Replacing Jack Hughes: Why the New Jersey Devils’ Best Trade Might Not Be for a Center

0 Diana khan November 16, 2025

The news that New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes will miss eight weeks after finger surgery is a devastating blow. This isn’t just any player; Hughes is the engine of the Devils’ offense, an MVP-caliber talent whose absence leaves a black hole in the lineup. For a Devils team that has stormed out of the gate, treading water is not an option.

General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is now on the clock. The immediate question is: do you patch the hole from within, or do you hit the trade market for a stopgap?

The Athletic’s Peter Baugh recently outlined the big-name center targets, including Ryan O’Reilly, Nazem Kadri, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. It’s a tempting list, but from my perspective, the path to acquiring any of them is fraught with obstacles.

Let’s be realistic. The chatter on O’Reilly is a non-starter; Nashville is treating him like he has a no-trade clause, and there’s zero indication he’s available. The Kadri situation in Calgary? That’s more media smoke than front-office fire. Flames ownership isn’t keen on moving him. As for Pageau, Devils fans can dream on, but Mathieu Darche isn’t trading a key cog to a division rival while the Islanders are in a wild-card spot. It’s just not happening.

So, If a Center is a Fantasy, What’s the Real Play?

This is where smart asset management comes in. If a 1-for-1 center replacement is a fantasy, the more pragmatic move is to acquire a versatile winger who can slot in, bolster the middle-six, and add depth. Baugh’s suggestions of Alexander Wennberg or Jason Dickinson make far more sense.

They aren’t Jack Hughes. Nobody is. But they are savvy, professional forwards who can kill penalties, chip in offensively, and, most importantly, be acquired for a price that doesn’t mortgage the future.

The goal for the New Jersey Devils over the next eight weeks isn’t to replace Jack Hughes. The goal is to survive. It’s to bank enough points to stay in the Metropolitan Division hunt until their star returns. A panic trade for a big-name center isn’t the answer. A smart, depth-focused acquisition is.