The New Jersey Devils will have to start the season without Nick Bjugstad, and possibly for a while after that.
The team said the veteran forward had successful surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle, an injury he suffered earlier this month during offseason training. Bjugstad is expected to miss training camp and is facing a recovery window of four to six months.
New Jersey also announced that defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic will be a limited participant at training camp while he continues to recover from a “minor off-season procedure in his right knee.”
For Bjugstad, the timing is rough. The 34-year-old is set for his first full season with the Devils after being acquired in early February.
New Jersey brought him in for a conditional fourth-round pick, hoping his size and veteran presence would bolster the bottom six. Instead, his arrival pushed Luke Glendening out of the mix as the No. 4 center, and Glendening was later claimed on waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers in early March.
Bjugstad’s brief stint in New Jersey did not produce much offense. He went scoreless in 26 games with the Devils and finished with two points while averaging just under 10 minutes of ice time per night.
His career résumé still carries weight. Bjugstad is a two-time 20-goal scorer, but his production has dipped since his 45-point season with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24. At 6’6″ and 210 pounds, he now brings more value through experience, flexibility and sheer size than through scoring punch.
He had been expected to open the year as New Jersey’s fourth-line center, but that plan is now on hold.
The Devils do have options to fill the spot. Jesper Boqvist is one possibility, though he has spent most of recent years on the wing.
Evan Rodrigues could also fit there, even if that role seems beneath his skill level. New Jersey could also move Dawson Mercer to center and slide expected No. 3 center Cody Glass down to the fourth line.
Another route would be to give an AHL candidate like Colin White or Amadeus Lombardi a chance to earn the job in camp.
However Sheldon Keefe sorts out his forward group, the injury is a clear setback for Bjugstad. With unrestricted free agency coming next summer, the 821-game veteran will be hoping the shorter end of the four-to-six month estimate proves accurate so he can return sooner and get into as many games as possible.
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Devils Just Sent A Clear Message About Fixing Their Pipeline
The Devils are making it clear they want more than just a stronger NHL roster. By bringing in Bryan McCabe as assistant general manager of the Utica Comets and Jessica Campbell as manager of player development, New Jersey is adding experience at two different points of the pipeline, with one hire tied directly to the AHL level and the other focused on shaping young players before they reach it. Both moves fit a broader push to tighten the organizations development structure, which has become a bigger priority for clubs trying to turn prospects into reliable depth.
McCabe arrives with player-development experience from his time with the Florida Panthers, while Campbell comes in after serving as an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken and their AHL affiliate. For the Devils, the appeal is obvious: they are not just filling jobs, they are leaning on people who have worked in development settings and understand how to bridge the gap between junior, minor-league and NHL hockey. The real question now is how quickly those hires can translate into a more consistent pipeline of talent reaching New Jersey ready to contribute. [Read more 🡒]
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Jessica Campbell coming in as Manager of Player Development and Bryan McCabe taking over as Vice President of Prospect Personnel and Assistant General Manager of the Utica Comets gives the Devils more eyes and more experience at the key stages where young players either progress or stall. It also underscores how serious the franchise is about connecting its NHL roster, its AHL affiliate and the draft-and-develop side of the business, even as other clubs continue to shuffle familiar names through their hockey departments. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Need To Answer One Jack Hughes Lineup Question Fast
The Devils are heading into camp with one of their biggest lineup questions centered on Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, two players who have often been linked as natural fits together. Early projections have them skating on the same line with Anthony Mantha, a look that would give New Jersey plenty of skill in the top six and a chance to get the offense rolling quickly once the season opens.
But with the preseason shortened, the coaching staff will not have much time to experiment if the attack stalls. If scoring becomes an issue, Hughes and Bratt could be split up, with Hughes shifting to the wing and the rest of the forward group reshuffled around them, so the Devils will need to settle on their preferred look early in training camp. [Read more 🡒]