ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues have made a move before the Olympic trade freeze, dealing forward Nick Bjugstad to the New Jersey Devils.
The club will receive a conditional fourth-round pick and AHLer Thomas Bordeleau from the Devils, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
Bjugstad, 33, signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract ($1.75 million average annual value) last summer. In 35 games, he had six goals and seven points.
Bordeleau, 24, was a second-round pick in 2020. In 44 NHL games, all with the San Jose Sharks, the center has six goals and 18 points. In 35 games for the AHL’s Utica Comets this season, he has two goals and eight points. He will report to AHL Springfield.
What it means for the Blues
Signing Bjugstad made sense in the summer because the Blues needed center depth. In addition to Bjugstad, the club brought in Pius Suter to upgrade the position.
But with the way the season has gone, and with prospects such as Otto Stenberg showing promise, Bjugstad’s services as a bottom-six forward were no longer needed. He has one more season left on his contract, and the club has cleared that off the books.
Stenberg was sent down to AHL Springfield last week so that he would be eligible to play with the Thunderbirds during the NHL’s three-week Olympic pause. This move will make room for the 2023 first-round draft pick when the team returns to the ice against the Seattle Kraken on Feb. 26. — Jeremy Rutherford
What it means for the Devils
General manager Tom Fitzgerald said publicly he wanted to add a forward, and Bjugstad gives him a bottom-six center option. The Devils don’t have much of a pathway to the playoffs at this point, but the center comes with another year on his contract, so he could contribute to what the team hopes will be a more successful 2026-27 campaign.
The acquisition cost was low: New Jersey has three fourth-round picks in 2026, and St. Louis will get the lowest of them. — Peter Baugh