I dunno, Hughes Hischier Mercer Haula Boqvist plus Sharangovich whose played center seems…pretty great? Even without McLeod.
I get what you mean in the organization though. Outside the NHL there’s not much in the system. But with the NHL team where it is, i don’t think thatll be a problem for at least two years. But with the way Fitz has drafted, that probably means he’ll draft 90% centers over the next couple years.
Said it during the draft this year, but yeah, just like how he saw 2022 as the year of the right handed defensemen and drafted a bunch, I think 2023 ends up being the year of the center at the draft and Fitz likely focuses there (assuming no absurd overreaching).
And yeah, I just mean that if we want to be in it this year we need Jack and Nico to be mostly healthy, but we need decent enough depth for fill-ins in the event there's, say, three weeks where one's missing, and there's not really anyone in the AHL who's ready to come up and provide the depth that would ease shifting, say, Mercer or whomever into a top spot for a little while. Not saying the Devils have nothing, mind, but just that Boqvist's potential to be a decent center is important for a team that won't be able to bring up a prospect who's ready for the job this year if things go sideways health-wise for a bit.