New Jersey Devils waive Marc McLaughlin and open the door for rivals

Feb 11, 2026 (2:14 PM)

Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Marc McLaughlin hit NHL waivers on Wednesday, and the New Jersey Devils just exposed a cheap, NHL-ready depth center with upside.

The Devils placed McLaughlin on waivers with the intention of activating him and assigning him to Utica.

That wording matters, because it screams roster squeeze more than “we’re done with the player.”

McLaughlin is 26, right-shot, and he plays the kind of straight-line game coaches trust when things get messy.

He’s on a one-year, two-way deal that carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit, which is basically pocket change for a claiming team.

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The résumé is quietly decent for a waiver wire center.

In the AHL, he’s produced 26-38-64 in 185 games with Providence and Utica, with enough bite to take some hard minutes.

In the NHL, he’s been a depth plug-in, with 28 career games and a 6-1-7 line.

Devils fans are tired of watching useful depth leak away for nothing, especially when the bottom six has felt like a nightly patch job.

If you’re a team hunting a fourth-line center who can keep your structure intact, this is exactly the type of claim you make.

He skates well enough to forecheck, he doesn’t cheat the middle, and he can survive short shifts between the dots.

The bigger sell is flexibility, because McLaughlin can play NHL minutes today, or ride the bus without wrecking your cap sheet.

If he clears, New Jersey keeps that insurance in Utica for the stretch run.

If he gets claimed, don’t be shocked if he sticks, because low-cost, low-maintenance centers tend to stay once a coach buys in.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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FEVRIER 11\|74 ANSWERS New Jersey Devils waive Marc McLaughlin and open the door for rivals Should a team claim Marc McLaughlin off waivers?
Yes	48	64.9 %
No	26	35.1 %
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