Bruins captaincy last season and has continued strong production into his age-36 season. Marchand ranks second on the Bruins with 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season – only behind David Pastrnak’s dazzling 32 goals and 77 points. Getting Boston to part ways with their captain, their rink rat, and their second-ranked scorer would take a monumental effort, but the right mix of future structure could convince the middling Bruins. Marchand has emphasized his preference to stay in Boston.

More from TSN’s Insider Trading:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will continue to seek out centermen and defensemen on the trade market per TSN’s Darren Dreger. They’re exploring multiple options, including Philadelphia’s Rasmus Ristolainen and St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn. Both players are entering the golden years of their careers. Schenn is in his age-33 season. He’s captained the Blues since Ryan O’Reilly left in 2023. Like fellow captain Marchand, Schenn has held to his typical style in recent years. He has 12 goals and 38 points in 63 games this season, while offering stout two-way play and a 50.3 percent faceoff win-rate. Ristolainen, 30, has seen his scoring dwindle as he’s entered his 30s. He has just 19 points in 59 games this season, but does boast a plus-five – the first positive plus-minus of his 12-year NHL career. He’s rounded out his defense and offers a hardy physical presence. On a Leafs team looking for the additions to match big moves by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, either veteran could bring impactful depth.
  • The New York Islanders will likely wait until the last minute before they make a decision on extending or trading veteran forward Brock Nelson, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Buzz around Nelson’s deadline availability has ebbed and flowed over the last few months, mixed between reports of total availability and looming extension. The 33-year-old Nelson has 20 goals and 43 points in 61 games this season. He’s one of three players, alongside Anders Lee and Bo Horvat, tied for New York’s lead in scoring. Nelson is set to enter unrestricted free agency this summer and carries a 16-team no-trade clause, which will limit the places the career-Islander is able to go. The New Jersey Devils are among interested teams as they look to bank on accrued cap space after Jack Hughes’ season-ending injury.

New Jersey Devils Have Expressed Interest In Ryan O’Reilly

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According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the New Jersey Devils have contacted the Nashville Predators regarding Ryan O’Reilly’s availability. New Jersey is desperately attempting to fill the void left by Jack Hughes after losing him for the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery.

O’Reilly makes sense as a Devils’ trade target for several reasons. He won’t be able to replicate Hughes’s high-level scoring, but he’s a robust two-way center with plenty of playoff experience. Even when Hughes returns next September, adding O’Reilly would give New Jersey a solid center trio through the 2026-27 season.

The 16-year veteran is in year two of a four-year, $18MM contract signed with the Predators in 2023. He performed admirably in his first year with the club, scoring 26 goals and 69 points in 82 games. On the defensive side of the puck, O’Reilly carried a 53.9% faceoff rate, with many of those draws coming in the offensive zone. Because of his performance last year, O’Reilly finished 36th in Selke Trophy voting.

Like many players on Nashville’s roster, O’Reilly has struggled offensively. Still, there are a few positives to take away from his performance this season. O’Reilly has increased his faceoff rate to 56.6% and his CorsiFor% at even strength to 55.1%. He would make a valuable addition to New Jersey for his faceoff rate alone, given the team ranks 24th in the category with a 49.05% success rate.

There would be offensive struggles in New Jersey the rest of the way simply because there’s no replacing Hughes in the lineup. Still, O’Reilly is an adequate second-line center on any team and could slide down to the third line next season. Unfortunately, the Predators won’t let him be had very easily.

Although his contract doesn’t have trade protection, the Predators have publicly stated they’ll treat O’Reilly as if he has a full no-movement clause. Meanwhile, despite being 30th in the league standings, Nashville hasn’t expressed much desire to move him.

The Devils must present the Predators with a substantial offer if they want O’Reilly to change hands. Since he is not a rental player, this might be something they are willing to consider.

Devils Acquire Brian Dumoulin From Ducks

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11:48 a.m.: Both clubs have announced the trade as reported.

10:48 a.m.: The Devils have acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Ducks, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Anaheim receives the better of the Oilers’ or Jets’ 2025 second-round pick and the signing rights to winger Herman Träff in return, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. LeBrun adds the Ducks also retain 50% of Dumoulin’s $3.15MM cap hit. New Jersey had an open roster spot after placing Jack Hughes on long-term injured reserve yesterday following his season-ending shoulder surgery, so no corresponding move will be necessary.

As expected, the third-place Devils aren’t punting on their season following Hughes’ injury. They have a lot of work to do to hold onto their Metropolitan Division berth with defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler joining Hughes on LTIR and leading defense point-getter Dougie Hamilton out week-to-week, though. Dumoulin, coming in at an affordable $1.575MM price tag and on an expiring contract, is a short-term replacement down the stretch for the former. Meanwhile, Anaheim will finish the season with their three lefty rearguards under 25 – Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger.

Dumoulin, 33, has played all 61 games with the Ducks and turned in a very solid 2-14–16 scoring line with a plus-two rating while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game, although his possession numbers aren’t as encouraging. The stay-at-home defender’s 43.4 even-strength CF% is well below Anaheim’s 46.6% share without him on the ice, although he is starting a career-high 57.9% of his zone starts in the defensive end. His -12.9 expected rating is worst on the Ducks, though, and his 42.2 xGF% is his career’s worst possession quality control figure. Some positive regression on those numbers down the stretch is likely in a much more competent possession system in New Jersey.

Even with this year’s struggles, Dumoulin has a lengthy history of being a strong complementary top-four piece, spending most of his career in Pittsburgh alongside Kris Letang. He’s had above-average possession impacts as recently as last year with the Kraken, who signed him to his current two-year, $6.3MM contract in the 2023 offseason. He was a tad too expensive for their liking after loading up their blue line with Brandon Montour last summer, though, prompting them to trade him to Anaheim for a 2026 fourth-round pick. That’s a good bit of business for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, who upgrades that pick by two rounds and lands an additional prospect while getting 60-plus games out of Dumoulin.

New Jersey’s blue line wasn’t viewed as a priority area at the deadline a few weeks ago, but injuries to Hamilton and Siegenthaler evidently changed that. The latter was only expected to miss two to three weeks after undergoing a procedure over the 4 Nations break, but he’s already missed two and a half and hasn’t returned to practice.

Dumoulin will likely step into a bottom-pairing spot on the left side behind Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes in the interim, likely pushing youngster Seamus Casey back down to AHL Utica when Siegenthaler is ready to return. Whether Dumoulin remains in the regular lineup at that point remains to be seen. Siegenthaler has produced less individual offense this year when healthy with nine points in 55 games but has better relative possession impacts in more difficult minutes. That would presumably push Dumoulin to the press box short of someone shifting to their off side, making a second-rounder and a C-tier prospect a steep price to pay.

Träff, 19, was selected by New Jersey in the third round of last year’s draft. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic tabbed him as the No. 6 prospect in the Devils’ system in his 2025 rankings, but they acquired another big winger with a similar projection by picking up Shane Lachance from the Oilers in this week’s Trent Frederic three-team deal. That softens the blow of losing Träff, who’s posted a respectable 3-4–7 scoring line in 25 games with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League as a teenager this year. The 6’3″, 216-lb winger will be buried a bit more in a deeper Ducks system but still has legitimate NHL upside.

He’ll remain with HV71 to close out the season. The Ducks will retain Träff’s signing rights through June 1, 2028. Notably, they’re down to one available retention slot after today’s move.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Dougie Hamilton Out Week-To-Week

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It turns out learning that they’d be without their leading scorer for the rest of the season and playoffs wasn’t the only bad injury news for the Devils on Wednesday.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (audio link) that defenseman Dougie Hamilton is believed to be out week-to-week from the lower-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s loss to Dallas.

After missing the bulk of last season due to a torn pectoral muscle, Hamilton has been his usual productive self on New Jersey’s back end this year.  The 31-year-old has nine goals and 31 assists through 63 games despite not even averaging 20 minutes a night of playing time.  With 40 points, he leads all New Jersey blueliners in points (a dozen ahead of Luke Hughes) while sitting fifth on the team in scoring overall.

In his absence, it seems likely that they’ll ask Hughes to take a bigger role offensively, especially on the power play.  Meanwhile, Hamilton’s injury could also open up a spot for Seamus Casey to get back in the lineup; the rookie had a solid start offensively to the season and has been a strong point producer in the minors so he could be counted on to help shoulder some of the load on that front as well.

It’s another tough blow to a team whose hold on a playoff spot has started to slip recently with the team losing three of their last four games.  As a result, they now hold just a four-point lead on Columbus (who has two games in hand) for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division while they’re only six points ahead of a Wild Card position.  Now, they’ll be down two key veterans as they look to maintain their grip on a playoff spot.  That said, they also have over $13MM in LTIR room at the moment, per PuckPedia, if they want to try to add a replacement or two to try to stay afloat in the playoff race.

Devils’ Jack Hughes Done For The Season After Shoulder Surgery

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The New Jersey Devils took a massive blow to their Stanley Cup aspirations. New Jersey announced that center Jack Hughes has successfully undergone shoulder surgery and will be placed on the team’s long-term injured reserve. The team noted he’s expected to fully recover and be ready for next year’s training camp, informally confirming he’s done for the 2024-25 season.

The news is nothing short of a disaster for the Devils. After missing the playoffs last season, the team has rebounded into postseason positioning this year, thanks to a healthier group.

Hughes is the leader of that resurgence, too. The former first overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft was tied for the team lead in scoring with 27 goals and 43 assists in 62 games. Interestingly enough, Hughes will finish the 2024-25 campaign with nearly identical production from last season, scoring 27 goals and 47 assists in 62 appearances.

It also extends Hughes’ recurring injury issues from the last several years. Since the NHL returned to a full 82-game schedule after the 2020-21 campaign, Hughes will have only played in 76% of New Jersey’s regular season contests. The team is objectively better when he’s in the lineup, making the situation all the more unbearable for their playoff hopes.

The loss of Hughes will inevitably shift New Jersey’s trade deadline strategy. The Devils had already been rumored to be scouting the market for an upgrade at their third-line center position. They’ll now need two middle-six centers, assuming captain Nico Hischier steps into the first-line role.

If anything, this should make New Jersey more committed to buying. Although they don’t have their first-round pick for the 2025 NHL Draft, the Devils still have a trio of second-round picks and a few tradeable prospects. Defenseman Simon Nemec comes to mind as an obvious headliner for any trade of magnitude. Since the team is placing Hughes on LTIR, that will open up $8MM in cap space for the team to work with.

Still, it’s difficult to think highly of New Jersey’s chances even if they go big-game hunting. It’s improbable the team will have the capacity to acquire a player of Hughes’ caliber in the next two days.

According to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, the Devils have reportedly contacted the Carolina Hurricanes regarding Mikko Rantanen’s availability for this circumstance. The Hurricanes are unlikely to move one of their best players to a divisional-rival and likely postseason adversary. Still, Rantanen is exactly the kind of player New Jersey should be pursuing to get reasonably close to filling the void left by Hughes.

New Jersey Devils Have Expressed Interest In Mikko Rantanen

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Per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, the New Jersey Devils have expressed interest in Carolina Hurricanes’ winger, Mikko Rantanen. Nichols added that their interest wholly depends on Jack Hughes’ status, but it’s an interesting development nonetheless.

Despite rumored interest from the Devils, it doesn’t appear as a likely hypothetical landing spot. Carolina and New Jersey would play in the first round of the postseason if the season ended today, and neither is expected to catch up to the red-hot Washington Capitals. Theoretically, the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers are within striking distance of a divisional playoff spot, although it’s not all that likely.

Meanwhile, the Devils and Hurricanes don’t have a long history of trading with each other. Since the 2019-20 season, the pair have connected on two trades, the first being the deal sending defenseman Sami Vatanen to Carolina in 2020 and the other being a minor league swap of Zack Hayes and Jonathan Dugan in 2023.

Still, it’s hard to dislike Rantanen’s fit in the Devils lineup if the purported interest is accurate. Despite their need for a third-line center, Rantanen would objectively prove a massive upgrade over Ondřej Palát or Dawson Mercer in New Jersey’s top six. Rantanen has more points this season alone than Palát and Mercer combined. Although he doesn’t register many body checks, Rantanen is a physical forward who can put the puck in the net, which would benefit New Jersey’s 14th-ranked offense in terms of GF/G.

Unless the Hurricanes believe they have no realistic opportunity to win the Stanley Cup this season, it’s difficult to imagine a trade of this magnitude happening between the organizations. Even if the Devils maximize their cap space by placing Hughes on their long-term injured reserve, and they’re able to put together a compelling offer, it would make little sense for Carolina to improve a team they’re likely to face in the playoffs.

Oilers Acquire Trent Frederic

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The Oilers are acquiring forward Trent Frederic from the Bruins in a trade that will also involve the Devils as a third team, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Winger Max Jones is also headed from Boston to Edmonton in the deal, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. The Devils announced they’ve acquired the rights to left-wing prospect Shane Lachance from the Oilers and will retain half of Frederic’s salary in the trade after the Bruins’ initial 50% retention, bringing his cap hit for Edmonton down to $575K from $2.3MM. New Jersey also dealt the signing rights to right-winger Petr Hauser to the Oilers to complete their involvement. Edmonton announced the full trade, which reads as follows:

Oilers receive: Frederic, Jones, signing rights to Hauser
Devils receive: Signing rights to Lachance
Bruins receive: D Maximus Wanner, the Blues’ 2025 second-round pick, and the Oilers’ 2026 fourth-round pick.

Frederic is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports there’s a possibility he won’t be cleared to play until the playoffs. In that case, the Oilers could place Frederic at his reduced cap hit on long-term injured reserve to open up additional spending flexibility for further moves ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Boston selected Frederic 29th overall in the 2016 draft, ahead of higher-ceiling forwards Alex DeBrincat and Jordan Kyrou who both went in the second round. After a brief but successful two-year collegiate stint at Wisconsin, the versatile depth piece took a couple of years to simmer in the minors, only emerging as a roster regular for the Bruins in the 2020-21 campaign.

Frederic spent a pair of seasons as a fourth-line fixture without much offensive pop, but the physical 6’3″ forward popped big time in Boston’s historic 65-win season in 2022-23. Skating primarily on the wing, he recorded 17-14–31 in 79 games despite averaging under 12 minutes per night, also finishing second among Bruins forwards with 105 hits.

In addition to spending more time down the middle, Frederic amped up his production last season. The Missouri native recorded a career-high 18-22–40 scoring line in 82 games, adding 204 hits while seeing a slight bump in his special teams deployment. But despite skating a career-high 13:55 per game in 2024-25, he hasn’t been able to keep up his scoring. Snakebit like the majority of his Boston teammates, Frederic has just 8-7–15 in 57 games with a career-worst -14 rating. His shooting percentage has regressed to 10.5% after hovering north of the 14% mark the prior two years.

While the drop in point totals is concerning, he’s established his floor as a high-end fourth-line piece with middle-six upside and will likely see an uptick in production depending on how he’s deployed amid a far more talented offensive group in Edmonton. His struggles this season, his expiring contract, and Boston’s slide down the standings made it almost a guarantee he’d be moved at the deadline. The 27-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer after finishing out the year with the Oilers.

Frederic has posted similar offensive numbers to the Oilers’ current pair of third-line wingers in Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, so it’s unclear if he’ll unseat either for a top-nine role. While faceoffs aren’t his strong suit (a career average of 44.4%), his experience playing down the middle also addresses an immediate need for an Edmonton squad without a legitimate fourth-line center. He could slot in there once he’s ready to return, relieving natural wingers like Kasperi Kapanen who have had to step into the role lately.

They also pick up Jones, who amounts to a failed offseason pickup for Boston. He managed only seven appearances for the Bs after signing a two-year, $2MM deal last offseason, going without a point and averaging 10:01 per game. Selected a few spots ahead of Frederic by the Ducks in the 2016 draft, Jones will remain on his minor-league assignment after clearing waivers in November but now reports to the Oilers’ affiliate in Bakersfield. His $1MM cap hit is completely buriable in the minors and thus carries no cap impact for Edmonton. Before the move, he posted 13-8–21 with a plus-one rating in 38 games for the P-Bruins.

Rounding out Edmonton’s haul in the deal is Hauser, who New Jersey selected in the fifth round in 2022. The 21-year-old is amid a tumultuous campaign in his native Czechia, playing for three different squads across the top-level and second-tier professional leagues. He has 1-10–11 in 63 Czech Extraliga games dating back to his top-level debut in the 2022-23 season. While he has great size at 6’4″ and 207 lbs, he wasn’t considered a meaningful prospect in the Devils organization by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in his January ranking. He’s a low-ceiling, low-floor option whose signing rights will expire in June 2026.

The Oilers give up a decently intriguing prospect in Lachance for the Devils’ additional salary retention. The son of ex-NHLer and Devils head scout Scott Lachance was the No. 6 prospect in an already-thin Edmonton system, per Wheeler. The 6’5″ winger has suited up for Boston University the past two seasons after Edmonton selected him in the sixth round in 2021, posting 23-29–52 in 72 games while also serving as captain this season. New Jersey will hold his signing rights until the Aug. 15 following his final collegiate season.

In what’s been a strong rental market, Boston landing what’s slated to be a mid-tier second-round pick is some decent work by general manager Don Sweeney. Edmonton previously acquired the second-rounder from St. Louis as compensation for signing defenseman Philip Broberg to an offer sheet last August. The Bruins didn’t have a second-rounder in this year’s draft before the trade – they traded theirs to the Capitals in the 2023 Dmitry Orlov three-team deal.

Wanner was also one of the Oilers’ more notable prospects, checking in at No. 10 in Wheeler’s rankings. The 6’3″ righty isn’t a legitimate needle-mover for a Bruins pool that lacks high-end talent, though. Now 21, he was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft and projects as a likely No. 7/8 option on an NHL depth chart at his peak. He’s been limited to just two points in 22 games with Bakersfield this year after posting 7-10–17 in 68 games with a +13 rating in his first pro season last year. He’ll now report to Providence.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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