According to ESPN, Jabob Josefson will miss the next three to four months with a broken collarbone (link here)

This loss effectively leaves us without two of our  top three centers - Zajac will probably be out until December, and Josefson, if this report is accurate, will be out until at least January (the other being Elias)

Adam Henrique has been recalled, but, at this early juncture of the season, it may be tough for the Devils to compete at a high level unless they make a move.

Here is my reasoning:

1) Center depth is important for a team that is not that high scoring.

2) I am not a fan of Brad Mills playing the third line with Tedenby and Clarkson. ESPN reported that "Dainius Zubrus replaced Josefson between Ilya Kovalchuk and Nick Palmieri on the second line;Brad Mills moved up to center the third line with Mattias Tedenby and David Clarkson".

3) I am not sure if Henrique should play on the fourth line - it may be better for him to continue to hone his skills in Albany.

4) Lou has cap to work with --- about 5 million dollars worth (4.6 million dollars with Josefson, 900,000 dollars more will open up assuming Jacob is put on Long Term Injured Reserve).

5) If the Devils, who have been preparing to forfeit a first round pick in the near future (from the Kovalchuk penalties), feel that they can pluck an offensive minded center away from a team for a minimal price (higher round - 3,4,5,6,7 draft pick), it may serve the team. I am not suggesting that Lou acquire an allstar center, but a solid, Jason Arnott-like (I am not requesting Arnott) player could fit in to our scheme.

6) Another option would be to go after a young center with the risk of giving up a more valuable draft pick or possibly trading the rights to one of our prospects here - this Devils team is predicated on speed, which makes it important to add a young piece.

Though losing Josefson hurts the team, it is important to remember that he is still a young player and injuries like this are prone to happen to young players. Whether Lou chooses to remain "status quo" or not will ultimately rest on whether or not players like Mills, Henrique, or another prospect can fill the void left by Jacob.

In Lou We Trust.