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[New Jersey Devils]

A Long-Term Appraisal of the Devils’ Defenders

Hamilton and Dillon worked pretty well as a pairing for top six lines last season. | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

With dubious rumors swirling about Nemec alongside sporadic trade speculation about Dougie Hamilton, let’s take a look at the long-term picture of the Devils’ defense.

The New Jersey Devils are stacked on defense. While many teams would be utterly enthused at the quality players the Devils have on their back-end, some Devils fans are concerned that some of the veterans are blocking younger players from the team. On the contrary, I think this level of depth is necessary. In any given season, if a team’s full set of six starting defenders play all 82 games, or even 75+, they are almost impossibly lucky. Between blocking shots, fighting off forechecks, and engaging in netfront battles, defensemen bear the brunt of hockey most severely. A playoff team to having seven viable NHL starting defensemen almost guarantees them a lineup that can win when it matters most, as it gives them the flexibility to rotate bottom pair defenders in and out of the lineup, ensuring that injuries do not hamper the team in the spring.

However, it is true that the New Jersey Devils will have to make tough choices over the next few years. With the now-plainly and openly-spoken possibility of Quinn Hughes joining the Devils in July 2027, the Devils will need to make sure that their current level of defensive depth does not go to waste when that time comes.

The Untouchable: Luke Hughes​

Given the above, there is only one untouchable player on the defense as far as trades go. Luke Hughes, like his brother Jack, is one of the few untouchable players on the team, alongside Nico Hischier (and possibly Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier). Obviously, some other players have trade protections, but in abstract, there are few players whose presence on the team are absolutely essential to competing for a Stanley Cup, both now and five years from now.

As I wrote on Sunday, Luke Hughes is not yet a number one defenseman by his performance in the 2024-25 season. But that does not mean he will be unable to correct his weaker points while exploiting his advantages to bring himself to elite status. Signing Luke Hughes to a max-term extension seems to be the final big move of the offseason, and that will go a long way to keeping him and Jack together for a long time, at the very least. As mentioned in the linked article, they are not just nice to have on the team together, but they have also shown signs of being a nearly-unstoppable duo:

Luke + Jack (no Palat): 96:52 TOI, 67.88 CF%, 62-27 SF-SA (69.66%), 6-2 GF-GA (75.00%), 5.6-1.78 xGF-xGA (75.91%)

Whether those results are the products of the foresight of the hockey operations or marketing departments, the Devils would be foolish to leave their future in New Jersey to chance. Luke Hughes should not be going anywhere for the next nine seasons, at minimum.

Great Contract, Great Fit: Jonas Siegenthaler​

While his 2023-24 season was concerning, Jonas Siegenthaler has overcome his injury woes and returned to form as one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL. Paired with Johnny Kovacevic, Siegenthaler made up half of the best defensive pairing in the NHL with more than 500 minutes played together (62 such pairings) in terms of expected goals against per 60 minutes (1.84) and goals against per 60 (1.36). So, if you are wondering why Tom Fitzgerald was not very eager to let Kovacevic go to free agency, that might explain it a bit. For Siegenthaler, though, see his Evolving-Hockey player card below.

Evolving-Hockey

With three years remaining on his five-year contract worth $3.4 million per season, Siegenthaler has one of the best contracts in the NHL. To compete for a Stanley Cup, teams need at least some players who provide more value on the ice than what they are paid for, and Siegenthaler is one of those guys. It does not hurt that he is one of the leading members of the Swiss National Team. Siegenthaler, Hischier, and Meier are three of the 11 Swiss players in the NHL (including Lian Bichsel and Akira Schmid, who are not established players by any means), and they were thus obvious choices for the preliminary roster selections for the Olympics in 2026. These connections may even factor in Nico Hischier’s long-term future with the Devils.

When Siegenthaler’s contract expires in 2028, he will be 31 years old. While that time is too far away to predict well, I imagine that the Devils will keep him after that point, given the less-certain stock of left-handed defensemen in the Devils’ system.

Fair Contracts, Great Fits: Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce​

Also expiring in 2028, Dougie Hamilton’s contract is a source of much discussion for Devils fans. He has undeniably been an effective player on the ice due to his ability to generate offense, which is vastly superior to all but a handful of defensemen in the league. Additionally, Hamilton has usually been a threat to score, though his reduced usage of the slap shot in 2024-25 after his pectoral surgery limited his effectiveness there. The Devils’ playoff hopes in 2026 partially hinge on Hamilton’s ability to continue regaining that strength and build his goal-scoring back up.

Some might want his contract to read $8 million instead of $9 million, but it’s too marginal a difference to make a fuss over when Hamilton is still capable of putting up 60 or so points in a full season. He is effective in all situations — even on the penalty kill (where he will likely have to play again in Kovacevic’s absence) — and the Devils regularly win his matchups when he plays with top six lines. Paired primarily with Brenden Dillon in 2024-25, that duo ranked 18th out of the 62 pairings with 500 minutes together with a 56.58 goals for percentage and 20th in expected goals percentage at 53.53%. The Devils play very high-event hockey with those two on the ice, with that pairing ranking third in on-ice shots for per 60 minutes (32.59) and second in goals for per 60 (3.57, just behind the Vince Dunn — Adam Larsson pairing in Seattle). Their 3.15 expected goals per 60 also ranked fourth among the 62-most played pairings in the league. This offense far outweighs the defensive downside. HockeyViz estimates Hamilton’s total offensive impact to be over twice as beneficial (+6.0 5v5 offense sG + 1.1 PP offense sG) as his total defensive impact is detrimental (-3.3 5v5 defense sG + 0.3 PK defense sG). He’ll get back to scale-breaking status if he starts scoring more goals again.

HockeyViz

On the other hand, Brett Pesce is a much less controversial player. Making $5.5 million per season through the 2029-30 season, Pesce brings a solid two-way impact to the table, though he does not light the scoresheet up. Unfortunately for Pesce, the Devils were at their most unlucky when he was on the ice, as the Hughes-Pesce pairing ranked 57th out of 62 in on-ice shot percentage (7.06%), 53rd in on-ice save percentage (.898), and 59th in total PDO (0.969). Their goals against per 60 (2.42, ranked 20th) lined up with expected numbers (2.43, ranked 34th), but that shot percentage dragged an expected 2.7 goals for per 60 (ranked 21st) to a reality of 1.97 goals scored per 60 (ranked 56th). Perhaps more robust bottom six depth will help them reach the same effectiveness that the other pairings had in the 2024-25 season, but there is always the possibility of a shake-up.

The Devils’ abundance of right-handed defenseman is well-known, but Brett Pesce has a crucial ability: he can play the left side effectively. In the 2024-25 season, Pesce played 123:54 with Johnny Kovacevic, 32:10 with Dougie Hamilton, 10:02 with Simon Nemec, and 7:57 with Seamus Casey. In all of those combined minutes, the Devils outscored opponents 7-5, with the only bad pairing being with Simon Nemec (0-1, 27.42 xGF%). With Kovacevic, Hamilton, and Casey, Pesce had a combined 53.73 xGF% as a left-side defenseman, and the Pesce-Kovacevic and Pesce-Casey pairings comprised two of the three (Dumoulin-Pesce being the other) Pesce pairings to have a positive goal differential. Dillon-Pesce and Pesce-Hamilton were both even. However, during their time together in Carolina, the Pesce-Hamilton pairing outscored opponents 10-3 in 91:34 of five-on-five ice time on top of a 65.61 xGF%. This is not a new development for Pesce.

Come playoff time in 2026, the Devils will be free to use their best defenders as they see fit because of Pesce’s two-side ability. That could mean Hamilton, Pesce, Kovacevic, and Nemec all play, despite the consternation about Nemec’s role with the team. It’s up to the Devils’ seven to prove that they deserve that ice time.

Good Fits, But Questionable Long-Term Futures in NJ: Brenden Dillon and Johnny Kovacevic​

When Tom Fitzgerald’s front office set out to correct the team’s needs in the 2024 offseason, they wanted two things: get bigger and get grittier. They achieved that in signing Brenden Dillon and trading for Johnny Kovacevic. As established above, both the Dillon-Hamilton and Siegenthaler-Kovacevic pairings have been very fruitful, but the reality of the team’s roster construction makes their futures with the team questionable beyond this season.

While I do not believe that Simon Nemec is blocked by Johnny Kovacevic, there is one more player in Seamus Casey who will be pushing for ice time over the next couple of seasons. Casey is just 21 years old, so there should be no issue with letting him develop in the AHL. However, when Kovacevic’s trade protection goes from a full no-trade clause to a 10-team no trade list in 2027-28, the Devils will have to assess their defensive picture. By then, young players who are not ready now may be in consideration for big roles, while Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce (who has stronger trade protections beyond 2025-26) will still be under contract, alongside Jonas Siegenthaler and Luke Hughes. I think Kovacevic is safe until 2027, but the low price of his contract and the marginal trade protection he has beyond that point might mean he does not make it through all five seasons of his deal.

Brenden Dillon is a simpler case in the sense that his deal only runs through 2026-27. He has a full no-trade clause this season, but only a 10-team no trade list next year. He means a lot to the Devils, though. He has brought open-ice, bone-crunching hits back to the team’s identity. He is practically an enforcer, unafraid to fight even when Kurtis MacDermid is on the ice. It was extremely unfortunate that he was not able to stick with the team through the first round series against the Hurricanes, suffering a neck injury in Game One after playing all 82 regular season games.

The big question, in my opinion, is Anton Silayev, who will get more discussion below. His KHL contract runs out in 2026. If he is deemed ready for the NHL, that could spell the end of Dillon’s time in New Jersey. Otherwise, Dillon will probably finish his contract with the team. I just would not expect him to be a re-signing candidate afterwards, unless Dillon was ready to take more of a depth role, considering he will be 36 upon his contract’s expiry.

The Hopeful: Simon Nemec​

You have seen the rumors. You saw them last year. Some people want to push the idea that Simon Nemec is either confused or outright disgruntled about his future in New Jersey. Considering that Nemec just turned 21 in February, it all seems extremely premature. Yes, he is a second-overall pick, but he is a defenseman. Not many defensemen are handed big roles this early in their careers, even if they were drafted high. Sure, Dougie Hamilton broke in at 19. Luke Hughes became a regular at 20. Some guys, like Adam Larsson, break in early, get sent back and forth to the AHL, and re-establish themselves later. Larsson was 22 when he did so. Around the league, 21 to 22 is a good age to look at. Rasmus Dahlin really broke out at 22. Cale Makar didn’t even play in the NHL until he was 21. Not everyone is ready at 19, 20, or 21.

The important thing is that Simon Nemec has not shown enough to be given that level of respect by NHL coaches. He can hold his own, physically, but is not an especially physical player. He had 19 points in 60 games as a 19 to 20-year old in his rookie year. That inspires hope, but it doesn’t guarantee a permanent starting role. With Nemec needing to prove himself in a new system in 2024-25, it is not incredibly surprising that he struggled. Keefe’s system is more defensively demanding than Ruff’s. In the playoffs, it seemed like Nemec had himself set straight, culminating in his Game Three overtime game winner.

Nemec will have a starting role to begin the 2025-26 season. Johnny Kovacevic’s knee injury has all but guaranteed that: and that’s hockey. Getting sent down is not the end of the world, but top-five picks also don’t generally play for playoff teams with designs of contending within two years of being drafted. From my point of view, there is not a single team in the NHL that would have blinked twice about sending Nemec to the AHL for more ice time if they had the defense the Devils already had and a record that shows they are playing to win. Nemec’s task is therefore simple: play too well to sit in the press box. If he plays like he did in the playoffs, he might get there in the 2025-26 season. Otherwise, he will have to deal with a rotation.

The goal is to ice the best team now, while keeping players who will make the team better years down the line. If the Devils feature Luke and Quinn Hughes two years from now, who do you think will be paired next to a Hughes? It’s going to be Simon Nemec. The easy road of just letting him play in the NHL regardless of whether his play dictates that he deserves it will only do him and the team a disservice when that time comes.

The Dark Horse: Seamus Casey​

Most people may have already designated Seamus Casey as a trade piece, but he is hardly unique as far is comes to being a prospect expected to stay in the AHL for awhile. Scott Morrow, who left UMass in 2024, played most of the 2024-25 season with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The Hurricanes ultimately traded Morrow to the New York Rangers in a package for K’Andre Miller, but there are a few things to note.

• While Casey will turn 22 on January 8, 2026, Scott Morrow will turn 23 on November 1.
• Morrow was less of a point producer at UMass than Casey was at Michigan, despite being older. Casey had 15 more points in the 2023-24 NCAA season than Morrow.
• Their limited NHL time has been similar in point totals, but Casey has scored four goals and four assists in 14 NHL games to Morrow’s one goal and five assists in 16 games.
• Morrow had a better season in the AHL with 39 points in 52 games, while Casey had 18 points in 30 games, along with an upper-body injury that kept him out of the lineup from December 19 to February 8.

Due to his size, Seamus Casey is probably not worth as much in a trade now as he would be after another full AHL season with possible NHL time. As things stand, he is still one injury away from a call-up to the NHL, though Calen Addison and Dennis Cholowski may also receive consideration. I expect Addison or Cholowski to be the initial extra defenseman, but I would be annoyed if Cholowski got extended starts instead of making a call for Casey in the case of further injuries. Addison may yet be a viable NHL player, as he showed promise with Minnesota in the 2022-23 season. But I do not believe either have the future Casey has. Addison is 25, but had severe defensive struggles in San Jose, while Cholowski, 27, has not made much of his opportunities.

If the team is patient enough with him and the cards fall in the right place, they could have a right side of Nemec, Pesce, and Casey after Hamilton’s contract expires. That would be especially smooth, allowing Casey to take up Hamilton’s right-side puck mover role once he has developed more in the AHL. Though, with Siegenthaler, Silayev, and Kovacevic ranging from possibly to likely being on the team, along with the Hughes brothers, it is not a certainty. Unless they have a deal in place to make the team better now, though, I would try to avoid trading Casey until next offseason. Casey will not be waiver eligible for quite awhile, and I imagine his trade value will only increase after additional successful call-up stints and some healthy weight gain.

The Big Question: Anton Silayev​

According to Elite Prospects, Anton Silayev is under contract through the 2025-26 season in the KHL. A member of HC Torpedo in Nizhny Novgorod, Silayev is on a team that has perpetually been on the cusp of true contention since the KHL replaced the Russian SuperLeague in 2008, though they have not sent many players to the NHL in their history. And, as the Devils have learned over the last few years, a player apparently being available for a move over to the NHL does not necessarily mean their representation will move in that direction. Many would have expected Arseni Gritsyuk to sign with the Devils after his contract with Avangard Omsk expired in 2023, but he was signed to a two-year KHL contract after SKA St. Petersburg acquired his rights from Avangard. So, Mike Morreale might say that the Devils expect Anton Silayev to sign with the team after his contract with Torpedo expires, but it is no certainty until it happens.

In any case, Silayev is a 6’7” defenseman, and he won’t turn 20 years old until April 11, 2026. If the Devils tell him that they want to sign him, but they want him to play in the AHL first, he could very well just re-sign in Russia. Or he might have his rights acquired by a powerhouse team that has a lot of sway like SKA St. Petersburg. Regardless, I am not going to assume that Silayev is going to be ready for the NHL in October 2026. The KHL is an imperfect league for developing the offensive capabilities of defensemen. Alexander Nikishin did not break out offensively until he was 21 years old, when he went from Spartak Moskva to St. Petersburg, spurning the Carolina Hurricanes for a few years. Soon to be 24 years old on October 2, he will make his debut with Carolina this season.

What happens here will have massive impacts on the other players in this article. If Silayev actually signs in 2026, that is a big movement towards trading guys like Seamus Casey. If Silayev is ready for the NHL, that might mean Brenden Dillon gets traded. It might mean Hamilton or Kovacevic is moved the next offseason to make room for a possible Quinn Hughes acquisition. But if Silayev signs another KHL contract, some, but not all of that could go out the window. And then there’s the question of if he will actually be ready for the NHL when he does sign. You cannot rush perfection.

The Big Picture and Injuries​

Personally, if I had to make a prediction that will likely age poorly, this is what I’m thinking:

• The 2026-27 Devils feature the same defense they have now. Seamus Casey is traded if nobody is hurt (and if he’s not traded this offseason), but he sticks around if someone is on the mend (which, knowing this team, is decently likely).
• The Devils trade Kovacevic in 2027 to make room for Quinn Hughes’s arrival, giving them a defense of Quinn Hughes, Luke Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Simon Nemec. If Seamus Casey is still on the team, he is their seventh defenseman, unless Brenden Dillon takes a sweetheart deal.
• The Devils re-sign Siegenthaler and allow Dougie Hamilton to walk, giving them a 2028-29 defense of Quinn, Luke, Siegenthaler, Silayev, Pesce, and Nemec, with one of Quinn or Luke Hughes playing on the right side.
• In the even longer term, the Devils likely do not retain Pesce beyond 2030, allowing Seamus Casey to take a full role (he would only be 26 at this point) if he somehow survives all these years without being traded. (It would be a pretty awesome defense with him, though.)

Reading this, you are probably wondering why I encourage such a conservative approach to trading defenseman. I simply expect guys to get hurt. This is the list of Devils defensemen who have had surgery in the last two years:

• Brett Pesce (October 2023 — lower body; season-ending 2024 — undisclosed)
• Dougie Hamilton (December 2023 — pectoral)
• Jonas Siegenthaler (February 2025 — lower body)
• Luke Hughes (May 2025 — shoulder)
• Johnny Kovacevic (May 2025 — knee)

And players who have had injuries that have not been surgically addressed:

• Simon Nemec (upper-body — August 2024)
• Seamus Casey (upper-body — December 2024)
• Dougie Hamilton (knee — March 2025)
• Brett Pesce (shoulder — Game One @CAR)
• Brenden Dillon (neck — Game One @CAR)

While Pesce’s shoulder injury may not have been too serious, the other three were significant. Simon Nemec was compromised for much of the 2024-25 season, Casey missed significant time and was reportedly not allowed to work on puck handling in his time off, and Dillon was completely unable to play in the playoffs. If the Devils go ahead and make trades, they should not be surprised if they have to lean on players of questionable caliber. You might be able to sell me on having lesser forwards plug up fourth line minutes in injury fill-ins, but defense is a different beast. A bad play at forward means the Devils wait a bit longer to score a goal. A bad play on defense means they have to score to make up for the defenseman’s mistake.

So yes, I am willing to give the prospects plenty of time in the AHL, and I would like to see a seven-defenseman rotation. Had the team not been juggling what to do with Dennis Cholowski and a not-ready Seamus Casey in the 2025 playoffs, maybe Brett Pesce and Brian Dumoulin would not have had to play close to 35 minutes a night while Jonas Siegenthaler played far too early in return from his February surgery. Defense is still the biggest strength of this team. It’s the basis of their identity, and they should appreciate the high level depth they have accumulated while they still have it.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of the defense, both now and into the future? What do you think of my assessment of how each player fits into the big picture? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ce-nemec-casey-silayev-siegenthaler-kovacevic

 

[New Jersey Devils]

DitD & Open Post - 8/1/25: It’s Back Edition

Luke Hughes #43 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center on April 11, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. | Photo by Tori Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 8/1/25

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

“(Jack) Hughes has five years left on his deal, and with the salary cap projected to rise significantly, it’s likely to get even more valuable. That’s why the Devils need to take better advantage of his contract than they have to this point.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

“(Brett) Pesce obviously brings a plethora of positive value to the Devils organization, though particularly on the defensive side of things. On offense, he does provide some value by virtue of his surprising in-zone passing abilities, but as I said, the bulk of his success comes because of his stellar defensive work. As L. Hughes grows and develops into more of the defenseman we all know he can — and will — be one day, it will be interesting to see how Pesce’s playstyle changes, as he has continually demonstrated an ability throughout his career to mold his playstyle to complement his partner best.” [Devils’ Advocates]

“New Jersey Hockey Now confirmed that the Devils’ black ‘Jersey’ jersey is coming back for 2025-26. Beyond that, however, it seems there is a possibility of a fourth jersey if it is, in fact, a league-wide initiative that is reviving the blue Nordiques uniform in Colorado. So, we decided to get your vote. Which jersey do you, the fans, want to see revived in New Jersey’s history? Or, do you perhaps want to see Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Co. wear a Kansas City Scouts throwback?” [New Jersey Hockey Now]

Hockey Links​

“This piece is about the players who aren’t worth the money — the worst deals in the league. It’s when you ask yourself, ‘How is this guy making that much?’ but in a bad way. There are a number of player-friendly deals out there. According to each player’s projected value over the remainder of their deals, these are the league’s 10 worst contracts.” [The Athletic ($)]

Devon Levi gets a two-year deal:

The Beast is back!

We have signed goaltender Devon Levi to a two-year contract with an AAV of $812,500.

Details → https://t.co/BW33fDOBBF#LetsGoBuffalo | @NorthtownAuto pic.twitter.com/WdIlhPRnMD

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 31, 2025​

“Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said Tuesday he’s been ‘very encouraged’ by the early talks he’s held with Connor McDavid’s agent, Judd Moldaver, on an extension.” [TSN]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2025/8/1/24478769/devils-in-the-details-8-1-25-its-back-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Summer News Edition

Matyas Melovsky | Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images

This post updates on some news we may have missed.

In the summer months after the draft and free agency, news can be scarce with prospects from week to week. So, sometimes it’s good to lump all recent news in one post. We do that here.

Around the Pool:​

• The Devils website has some prospect profiles up on their page that are worth checking out. Here’s a link to the one for Matyas Melovsky.
• Recent draftee forwards Ben Kevan and Mason Moe have been named to the World Junior Summer Showcase for Team USA.
• Another Devils prospect has also been named to the showcase for Finland and is already making an impact.

Finland with a 3-2 OT win over Czechia in yesterday’s U20 pre-tournament game ahead of the WJSS.

Kasper Pikkarainen (NJD) and Leo Tuuva with the goals during regulation, Roope Vesterinen with the GWG in OT. https://t.co/wr3l83qpcY

— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) July 21, 2025​

• Want to read more about goalie prospect phenom Mikhail Yegorov? Of course you do.

In my latest story, BU Terriers HC Jay Pandolfo provides excellent insight into one of the #NJDevils' youngest goaltending prospects, Mikhail Yegorov.

If you weren't excited about the 19-year-old before, you will be after hearing from Jay.https://t.co/3D84fvcIbj

— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) July 18, 2025​

• An expected signing to report.

NEWS

Yesterday, the New Jersey Devils signed RFA Thomas Bordeleau to a 1-year, 2-way contract at $775,000#THPN #NJDevils #Hockey #NHL pic.twitter.com/xsoECFeSLP

— Devils State Of Mind Podcast (@DevilsState) July 25, 2025​

• Lastly, Igor Larionov provides some insight on Devils prospect Anton Silayev.

Anton Silayev’s nickname is Big C.

A name given to him by Hockey Hall of Famer and his KHL coach Igor Larionov.

I chatted with Larionov to gain some insight into Silayev’s development and what impressed Larionov most about the #NJDevils D prospect. https://t.co/T1PH27QYeD

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) July 19, 2025​

Your Take​

Post them if you got them.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ey-devils-prospect-update-summer-news-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details - 7/28/25: Coach Brad Edition

Interim Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers Brad Shaw watches the play on the ice during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tonight’s game was the final home game of the 2024-25 season. | Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 7/28/25

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

“Before free agency began, the New Jersey Devils shook up their coaching staff, hiring Brad Shaw to replace Ryan McGill. Shaw will oversee the team’s defensemen and penalty kill, a role he’s held for as long as he’s been an assistant coach in the NHL. The Devils were one of the top defensive teams in the NHL last season, both at five-on-five and on the penalty kill, though their numbers did regress after Christmas. Their roster suggests they should be a good defensive team again, but Shaw could help the Devils and their young defensemen make even more improvements.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

If the Devils could be a Stanley Cup contender this season, what would need to happen? [Infernal Access ($)]

Could Brian Halonen get a legitimate look this season? “...Most successful contenders have their lineup lengthened by production from guys on entry-level, or near-league minimum contracts. The Devils will certainly hope for that added boost from Arseni Gritsyuk, but there’s one name absent from most roster projections: Brian Halonen.” [The Hockey Writers]

Hockey Links​

“How much does hockey history change if the first round had stayed best-of-five? The answer, as it turns out, is ‘a lot.’ So today, we’re going to go back to that decision from nearly 40 years ago, and work our way through an alternate version of NHL history that could — fair warning — make some of you sad.” [The Athletic ($)]

There are just four players who don’t wear visors who remain under an NHL contract. [The Hockey News]

“What NHL take instantly makes you lose respect for someone’s ‘puck knowledge’?” [r/hockey]

Taylor Hall, we thank you:

Some truly impressive point streaks... pic.twitter.com/9KTJ0alOU9

— NHL (@NHL) July 26, 2025​

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ils-in-the-details-7-28-25-coach-brad-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Welcome New Writers and Final Summer Check-in

I am very happy to announce two new writers on our staff as of today.

Good afternoon, and happy Sunday, all.

As I have updated the Writers Wanted post recently, I have two new writers to announce today. Please welcome Tim Wood (of the Uncle Puckers) and Matt Pavlichko, also known as ChucktheDuck, who has previously written articles for Guitar World. Tim and Matt will be helping with both weekly articles and game duties in previews and recaps, and I am very excited to see their contributions to the blog. Give them a warm welcome!

For those who are still interested in writing positions, we are still taking applications. They are a bit on hold because of the SBNation transition, which will go into effect on Tuesday. After that is settled, I will begin reading and responding to applications again. And if I already responded to you, know that you are still being considered for roles, as long as your interest has not changed. Also on the note of our publishing platform changes, our last article before the change will publish tomorrow morning. Beyond 4 PM on August, we will not be able to post on the site until the new system is fully in place in the morning of August 5. So, if there is New Jersey Devils news in that time, our post may be somewhat delayed.

With that aside, I want to give everyone another chance to share how their summers are going.

Personally, I am happy with New Jersey’s weather recently shifting to a normal and cool August after the almost-deathly heat of late July. It still feels very far from hockey season, though, despite the fact we are only a month and a half away from preseason games. Now is the perfect time to be outdoors, whether you like hiking, being on the water, or playing summer sports. Hopefully nobody is spending too much time indoors.

If you have anything to share, please comment below!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2025/8/3/24480112/welcome-new-writers-and-final-summer-check-in

 

[New Jersey Devils]

DitD & Open Post - 8/4/25: Expectations Edition

Arseni Gritsyuk #81 of Team ROC reacts after losing to Team Finland during the Men’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal match between Team Finland and Team ROC on Day 16 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2022 in Beijing, China. Team Finland defeated Team ROC 2-1. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 8/4/25

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

“With a hole at both third-line center and top-six wing, the Devils should legitimately have interest in now-Bruins’ forward Pavel Zacha.” [Devils’ Advocates]

What should we expect from Arseniy Gritsyuk this season? [Infernal Access] [Devils on the Rush]

A look at Scott Lachance’s work as a scout for the Devils: “I basically do the whole globe. (Our group) does the top 50-60 players depending on the draft. So, wherever the players are, we travel to. It just changes from year-to-year.” [Devils NHL]

Hockey Links​

Nick Robertson gets a one-year deal:

Toronto and Nick Robertson have settled at $1.825M

All arbitration is done.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 2, 2025​

Alex Laferriere gets a three-year deal:

Hearing #LAKings and RFA Alex Laferriere have agreed to terms on a new deal: 3 years x $4.1 million = $12.3 million.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 2, 2025​

“At a time of increasing commercialization of youth sports nationally, hockey is particularly vulnerable to capture by corporate interests. Whereas baseball and soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts are ubiquitous in parks and schools, fewer than 3,000 ice hockey rinks exist across the U.S., largely because running them is so expensive. The Stars capitalized on that dynamic by building an ice empire.” [USA Today]

Sounds like Matthew Tkachuk might miss some time:

Elliotte Friedman: We're gonna find out at some point here that Matthew Tkachuk will miss the start of the season; I think he'll be back in time for the Olympics; I think he's gonna miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that - 32 Thoughts Podcast (8/3)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 3, 2025​

An updated look at Hockey Hall of Fame cases for active NHL players who have logged at least five seasons: [The Athletic ($)]

A chat with Team USA general manager Bill Guerin ahead of the Olympics: “We have to win. We have to win another one of these. It’s been since 1996. We just have to find a way.” [NHL.com]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ls-in-the-details-8-4-25-expectations-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Can Cody Glass Help Take Nico Hischier To The Next Level?

Cody Glass is an excellent defensive center. Could that skillset help ease Nico Hischier’s workload this upcoming season?

Nico Hischier is a busy man. He entered the league with a scouting report that told us he should develop into an all-situations star, and boy has he ever. In his four full seasons since taking over the captaincy, Hischier has been at or near the top of the average time on ice rankings among Devils forwards in every facet of the game:

2024-25:

Power Play TOI: 2:52 (2nd to Jack Hughes)

Shorthanded TOI: 2:03 (1st)

Total TOI: 20:23 (2nd to Hughes)

2023-24:

PP TOI: 3:25 (2nd to Hughes)

SH TOI: 1:22 (4th, a mere one second behind Tomas Nosek)

Total TOI: 19:29 (2nd to Hughes)

2022-23:

PP TOI: 2:58 (2nd to Hughes)

SH TOI: 2:05 (1st)

Total TOI: 19:17 (2nd to Hughes)

2021-22:

PP TOI: 2:49 (2nd to Hughes)

SH TOI: 1:42 (3rd if you take away Frederik Gauthier and his eight games played)

Total TOI: 19:21 (2nd to Hughes)

Hischier has always gotten plenty of ice time, but this past season was a significant jump even for him. We’ve talked a lot about some of the big changes that Sheldon Keefe made to this team in his first year running the show, mostly the system changes he implemented. But one significant tweak that flew under the radar a little bit was the boost in Hischier’s minutes. 2024-25 was the first season that Hischier averaged more than 20 minutes per game, clocking in at basically one full minute more per game than the past three seasons when Hischier averaged around 19 1⁄2 minutes. It might not seem like a big difference, but one additional minute of ice time can mean a lot. Personally, I’m all for Keefe giving Hischier more playing time. It’s usually a winning strategy to make sure your best players get the most ice time after all.

Not only was Hischier’s 20:23 TOI per game a big number on the Devils, it was a big number even compared to the rest of the league as well. According to Natural Stat Trick, last season Hischier was tied for 16th in average TOI among forwards. Compare that to 2023-24 when Hischier’s 19:29 per game was tied for 47th among forwards (note: For some reason Natural Stat Trick has Hischier at 19:28, but Hockey Reference and the NHL website both have him at 19:29, so I’m going with that). Jumping from 47th to 16th is a big deal, and it’s well-deserved for an elite, all-situations dynamo like Hischier.

And it’s that “all-situations” part that’s important here. There weren’t many forwards ahead of Hischier in average TOI, but the vast majority of the ones that were ahead of him did not have the defensive responsibilities that Hischier had. As we can see from the numbers above, he’s one of the most relied upon Devils in shorthanded situations. That would be enough, but it’s his even strength usage that really puts him over the top. Tune into any given Devils game and you’re sure to see Hischier matching up against the best players in the world.

Take this past season’s 5-on-5 numbers for example. The home opener against the Maple Leafs? The two players he saw the most time against were Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Against the Lightning on October 22nd? Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman were his most common opponents. December 8th against the Avalanche? Hard-matched against Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews. January 14th against the Panthers? How does an assignment of Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matt Tkachuk, and Gustav Forsling sound to you? Believe me I could go on, but I think you get the point. Hischier is asked to shut down the other team’s best night in and night out.

So with this being the case, a question could be asked: How much is all this defensive responsibility weighing down Hischier’s offense? On the surface, the answer would appear to be “not much”. Over the last four seasons, Hischier has scored 276 points in 297 games. That’s an average of exactly 69 points per season, and a per-game rate of 0.93 (an 82-game rate of 76.2 points). Those aren’t top-of-the-league numbers, but that’s still elite production. In fact, Hischier just set a new career-high in goals in a single season with 35, so if anything his production has never been better.

Still, I can’t help but feel that if Hischier’s defensive burden was eased just a little bit, his offense could truly explode. If these are the numbers he’s posting while going up against elite competition on a nightly basis, imagine what he could do with a few extra shifts against depth players. Could he reach 90, or dare I say 100 points? For a player as talented as Hischier, it’s possible. But how can the Devils actually do that? What is the path to giving Hischier more opportunities to shine offensively?

That’s where Cody Glass comes in.

A Shutdown Center In The Making?​

Like Hischier, Cody Glass was also a top-10 pick in the 2017 draft, going 6th overall to the Vegas Golden Knights. He put up some huge seasons with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, but he’s never been able to carry that offense into the pros. After a couple disappointing seasons with the Golden Knights, Vegas shipped him to Nashville. Glass did put up a decent 35 points in 72 games in 2022-23 with the Predators, but that modest point total represents his career-high. Soon after that, he was moved to Pittsburgh, and then to New Jersey. And nowhere along the line has he registered big time offensive numbers.

However, despite Glass’ offense not translating to the NHL, he has developed into one of the game’s best defensive forwards. According to Natural Stat Trick, among forwards who played at least 500 minutes last season, Glass posted elite defensive numbers:

Corsi Against per 60: 51.05 (27th-best rate in the league)

Scoring Chances Against per 60: 20.99 (12th-best)

High Danger Corsi Against per 60: 8.18 (10th-best)

Expected Goals Against per 60: 2.05 (21st-best)

There were 378 forwards who played at least 500 minutes last season, so for Glass to rank from 10th-27th in each of these categories is deeply impressive.

If Natural Stat Trick isn’t enough for you, there are many other analytics models that rate Glass as one of the best defensive forwards in the game. JFresh’s microstats model has him in the 90th percentile for his defense:

Cody Glass, signed 2x$2.5M by NJ, is a defensive bottom six forward who bounced back from a horrible 2023-24 campaign to play simple and effective hockey. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/Wt3k47TQna

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 2, 2025​

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn has him just a shade below that in the 86th percentile:

Quality work by the Devils to keep Cody Glass at $2.5M. Came into his own last year as a defensively capable top nine option. Will be interesting to see whether he can build on that. pic.twitter.com/XFIg9aci8o

— dom (@domluszczyszyn) July 2, 2025​

And Evolving Hockey is the highest on Glass’ defensive game, ranking him way up in the 96th percentile:

The numbers are pretty unanimous in their conclusion: Glass is an excellent defensive player. So with this being the case, Glass can be the matchup center that Sheldon Keefe deploys against other teams’ top players, freeing Hischier up to play against more third and fourth liners, right?

Well...

Quality Of Competition​

While it’s true that Glass has posted elite defensive numbers over his career, a lot of that has come against non-elite competition. In JFresh’s tweet above, you might notice he actually has a specific category for Competition. Same with Luszczyszyn, though he labels it as “Difficulty”. These are basically measures of how tough a player’s quality of competition is. It makes sense that this would be important enough to track. After all, there is a HUGE difference between shutting down Connor McDavid and shutting down, say, any given Chicago Blackhawks fourth liner. And according to JFresh and Luszczyszyn, Glass’ quality of competition is only slightly above average, meaning he’s usually matching up against decent but not elite players.

Was this also the case in New Jersey? Or did Keefe actually give him a bump up in competition once he came over at the trade deadline? Let’s take a look at Glass’ game logs for all the home games (since teams have way more power to control matchups at home) that he played for the Devils to find out. I’m going to exclude the season finale against Detroit though, since the Devils treated that as a glorified preseason game (all numbers 5-on-5):

• March 11 vs. CBJ:

Most common forward opponents: Mathieu Olivier (2nd line), Zach Aston-Reese (4th line), Boone Jenner (2nd line)

• March 13 vs. EDM:

Most common forward opponents: Connor Brown (2nd line), Vasily Podkolzin (3rd line), Adam Henrique (3rd line)

• March 20 vs. CGY:

Most common forward opponents: Blake Coleman (3rd line) Yegor Sharangovich (3rd line), Joel Farabee (3rd line)

• March 22 vs. OTT:

Most common forward opponents: David Perron (3rd line), Shane Pinto (2nd line), Ridly Greig (2nd line)

• March 24 vs. VAN:

Most common forward opponents: Drew O’Connor (2nd line), Teddy Blueger (4th line), Kiefer Sherwood (2nd line)

• April 5 vs. NYR:

Most common forward opponents: Sam Carrick (4th line), J.T. Miller (2nd line), Alexis Lafrenière (2nd line)

• April 8 vs. BOS:

Most common forward opponents: Cole Koepke (4th line), Jakub Lauko (4th line), John Beecher (4th line)

• April 11 vs. PIT:

Most common forward opponents: Sidney Crosby (1st line), Ville Koivunen (1st line), Bryan Rust (1st line)

• April 13 vs. NYI:

Most common forward opponents: Maxim Tsyplakov (3rd line), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3rd line), Simon Holmstrom (3rd line)

Aside from the April 11 game against Pittsburgh, Glass saw a steady dose of depth competition. Even when Keefe had Glass at his disposal, he stuck with Hischier as the go-to guy to shut down the other team’s elite players. So to answer the question of whether Glass’ deployment changed with the Devils, no it did not.

For what it’s worth, Glass did extremely well against Crosby and pals on April 11, logging a 5-on-5 xGF% of 93.67% against the Penguins’ entire top line. It’s a microscopic sample size of one game obviously, but at least for that one game, Glass proved he could swim with the big fish.

Does this mean Keefe is guaranteed to not use Glass as the matchup center this upcoming season? I don’t believe so. It’s quite possible he just didn’t know Glass’ abilities enough to trust him with the toughest assignments right off the bat, but a full training camp with him will give him that confidence. At the same time, we have to admit there’s little to no evidence that Keefe has plans to use Glass against top competition this upcoming season either, based on past usage anyway. At this point, it’s only a theoretical premise.

A Calculated Risk​

So if I’m Sheldon Keefe, what would I do with Glass? Personally, I would give him a shot against elite competition to begin the season. I don’t think I would put ALL of the burden on Glass right away though, I would still want Hischier taking on the toughest matchups at least some of the time. But you could go with some sort of split between Glass and Hischier to begin the campaign, and if it goes well, you can start giving Glass more and more of the tough assignments while letting Hischier blowtorch lesser competition.

Glass has a proven track record of outstanding defensive play, even if it’s almost never against the league’s best players. That being said, it’s not like he’s only been deployed against fourth liners either. Glass is a known commodity against second and third line competition, as the numbers from JFresh and Luszczyszyn above (as well as his Devils game logs) show. As he enters the prime of his career, I would give him a chance to prove he can take the next step and become a top level shutdown guy.

The other reason I take this chance is because I trust Keefe’s system to help Glass adjust to his new role. We all had our issues with the offense last season, even before Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton got hurt. But we all had very few complaints about the defense. New Jersey improved dramatically in this regard between 2023-24 and 2024-25, which is a credit to Keefe and his coaching. This turnaround isn’t solely because of the defensemen either, as almost every forward on the team saw big improvements in their defensive games. As one example, Jack Hughes, who was never a penalty kill option prior to last year, was deployed on the kill a lot under Keefe. And not only did he not drown in his new role, he was one of New Jersey’s most effective killers. Keefe has shown from his time in Toronto and New Jersey that he can get the best out of his players as far as the defensive side of the game goes. So I have to imagine that if anyone can turn Glass into the modern day John Madden, it’s Keefe.

I mentioned the complaints about the offense. The issues were real, and there are still questions about whether this team will score enough goals to compete for a title. Much of the focus has been on finding more depth scoring, which is no doubt important. But perhaps another route to scoring more goals is freeing up Hischier from heavy defensive responsibilities. And keep in mind, this doesn’t just affect Hischier, it is something his entire line has to deal with as well. If we take a look at who Hischier mostly lined up with last season, we see that he spent a whopping 738 minutes with Timo Meier. The next two most common linemates for Hischier were Stefan Noesen (466 minutes) and Dawson Mercer (360 minutes). It’s hard to ask for more production out of Noesen, but Meier and Mercer are two players that a lot of Devils fans want more points from. If Glass is able to shoulder more of the load as far as shutting down elite competition, and Hischier is going to be spending most of his time playing with Meier and Mercer again, maybe instead of relying on improved depth to get the offense back on track, the Devils can get more production out of Hischier and his line.

And of course, if the “Glass as matchup center” experiment isn’t going well over the first month or two of the season, the Devils always have the option to go back to relying on Hischier. But I for one would love to see Glass take the opportunity and run with it. If the team really isn’t going to add a third line center with more offensive upside or a top six winger to add more scoring punch, then perhaps the strategy is to pivot to Glass absorbing the tough assignments and letting Hischier run roughshod over the depth. I have my doubts that Keefe will actually do this, but it’s something I want him to at least try.

Your Take​

What do you make of all this? Do you think Glass is ready for a shot at top competition? Or would you continue to play Hischier against the big guns? If Glass does free Hischier up defensively, how much more production do you think we can expect out of Hischier? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...ass-help-take-nico-hischier-to-the-next-level

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Welcome to the new All About the Jersey: A fresh look, fewer ads and a new feature

Things will look a little different around here today.

A few weeks ago we told you something new was coming to All About the Jersey and today it’s here. Things are cleaner, faster and easier to use. There are the same writers, coverage, comments, and community you’ve come to rely on, now with less clutter and clunkiness.

Let’s dive in. If you scroll down the page on your phone or computer, it’s smoother. You’ll notice that the most talked-about stories have a bigger font displaying the number of comments. You’ll also see a section called Active Conversations to point you to the busiest conversations right now.

But there’s two changes we’re most excited to tell you about:

Fewer ads for logged-in users​

Our loyal readers and commenters are the heartbeat of our communities, and with this new design we’re excited to offer them fewer ads when they’re logged in. Specifically:

• Video players will no longer chase you down the page. Just scroll past one and it will be gone.
• Full page pop-ups that would sometimes interrupt your commenting experience have been disabled.

You can log in or sign up here and check it out.

A new feature by the community, for the community: The Feed​

Today we’re launching a brand new space for you to come together. The Feed is a running stream of posts and updates from you, the community, mixed in with links and updates from the team and our staff. Think of it as our community’s group text where you can easily grab your phone and share a link to a story, post a question or write your own post on the day’s news.

You can find it in two places:

• On the homepage, adjacent to the top stories. Community participation is core to who we are, so we want it right on the front page to share your stuff.
• A devoted homepage for The Feed where you can see the full stream of posts coming in from the community. You might want to bookmark that.

Log in or sign up here and you can start posting on The Feed and seeing fewer ads immediately.



Today’s launch is a big deal for our community, and it’s also a kickoff of broader efforts to build around the community we have here. Soon you’ll get alerts when someone replies to your comment or your post on The Feed, with more to come thereafter. We want to put the community in the driver’s seat, so let us know what you want in the comments below or in The Feed.

If you want to dig into more of this updated experience, head over to this post on sbnation.com from SB Nation’s Head of Product Ed Clinton, where he expands on the changes in our ads and design. Ed will be responding to questions in the comments. If you have any questions about how to log in to our new system, check out this article from last week.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/m...rsey-a-fresh-look-fewer-ads-and-a-new-feature

 

[New Jersey Devils]

An Appreciation Post For The Now Ex-Devils

Nathan Bastian is one of several Devils players who will be playing elsewhere in 2025-26 | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Change is inevitable, and in professional sports, change happens frequently at the end of a season.

No team brings back the same exact roster from one season to the next. Teams that are looking to get better will let underperforming players walk in free agency and replace them with players who are better fits. Teams that are really bad may take this a step further and jettison players who have trade value as they undergo a rebuild. Teams that are really good can’t keep everyone, and while the Florida Panthers are an example of a team that brought back several key players in Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad, even they lost some players who contributed in some manner to their success (Nate Schmidt being an example).

The New Jersey Devils are no different, and after having a season where they had a bottom six that was largely ineffective, it’s not surprising that several of those underperforming players aren’t returning. The Devils aren’t any different than most teams in which they’re trying to improve next season, and while they didn’t make any huge splash moves this offseason, they did shore up their forward depth with the additions of Connor Brown and Evgeni Dadonov in UFA. Arseny Gritsyuk, Juho Lammikko, Thomas Bordeleau, Lenni Hameenaho, and Shane Lachance are among the players brought in who will get an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Night roster.

Those players will be replacing players who have since departed though, whether it’s for an NHL job elsewhere or to play professionally overseas. Tom Fitzgerald wasn’t wrong to move on from these players as just about all of them where somewhere between average at best and downright bad in 2024-25. But that doesn’t mean these players never had their moments while they were a member of the Devils.

With the dust having mostly settled on the offseason, I figured this week would be a good one to take a look at who has left, where they’re heading, and be appreciative of what they did as a Devil.

Erik Haula (traded to the Nashville Predators)​

Haula came to the Devils prior to the 2022-23 season from the Bruins in the Pavel Zacha trade and he was exactly what the Devils needed at the time. The Devils needed a veteran who had consistently been in winning environments as they were a young team looking to take that next step.

Haula had a good first season in New Jersey with 41 points in 80 games. He bounced between center and wing, showing he could keep up on a line with Jack Hughes, but also play down in the lineup as needed.

He also scored one of my favorite goals of the 2023 playoff series against the Rangers. One that I went out of my way to get a framed autographed picture of his celebration in the aftermath of doing so.

Haula was rewarded with a three-year contract extension after that season, but never quite recaptured his form from that season. A sprained ankle landed him on IR during this past season, he had a prolonged stretch where he couldn’t find the scoresheet, and was effectively an ineffective third line winger down the stretch.

Haula was traded to the Nashville Predators after the season in what was basically a salary cap dump. Entering his age 34 season, time will tell if he was ineffective because of the injuries or if last season was the beginning of the end for him in terms of being an effective NHL player. That said, his four goals, two assists, and responsible two way play were a big part of the reason why the Devils have won their only playoff series since the 2012 Cup run, and that shouldn’t be understated.

Tomas Tatar (signed with EV Zug of the National League)​

After playing out the two-year deal he signed prior to the 2021-22 season and splitting time between Colorado and Seattle in 2023-24, the Devils brought back Tomas Tatar on a one-year deal this past season.

I understood why the Devils took a chance on Tatar at the time, as I figured they were banking on him recapturing some chemistry that he had with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer during his first run in Jersey. Unfortunately, he didn’t really show to have chemistry with anyone. Tatar was in that weird spot where he is no longer good enough to play in a Top Six role but doesn’t fit the profile of an effective bottom six player either. With his ice time cut to 11 minutes a night, he managed to tally 7 goals and 10 assists in 74 games, and with him signing a two-year deal in Switzerland, it might be the end of the line for Tatar as an NHL player at 927 games played.

Tatar developed a reputation for coming up small in playoff games, and his time in New Jersey was no different with just one goal in 16 postseason games. But at least it was a big one in Game 7 to help the Devils eliminate the Rangers.

Brian Dumoulin (signed with the Los Angeles Kings in free agency)​

Of all the players in this article, Dumoulin spent the shortest amount of time in New Jersey, coming over at the trade deadline. He also holds the distinction of being the only player on this list that I would’ve liked for the Devils to have found a way to keep, although that wasn’t really possible given the Devils cap situation and current roster construction.

I was not a fan of the move at the time, although that had more to do with the Devils using their resources to not address their biggest needs (offense) and instead acquiring a defensive defenseman. But after seeing how well Dumoulin played down the stretch and in the postseason for the Devils, as well as the rash of defenseman injuries the Devils suffered this postseason, I understand why Fitzgerald did what he did to bring in a reliable defenseman who could play tough minutes. The Devils only won one postseason game against Carolina this year, but I don’t think they win that game without Dumoulin’s contributions in the 36 minutes and 24 seconds he played. Remember, the Devils played Game 3 to double OT with five defensemen because of Johnathan Kovacevic’s injury earlier in the game.

Dumoulin isn’t known for his offensive prowess and likely won’t bring much offense to his new home in Los Angeles, but at least we can relive the only goal he scored as a member of the Devils, an overtime winner late in the regular season to beat the Boston Bruins.

Nathan Bastian (still a UFA)​

Of all of the players on this list, nobody was a member of the Devils longer than Nathan Bastian.

Bastian, a former 2nd round pick in 2016 made his NHL debut in 2018-19, but didn’t really establish himself as a regular until the COVID-shortened 56 game season in 2020-21. Aside from a brief 12-game saunter with the Seattle Kraken as one of their selections in the expansion draft, Bastian played 264 of his 276 games as an NHL player as a member of the Devils.

A big, physical, right winger, Bastian has shown a little offensive touch and briefly served as a netfront presence on the Devils power play back in 2021-22. But he’s mostly been a league-average fourth line winger who will occasionally have his moments from time to time. He’s also missed time the last three seasons due to various injuries including, but not limited to, a broken jaw.

It would be unfair to say that Bastian never had his moments as a member of the Devils though, and one of those moments might be his defining game as a Devil. Of course, I’m talking about his two goal performance in the Stadium Series win over the Flyers in February 2024.

As of this writing, Bastian remains an unrestricted free agent and is assuredly one of the players Fitzgerald was referring to when he said the group won’t be back because it wasn’t good enough. We’ll always have him channeling Giants QB Tommy DeVito during his goal celebration though. That and his adorable puppy.

Justin Dowling (signed with the New York Rangers in free agency)​

Dowling joined the Devils organization prior to the 2023-24 season, and while he mostly played for Utica in that first season with the Devils, he did wind up appearing in 54 NHL games for the Devils, with 52 of them coming this past season.

Dowling has mostly been an organizational depth player throughout his career, as he had a ton of experience with the Texas Stars and Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL prior to coming to the Devils. He brought a little something to the table in terms of energy and his approach, but with 2 goals and 5 assists in 52 games this year, he didn’t really do enough to show that he might be a late bloomer. He is what he is as a player, and due to necessity and injuries on the depth chart in front of him, he was overexposed when thrust into regular playing time at the NHL level.

At least he had a memorable moment in an otherwise forgettable 2023-24 campaign, when he was thrust into the lineup on a line with Alexander Holtz and managed to score a goal in his first game after being recalled.

I won’t go quite as far as to wish luck to Dowling now that he’s a member of the Rangers, as I would never wish someone on the Rangers good luck. But I would expect him to be a decent depth piece for AHL Hartford if he doesn’t make the Rangers out of training camp.

Curtis Lazar (signed with the Edmonton Oilers in free agency)​

If there was ever a league leader in good vibes per 60, Curtis Lazar would be a candidate to lead the league in that statistic.

Lazar came to the Devils at the trade deadline in 2023 and spent the last two and a half seasons with the Devils. Lazar didn’t contribute much down the stretch for the Devils that season as he dealt with visa issues and an injury, but he had a very strong season in 2023-24. Lazar registered a career best 25 points in 71 games and was an excellent defensive forward in the Devils bottom six.

Lazar’s main issue in 2024-25, aside from a failed move from winger to center, is that he simply was never healthy. Lazar underwent a procedure in his knee in October, and according to Kristy Flannery, Lazar needed another procedure after the season. The end result was one of the worst seasons of Lazar’s career, with 5 points in 48 games and him often being a “healthy scratch”, although it’s debatable how healthy he ever was.

I don’t know how much the Devils will miss Curtis Lazar, the hockey player, but I’m comfortable saying they’ll miss Curtis Lazar the person. Lazar is very much a “vibes guys” if there ever was one, from his playful trolling of Luke Hughes to his willingness to be silly with the team whenever they wanted to put a video on social media. He’s the perfect complimentary piece, so why not highlight one of his best moments as the Robin to Douglas D. Admin’s Batman in the 2024-25 schedule release video.

The Rest of the Ex-Devils​

Unfortunately, we just didn’t see enough from the next few players I wanted to mention this past season, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention them in some capacity.

Shane Bowers, who made it into 4 NHL games this past season, went to the San Jose Sharks in the Thomas Bordeleau deal.

Nolan Foote, who appeared in 7 games this past season and 30 NHL games over parts of five seasons, was not qualified. He signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Florida Panthers.

Santeri Hatakka, who came to the Devils as part of the Timo Meier trade in 2023, underwent shoulder surgery in October 2024 and only appeared in 19 games for AHL Utica this past season. He opted to sign a two-year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League and the Devils chose not to qualify the pending RFA.

Daniil Misyul, a former 3rd round pick of the Devils in 2019, made his NHL debut this season for the Devils. He played 47 games for AHL Utica before being dealt to the Boston Bruins for Marc McLaughlin, who has since re-signed with the Devils. Misyul signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for this upcoming season.

Last but not least, Daniel Sprong came over to the Devils at the trade deadline from the Seattle Kraken. Sprong picked up a pair of assists in 11 games with the Devils and was in the lineup for their 4-1 Game 1 loss to Carolina, but didn’t appear again that series. Sprong signed a one-year deal with HC CSKA Moscow of the KHL a few weeks ago.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...74/an-appreciation-post-for-the-now-ex-devils

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Can Dougie Hamilton Return to Form for the New Jersey Devils in 2025-26?

Back in the summer of 2021, Dougie Hamilton was seen as one of the prized free agent targets available to be signed, possibly even the highest prized. While rumors were rampant throughout free agency’s opening, word eventually got out that apparently Hamilton was going to be heading to New Jersey. I remember it taking a while to be completely confirmed, but the Devils had indeed gotten their man, with Dougie joining on a seven year, $63 million deal. Defense was still a work in progress for the Devils of that time, and signing Hamilton went a long way to strengthening that group, as well as complementing the young core that was now beginning to take shape.

Hamilton’s debut year with the Devils was…okay. The defense group he joined was much stronger than prior years, but 2021-22 was the year that the Devils goaltending all but imploded between injuries and inconsistency. Hamilton continued to be a big minute eater for the Devils as he had been for the Carolina Hurricanes prior. HIs point output, however, dipped to only 30, his lowest total since back in his sophomore season for the Boston Bruins in 2013-14. While he was important for his overall play, teams don’t go and spend $9 million for a 30 point guy.

But then came 2022-23.

Call it a season to get comfortable with his new team. Call it whatever magic the 2022-23 team had. Whatever you want to say, Professor Douglas D. Admin came to be a FORCE that season.

2022-23 will certainly be remembered for a variety of reasons: the highest point total in season history, Jack Hughes coming a point away from 100, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt each potting 30 goals, the list goes on. But what shouldn’t be lost among those accolades is Hamilton putting up a hefty 74 points while appearing in all 82 contests. Breaking his previous career high in points by 24, Dougie looked every bit like a $9 million player and then some. While he struggled a bit in the playoffs (4 points in 12 games, -11) his goal in overtime of Game 3 of the first round gave the Devils their first playoff win since 2018 and arguably was part of what propelled them to their first postseason series win since 2012.

Unfortunately, 2023-24 followed. Hamilton started off hot with 16 points in 20 contests, but would suffer a pectoral injury in Game 20; he would be lost for the remainder of that season, which saw the Devils disappointingly miss the postseason. He would return for this previous campaign, and while he would miss a chunk of it (18 games) Hamilton had a sneaky good 40 points in 64 games. He would again not have the greatest postseason, but outside of Nico, Bratt, and maybe Meier and Nemec for his double OT winner, which Devils player did?

Despite being viewed as a trade candidate, Hamilton currently sits on the Devils roster as of time of writing. Obviously things can change between now and the start of the season, but I don’t think that will be the case. 2024-25 was seen as a disappointment from Hamilton, and I think that’s due in part to the fact that he scored 34 fewer points than the last season where he played the majority of it. At the same time, 40 points is fairly consistent with much of his career scoring. And most of the other seasons of his career where he hit or broke 40 points, he appeared in more games than he did in 2024-25 as well. Maybe the question shouldn’t be if he can return to form after all; maybe it’s more of can he return to that 2022-23 form?

A lot of Devils fans seem willing to cast Hamilton off and look at him as a cap anchor, a player producing too little for his cap hit and preventing the team from making forward progress. Yet I think the more I analyzed his stats and his career as I wrote this, I think the debate above needs to be separated from the original question. No, I don’t think Hamilton has another 74 point season in him. He’s a couple years older, had surgery on his pectoral muscle (which absolutely affected his shot at times this past season) and has other defenders who have surpassed him on the depth chart. But we can’t pretend 40 points in 64 games (51 point pace across 82 games) is useless either. I get the concept from some fans of moving him to reallocate his cap dollars elsewhere, but he’s not the black hole that other fans make him out to be either.

Dougie Hamilton may be exiting his prime. Heck, father time is always undefeated when it comes to pro athletes’ careers…and to us all, really. Yet, part of me thinks Dougie Hamilton isn’t done yet. Maybe he does get traded next summer prior to the last year of his contract as I’ve talked about before. But this season? I think we might just have one more big surge from Douglas.

And maybe it leads to one big surge for the 2025-26 New Jersey Devils.

What are your thoughts on the potential for Dougie Hamilton to bounce back; do you think he’s a 40 (or fewer) points per season player going forward? Do you think he’s got one more huge season similar to 2023-24 in him? Are you worried about his availability more than his point total for the upcoming season? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-to-form-for-the-new-jersey-devils-in-2025-26

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 8/8/25: Golden Chance Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

“Johnathan Kovacevic’s absence should present Šimon Nemec with a golden chance to earn an NHL roster spot to begin 2025-26.” [Devils on the Rush]

Hockey Links​

A deep dive into each team’s cap situation: Which teams spend their money most wisely? “The goal here is to grade contracts empirically with the same context being applied to each player across the league: how much value does each player bring to the table per year and over the life of the contract. The way that’s measured comes from comparing a player’s Net Rating and the expected salary that comes with it to a player’s current contract.” [The Athletic ($)]

“Elias Pettersson is on a mission this season. ‘I know what I’m capable of,’ the Vancouver Canucks forward said Wednesday at Sweden’s orientation camp for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. ‘Actually, I haven’t thought about it, but for myself it’s revenge. I’m not happy with last season.’” [NHL.com]

Matthew Tkachuk is on the cover of NHL 26:

He’s a tone-setter, a leader, and now a cover star.

Matthew Tkachuk is the face of #NHL26.

See the full reveal August 6th: https://t.co/gsLeVReKbu pic.twitter.com/S24tmSe834

— NHL (@NHL) August 4, 2025

Who’s due to regress? “Whether you like it or not, math and luck play a role in hockey. Sometimes players are scoring or stopping the puck at a higher rate than they usually do, and sometimes they’re doing it at a lower rate. Regardless, the bill always comes due, and those percentages swing the other way, unless the player is just that good.” [Daily Faceoff]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-in-the-details-8-8-25-golden-chance-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

It’s Time to Vote for the 2025 All About the Jersey Top 25 Under 25

Will the Hughes Brothers reclaim their spot atop the list again this year? (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Good afternoon, everyone. While we have had some delays, in part due to shaking out the finer points of the relaunched site, we are now ready to go full-steam ahead with the Top 25 Under 25. If you have been a reader here for awhile, you already know how this works. But as always, let’s just have a bit of a refresher on how it all goes.

The Requirements​

As always, eligibility for the AATJ Top 25 Under 25 is rather simple: if the player is a member of the New Jersey Devils organization, whether signed to a contract or on their reserve list, they can be ranked as long as their birthdate is after September 15, 2000. If someone turns 25 on September 16, 2025, they would still be eligible for the list. In total, the New Jersey Devils have 41 players in the NHL organization under the age of 25.

The Additions​

The New Jersey Devils have 11 new under-25 players in the organization. One of them, Xavier Parent, was a member of the Utica Comets before signing a two-way deal with the Devils as an undrafted free agent. So, while Parent was previously with a Devils affiliate, this will be the first year in which Parent is ranked. And, having been born in 2001, it will also be his last. The Devils also acquired three of the 11 through trades: those three are Shane LaChance, Thomas Bordeleau, and Jeremy Hanzel. All other new U25 Devils are 2025 draftees. You will be able to see all additions and departures below.

The Departures​

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the Devils being in playoff contention mode did not result in a net reduction of U25 players in the organization. Had they kept all of their restricted free agents, it would have been a +4 increase. However, the Devils allowed Nolan Foote, Santeri Hatakka, and Isaac Poulter to walk, bringing that down to +1. As you can see below, six of the 10 players departing the list were sent away near the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.

Only Paul Cotter regularly aged out of the list. A fun fact: Paul Cotter was the last player born in the 1990s to be in an All About the Jersey Top 25 Under 25 list. Born on November 16, 1999, Cotter was very near the cutoff last season. Next year, Nico Daws, Arseni Gritsyuk, Jack Hughes, Nathan Legare, Xavier Parent, and Dylan Wendt will be aged out. Dawson Mercer will then be the elder statesman of the Top 25 Under 25.

Last Year’s Results​

The full history of the Top 25 Under 25 can be accessed here. One of the biggest declines in rankings last year came from Samu Salminen, who went from 18th to 25th. Tyler Brennan and Cole Brown both dropped five spots, with Brennan dropping to 27th and Brown dropping to 39th. We’ll see how those players do this year.

As far as risers went, the biggest jump up the rankings among players still with the Devils came from Arseni Gritsyuk, who went from 12th to 5th. Four players rose six spots. Daniil Orlov rose to 23rd, Cam Squires was ranked 17th, Jakub Malek ended up 13th, and Lenni Hameenaho reached the 10th spot. Nico Daws also went five spots, from 13th to 8th. The biggest rise, however, is no longer with our club. That was Santeri Hatakka, who went from 30th to 12th before an injury-riddled season led to him signing overseas. Hopefully none of our ranked players this season end up with a similar fate to Hatakka’s.

The Survey​

This year’s survey is hosted on polling.com: you can access it here. You may have already completed the survey through the earlier feed post from a couple days ago, as I see that 18 people have responded so far. If you have responded, thank you for your participation.

Please be careful on polling.com’s ranking system. All of the players in the list are already there. So, please be sure that you have everything in order before you click submit — the players will begin in alphabetical order, by last name. You can see the list below in spreadsheet form:

So, if you want to play it safe, you can refer to this list and order them in a document or spreadsheet. Then, when you feel like you have your order right, go into the polling.com survey and use the drag tools to order everything there. Remember: the poll will limit your responses, so double-check your list before submitting. And, if you want to share your full list as the results posts come out, save the list in your document or spreadsheet for later use.

As of now, the survey will run through Tuesday, August 19.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of the Top 25 Under 25 this season? What do you think of the subtractions of the list? Which of them, if any, do you wish were still with the organization? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/n...the-2025-all-about-the-jersey-top-25-under-25

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 8/6/25: Buyers Edition

Welcome to the new version of All About the Jersey. Please be patient as we work out any issues. Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

“At least defensively, the Devils were one of the better teams in the NHL in 2024-25. I’d expect that to be the case again since they’re running back the same blue line, but some of it will depend on Jonas Siegenthaler. He was one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL last season, but can he repeat his performance?” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

“Assuming the Devils live up to expectations, they will once again be buyers in March. These players could be of interest.” [Infernal Access ($)]

“To this point in his career, through 175 games, (Yegor) Chinakhov has logged a grand total of 34 goals and 37 assists for 71 points — a 0.41 point per game pace. The former first-round pick has some tangible appeal to a Devils organization aching for a player to slot alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, but there are also some legitimate concerns in my eyes that would (and should) hold them back from making a play for him.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links​

A look around the league at some notable still-unsigned RFAs: [Sportsnet]

Analysis of the goaltending talent on each NHL roster: [TSN]

“Summer rolls on. For hockey players, it is the window for golf, weddings, Stanley Cup celebrations, vacations and cookouts. Alcohol can be a common companion. But come October, when the 2025-26 NHL season begins, some players will turn off the taps for one specific reason.” [The Athletic ($)]

Buoy!

A charging bear startled Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy and forward John Hayden. True to mascot code, Buoy makes no sound while moving quickly away from the animal. pic.twitter.com/2xqC6SiVou

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 4, 2025

Anton Khudobin heads to retirement:

Anton Khudobin has officially retired after 14 NHL seasons

Seventh-round pick in 2004
114 wins
.916 career SV%
Led Dallas to 2020 Stanley Cup Final pic.twitter.com/f144JJ3gTz

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) August 4, 2025

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...9/devils-in-the-details-8-6-25-buyers-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Addition By Subtraction: Need for Speed

Hi, I’m Tim, long time lurker/first time writer. I’m a Central Jersey kid (it exists) and grew up in Baker Rink at Princeton. I’ve been a Devils ride or die since I was able to stay up a little late to watch Johnny Mac send us to the playoffs in ‘88. I played for The Lawrenceville School and briefly in the Nescac during the late 20th century, but like every once promising youth legend I have found myself heroically toiling in the beer league trenches for the past 20 years. I’ve been one of the hosts of The Uncle Puckers NJ Devils fan podcast for a few years (available on all audio platforms and YouTube) and I look forward to contributing to the best blog on the internet, and hope you enjoy what I have to say. Generally, I try to take a central thesis and extrapolate a story via data, mix in some movie quotes and touch of sarcasm and voila.. see below.

GMs: I Don’t Know What To Do With My Hands (probably)​

Anyone else just sitting around in the dark staring at a blank wall?

Just me?

Fine then, while all of you with “lives” that are watching “baseball” and off doing fun summer things, I continue to wonder what what Fitz and co. are doing at this moment (all evidence points to who knows). It has indeed been a very strange summer in the hockey-verse, with the new cap environment leaving GMs acting like Ricky Bobby during an interview. Nick Robertson was the last arbitration eligible RFA and just signed, which further signals that teams and their management groups are just keeping their guys and kicking the can down the road. As of 8/8 there was still $187.5 Million dollars in available cap space across the league according to PuckPedia. That’s a lot and doesn’t include projected LTIR moves by Vegas and Montreal for Alex Pietrangelo and Carey Price respectively, which will push that number over $200 Million.

So now what? And what does this have to do with the Devils? Well glad you asked, dear readers, Uncle Timmy’s here to recklessly speculate on just that.

Are We Done Here?​

I get the feeling that this is the team heading into the season. Maybe I’m wrong, and maybe there will be a flurry of moves in August, but there doesn’t seem to be a reason for any team to make a move. Typically trades happen as a need for need / positional rebalancing, cap shenanigans, or bottom of the lineup tweaks. But with nearly every team under the cap, and no team in any real trouble, the need to eliminate salary isn’t pressing. The ONLY teams that have to make a small move are Florida to clear $3.7 Million (now likely it seems Matt Tkachuk will go on LTIR) and Toronto who have an excess of forwards.

As for the Devils, yes, a long term extension for Lukey boy will put us over the cap, but Fitz can punt that down the road a bit by putting Kovacevic on LTIR to start the season. Or he can bridge Luke at a lower number, but all reporting points to a long term deal. I have very little expectation that Palat gets moved at this point in the off season, and it would be unwise to trade Dougie with Kovacevic starting on LTIR/IR. Quick aside – I am of the mind that he might be out longer than we suspect. Due to the overwhelming transparency of injury news, we know exactly nothing about what his injury was and if it was a ligament issue – that’s 9 months minimum and we are looking at the Olympic break. Anyway, the other trade target floated around is Dawson. I think (hope?) we see a bounce back from him, and he is the only high Fitz draft pick that has worked out so far, so methinks there is a bit of loyalty there.

Anyway, assuming this is the team, while not everything we wanted, Fitz did deliver on his promise that “This team will look different” – albeit mostly on a technicality by not re-signing guys. And after his ayahuasca retreat to discover the meaning of depth scoring, we signed two guys that will help in that department coupled with the addition by subtraction by unloading a whole gang of bottom 6 NPCs in Haula, Bastian, Tatar, Sprong, Dowling, and Lazar. All have signed elsewhere in the NHL and/or internationally – Bastian was the last looming threat but Dallas took the plunge on him. In their stead we get Connor Brown, Evegeny Dadonov, Alexi Gritsyuk and a full season of Cody Glass. Gerard wrote up the 5v5 scoring issues that were a real problem for us last season, which will certainly improve.

Stress Hockey: So Hot Right Now​

Speed has become increasingly important over the past decade in the league as the game has seen a quantum leap in pace since the 2010s. Further, we are seeing the emergence of the latest effective brand of hockey dubbed “stress hockey.” The most obvious example is Carolina’s high pressure philosophy and in a copycat league, several teams have started adopting various derivatives of it. Florida runs a version of it without the man on man Dzone coverage. It is a system that is predicated on playing with pace, eliminating time and space, forcing turnovers, and counter attacks. We saw this play out in the Stanley Cup last year as Florida has really perfected this high pressure/counterattacking system. If you’re a real sicko, I’d highly recommend this episode of the PDOCast with Rick Tocchet for an examination of how it works and how coaches look at it. Or you can just refer to the Amazon series clip of Paul Maurice’s motivation: “**** the plays, pound their D.” (Note: NSFW video clip — language)

What makes that work? Speed and pace.

First and foremost, the new guys are a huge bump up in the straight line speed department, based on the data from NHL Edge, you will see Brown and Dadonov are immediate upgrades there over the rest of the wings. Uncles Curtis and Erik had good top speed, but lower body injuries rendered them both largely ineffective for the bulk of the season.

Now “stress hockey” isn’t exclusively reliant on being the fastest kid alive. The aforementioned departees barely played with any pace, especially with our two fastest guys nursing lower body injuries. When half your forward group is taking their time it causes a massive ripple effect across the lineup: the forecheck is slow to develop, neutral zone transitions are ineffective, breakouts are easily read and 4 guys become responsible for the team going 200 feet. This is not a sustainable model. Since playing with pace is equally (if not more) important, I also looked at speed burst data:

This really where the upgrade is pretty stark, or where the rubber meets the road (see what I did there). Once again, Dadonov and Brown look to be immediate upgrades in the speed burst department/playing with pace. Glass is just about even with Haula, although Haula was visibly hobbled for the back half of the season (see: no points over 3 months). One thing I will caveat is these numbers are raw counts and the only guy who made it a full season was Tatar. Taking the average number of games played of 73, I extrapolated those numbers for a full season:

Even if they played an entire season, Brown and Dadonov are still clear upgrades, Dowling is the only one who comes close and.. well.. he did try really hard. The only other guy most likely to be written in Amanda’s ink is Arseni Gritsyuk and the KHL is the KHL, so no dice on any actual data that I could find (promise, I tried). So, here’s a video of him being awesome instead of a chart. He looks fast, like he makes fast people look not fast.

We should be better, and will be faster in 24-25 which will have a ripple effect up and down the lineup. With an actual competitive bottom 6, that relieves the pressure of Jack/Nico/Timo/Bratt to do ALL of the heavy lifting. You hear Keefe and co. talk about better connections between shifts, and the bottom 6 shifts will certainly put our top 6 in better positions than they did last season. One of the main reasons is better speed and pace.

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2025-devils-offseason/49879/addition-by-subtraction-need-for-speed

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Will Sheldon Keefe’s Tactics Change in 2025-26?

Sheldon Keefe and Lindy Ruff are very different coaches. During his time running the New Jersey Devils’ bench, Ruff employed very aggressive tactics in pursuit of success. He wanted his defensemen to swarm puck carriers in the defensive zone in order to end possessions quickly. He wanted his forwards to fly the zone in order to get into position for stretch passes that would lead to rush chances the other way. He wanted puck movement from low to high once his team set themselves up in the offensive zone. And unlike just about every other coach in the NHL, when playing with a lead, Ruff did not want his team to turtle. Instead, he wanted to keep his foot on the gas and continue to pressure opponents with tempo, aggressive defense, and rush offense, regardless of the score.

Sheldon Keefe, on the other hand, is a little more conventional. He employs a “Fight The Panic” style of play in the defensive zone, where instead of asking both defensemen to swarm the puck carrier, he asks one defenseman and one forward to tackle that duty. Once possession is won (this is where the “Fight The Panic” comes in), the puck is usually played back to the open defenseman and breakouts are executed methodically and safely, circling back numerous times if necessary until a high-percentage breakout chance presents itself. There is less focus on rush offense in Keefe’s system, instead putting more of an emphasis on dump-ins, cycle chances, and generating offense from behind the goal line as opposed to working low to high.

There is more to each system than this, but that’s the gist of each one. If you do want an in-depth breakdown, I recommend John’s piece from last September on what we should expect from a Sheldon Keefe-led team. So why am I bringing all of this up now? Because I wonder if the new additions prompt Keefe to adjust his style for this upcoming season.

Adapt Or Die​

The three most prominent additions the Devils made over the summer were Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, and Arseni Gritsyuk. Barring anything completely out of left field, these players will be the most important new faces to the club this season. And while he’s not totally new, Cody Glass will play his first full season with New Jersey after coming over during last season’s trade deadline. He’ll be a vital piece as well. All of these players have differing styles of play and individual skillsets, but one skill they do seem to share is strong skating ability.

In his first article for the site over the weekend (welcome!), Tim discussed the value of speed and playing with pace. He pointed out that Brown, Dadonov, and Glass are all above the league average in both top skating speed and speed bursts over 20 mph. This tells us that not only are they faster than average in a straight line, but they are capable of playing an up-tempo game. If they were replacing players who were just as fast as them, this wouldn’t be notable, but that’s not the case at all. They’re replacing folks who were either below league average in speed and pace (Nate Bastian, Justin Dowling, Tomas Tatar) or couldn’t utilize their genuinely good speed because of injuries (Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar). The Devils’ forward group should be a much faster unit.

The wildcard here is Gritsyuk, as there isn’t really KHL data to draw from. We can only go by scouting reports, and from what I can find in this regard, Gritsyuk is generally considered to have average to above-average skating ability. He won’t be another Jesper Bratt, but I have to assume he will also be an upgrade over what the Devils had. And even if he turns out to have below average speed, he should still have more puck skills and scoring touch than any of the players New Jersey let go this offseason.

With these additions, New Jersey should be one of the fastest teams in the league, just like they were in 2022-23, the pinnacle of this current iteration of the Devils. Speed isn’t everything, but in the modern NHL it goes a long way toward becoming a top team.

So with this in mind, would Keefe change how he wants his team to play? It makes sense that tactics should change when personnel does, and if the goal of the offseason was to inject more offense into this team (which it absolutely was), then perhaps taking advantage of this newfound team speed is the way to do it. I don’t anticipate Keefe transforming his entire system to mimic Ruff’s, but I can see him asking his players to focus slightly less on certain aspects of his system and slightly more on new strategies. Fewer dump-ins, more controlled zone entries. Fewer regroups, more stretch passes. Fewer cycle chances, more rush chances. All for the sake of putting pressure on opponents.

That concept of pressure is key here. Tim referred to it as “Stress Hockey” in his article, and I think that’s a very fitting name for it. Applying pressure and stress, whether that be through a grinding forecheck or a relentless rush attack, can really wear down an opponent. Regardless of what method of applying pressure you want to use, it requires your team to play with speed and pace. Keefe has a lot more speed and pace at his disposal this season, and I think he would be wise to lean more into it when it comes to his tactics.

The Value Of Identity​

This could honestly be an entire article itself, but I really do believe that having a coherent identity is very important in today’s NHL. I don’t think there’s one specific style that is inherently better than others, but a commitment to that style is critical. And perhaps equally as important as having a team identity, you need the talent to successfully pull it off.

The Florida Panthers just won back-to-back Cups utilizing aggressive forechecking, physicality (although let’s be honest and call it what it is: stooping to playing dirty a LOT), and counter-attack offense as their main calling cards. A couple short years before them, the Colorado Avalanche won it all while playing almost the exact opposite way as the Panthers: A heavy emphasis on transition play, rush offense, soft skill, and up-tempo pace. The specific style does not matter, so long as the team is committed to the identity, and so long as the team has the talent to back it up.

Which brings us back to Keefe and the Devils. Perhaps there will be a lot of you who will disagree with this, but I really do believe this core is talented enough to win it all. Jack Hughes has obviously had trouble staying healthy over the past few seasons, but as he gets older and stronger, I think his injury woes should subside. And assuming they do, the league better watch out, because Hughes is a top-10 player in the league when he’s on his game. After him, Nico Hischier would be a decent top center on a championship team, but is hilariously overqualified in his current role as the team’s second-best center. Jesper Bratt is perhaps one level below the absolute top tier of wingers, but he’s not far off, and Timo Meier is close behind Bratt. On defense, while he hasn’t put it all together yet, I have faith that Luke Hughes will develop into the stud, number one defenseman that every team needs in order to win a championship. Behind him, Dougie Hamilton is still elite offensively, Jonas Siegenthaler is elite defensively, Simon Nemec has a world of potential despite a disappointing sophomore year, and Anton Silayev could quite possibly become the best of them all one day.

In my eyes, New Jersey has the talent. The next step is developing a team identity. They had it in 2022-23 but fell short. Now it’s time for them to develop a new style and commit to it. I’ve been advocating for Keefe to tweak his system a little to accommodate the upgrade in team speed he now has, and while I would still like to see this, the truth is this is not mandatory in order to win a championship. The Devils were one of the best teams in the league through the 2024 portion of the schedule, and that was while playing exactly the way Keefe wanted them to play. If Keefe can get them to play at that high of a level for the entire season, then changes won’t be necessary at all. But considering how much the team fell apart after Christmas, and considering how much speed and pace New Jersey added this offseason, I think some adjustments to the system are in order. Again, it does not have to be a complete overhaul. But incorporating more room for things like rush offense and controlled zone entries can help get the most out of the personnel Keefe currently has. But whether Keefe does this or not, I hope that he is able to reestablish an identity for this team and stick with it.

Your Take​

Do you think Keefe should make any system changes in 2025-26, or are you fine with all the strategies he employed last season? If you want changes, do you agree that leaning more on team speed should be an emphasis? Or do you want to see different changes made? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...will-sheldon-keefes-tactics-change-in-2025-26

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 8/11/25: No Return Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

We’re in the home stretch!

Good morning! #NJDevils rookies report to training camp in exactly one month.

— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) August 10, 2025

“On paper, the Devils’ bottom six suddenly went from their biggest weakness to a strength – something Fitzgerald has shown to this point as a consistent pattern within his moves over the years. The problem with it, though, is that this upgrade came at the expense of too much cap space.” [Infernal Access ($)]

Hockey Links​

Farewell to Nathan Bastian:

We have signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year contract through the 2025-26 season.

Welcome to #TexasHockey, Nathan! @Shift4 | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/IgCpl7vR5W

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) August 9, 2025

Who takes the Calder Trophy this season?

“The 2024-25 NHL season was one filled with surprises. We saw more than a few in the standings, especially among some teams that qualified for the playoffs. But not all teams that shot up in the standings may be able to repeat their success in 2025-26. Here are five teams that could regress next season.” [The Hockey Writers]

“Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk said he remains undecided about getting surgery before the 2025-26 season but acknowledged he could miss significant time should he require it.” [ESPN]

“The hockey equipment company being sued by the Utah Mammoth says it will ‘vigorously defend’ itself in a trademark dispute with the NHL team.” [The Salt Lake Tribune]

The Champions Hockey League in Europe has introduced a new rule for 3-on-3 overtime hockey: “The ‘No Return’ rule will prohibit teams in control of the puck in the attacking zone from retreating into the neutral zone during overtime. Should the rule be infringed, play will be stopped and the ensuing face-off will take place in the offending team’s defending zone.” [Champions Hockey League]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...vils-in-the-details-8-11-25-no-return-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Should There Be Any Concern That a Luke Hughes Deal Isn’t Done Yet?

Last month, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said that his top priority for this offseason was to get defenseman Luke Hughes signed to a contract extension. Fitzgerald went as far as to say that Luke wants to be a Devil long term and that they’d work on a deal once they got past the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Fast forward a month later and the Devils have yet to announce any deal with Hughes.

If this were September 13th instead of August 13th, and the Devils were on the precipice of the date for veterans to report to training camp, I’d have a little bit of concern that this situation is still lingering. After all, Fitzgerald said this was his top priority and for whatever reason, its still not officially done. Fitzgerald also suggested that whatever Luke’s number, in terms of his cap hit, comes in at would determine whether or not he could do anything else this offseason. As an outsider with no insight to the particulars of this situation, I’d be wondering what exactly the holdup is and trying to figure out whether or not the team is playing hardball or if the player and his representation might be unreasonable with their asks.

Fortunately, its not September 13th. It’s August 13th. Training camp is still well over a month away, and while one would prefer a younger player like Luke Hughes be present as Sheldon Keefe and the coaching staff hammer home the finer points of their system in camp, I don’t think its necessarily essential for Hughes to be there after playing in Keefe’s system last year.

Still, I think its fair to ask what the deal is for a top priority to remain unsolved. So lets try to piece together whatever we can from the slivers of information that we do have to see where we ultimately stand here.

The lack of a tangible deadline has dragged this out a little bit

Deadlines spur action, and the fact that Hughes is a 10.2(c) free agent made him ineligible to sign an offer sheet this summer. He also doesn’t have arbitration rights.

Why does this matter? It gave the Devils the luxury of time to conduct the rest of their business this summer without risk of losing the player. And the Devils did exactly that with their signings of Connor Brown and Evgeni Dadonov on July 1.

It’s a somewhat similar situation to what Dawson Mercer experienced last summer. The key difference between Mercer and Hughes though was that Mercer WAS offer sheet eligible. Except nobody presented Mercer with an offer sheet that was worth signing, otherwise, he might’ve considered signing that. Mercer ultimately did sign a three year deal with the Devils worth $4M AAV a few days into training camp last season. It should also be noted that Dawson Mercer and Luke Hughes share an agent in NHL superagent Pat Brisson.

The only real deadline that existed at the time for Mercer was the somewhat tangible threat that he’d miss regular season games, which is noteworthy for a player whos calling card is the fact that he’s never missed a regular season game through his first four NHL seasons. Remember, the Devils opened last season in Czechia. Mercer’s deal had to get done in time for him to join the team before they flew halfway across the world to take on the Buffalo Sabres to open the 2024-25 season.

Veterans don’t report to camp until September 17th. The Devils don’t play their first preseason game until September 21st. They don’t play their season opener until October 9th. There’s about a three week span in there from the beginning of camp until a few days before the season opener where Luke could sign, get a couple of practices in, and be ready to go Opening Night, not missing any games in the process.

It Doesn’t Sound Like Either Side Is Interested in a Bridge

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported last week that in regards to a Luke Hughes deal, both sides are focused on a long-term deal, likely a seven-year contract. Such a deal would align with what the Devils have previously done with franchise cornerstones Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes when they were coming off of their ELCs.

I think looking to go long-term, and not doing a bridge, makes sense for all parties involved.

One could argue that Luke Hughes might stand to make more money if he were to go shorter term now and cash in a few years down the road once the salary cap explodes. But I do think for him, playing with his brother Jack in New Jersey for the foreseeable future matters. I do think it’s a good hockey situation where the Devils should be a consistent playoff team over the next few seasons. And if the Hughes brothers are serious about trying to lure their eldest brother Quinn to the Garden State in a year or so, they’ll have a far easier time doing so with Luke’s number locked in and one less moving part to be concerned with.

If you’re the Devils, obviously the preference is to get Luke Hughes signed long-term and not via a bridge. Chris wrote a few weeks about about whether or not Luke could be their #1 defenseman. I’d argue Luke already is and has the upside to grow further. Either way, getting him locked in now with the salary cap about to explode will make it easier for the Devils to put the right pieces around their core.

If Fox’s report is indeed accurate, we can at least rule out ‘term’ as being the hangup between the two sides.

Is Jack’s Contract Actually Hurting Luke’s Cause?

Recently, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn went through the best contracts in the NHL and ranked them, with Devils center Jack Hughes coming in at #1 on his list.

Jack Hughes is entering Year 4 of the 8-year deal he signed back in 2021 worth $8M AAV. But according to Dom’s model, Hughes is providing the Devils upwards of $15.6M of market value with what he brings to the table as a player.

Let’s go back to when that contract was signed though. Jack was coming off an underwhelming first two seasons in the NHL with 52 points across the two COVID shortened seasons. Jack got injured in Game 2 of his third season and signed that contract shortly before his return. At the time, Jack hadn’t “earned” a big contract extension like that, but I think its important to consider what both sides were probably thinking at the time. Tom Fitzgerald was making a calculated bet on Hughes’s talent and upside and that he was going to be the player the Devils envisioned when they took him first overall. And from Brisson’s point of view, I think its a reasonable contract to accept given what little Jack had shown at the NHL level at the time. It’s not that I think players and agents are looking to take deals of the premise of “what if I’m not that good”, but its also really difficult to turn down that kind of financial stability and generational wealth, especially when Jack was dealing with what was at the time the first major injury of his professional career.

Four years later, Jack has lived up to that deal and is clearly in the conversation for “best contract in the sport”. The problem with that is “best contract in the sport” is a polite way of saying “this dude is grossly underpaid”. And I don’t think players and agents like that because it suggests they took a bad deal.

Brisson has been at this a long time with a lot of star caliber players, so I don’t think he necessarily feels like Tom Fitzgerald hoodwinked him or got one over on him. But I do think he’s well aware of what the market is for comparable players. And even if he left some meat on the bone with a previous negotiation, like he might’ve with Jack, I don’t think he’s necessarily trying to make up for it this time around with a different player. Even with that player being the younger brother of the player who supposedly has the best contract in the league.

The salary cap has gone up significantly since Jack Hughes signed his extension, so I don’t really think the Jack contract should impact much going forward other than being a really good number on the Devils books. Luke is the latest Hughes brother up for a contract and I expect his AAV to top both Jack and Quinn once he signs his deal.

Cap space, the lack thereof, and whether or not it matters here

This is the part of my article that I will preface by saying its purely speculative, but let’s entertain the “what if” for a moment.

What if a deal is already agreed to and the only thing holding back an announcement is Fitzgerald freeing up cap space?

With just over $6.1M in cap space, that won’t be enough if Luke is signing a seven-year deal, but its also probably not that far off from what the Devils need. I’ve said all along that I think Luke probably comes in around $8.6M AAV.

The Devils are allowed to exceed the salary cap by 10% in the offseason, so they could theoretically announce a Luke deal whenever its done. But once they do that, there’s a hard number where we know exactly how much the Devils are exceeding the salary cap by and what they need to do between now and the beginning of the season to become cap compliant. Its something that puts the team in a potential bind when it comes to talking trade and finding a way to shed a salary.

There’s been plenty of speculation of whether or not they might trade Dougie Hamilton or Dawson Mercer, and obviously moving either one would free up the cap space required. Of course, moving them presents a new set of challenges as well. Maybe the Devils have someone lined up who would take Ondrej Palat in a cap dump trade, but I would think if that were coming, it might’ve been done already before the Devils spent their money in free agency. That leaves what I think is the most likely option and one that I recently wrote about in placing Johnathan Kovacevic on LTIR.

Final Thoughts

For what its worth, I don’t think a deal is actually done yet, and I don’t think Fitzgerald is channeling his inner Lou Lamoriello where the signed deal is sitting in his desk drawer and he’ll file it with the league whenever he gets around to it. I also don’t think Fitzgerald screwed up by only leaving just over $6M in cap space and ultimately forcing him to make a decision elsewhere to get this done. I do think there’s a plan there. Whether or not I agree with it is another thing entirely, but I don’t think this is a situation where they didn’t budget their money properly.

I do think the growing salary cap is a big factor in these negotiations though, and I think the Devils need to make the number big enough now if they’re going to get Luke to sign away the next seven years of services to the Devils. And the reality is that the Devils didn’t have a ton of salary cap flexibility this offseason in the first place. They’re trying to thread the needle here and the task is being made all the more difficult in part because they haven’t found a way to clear Palat’s cap hit off of their books.

Until a big-time insider like an Elliotte Friedman or Pierre LeBrun come out and say there’s reason to be concerned here, I don’t think there’s much reason to be concerned.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/g...concern-that-a-luke-hughes-deal-isnt-done-yet

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 8/13/25: A Return Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

He’s back!

#NJDevils fans, I’m coming back.

Thrilled to announce that I’ll be covering the Devils for @njdotcom full time again.

Let’s gooo.https://t.co/zK6gegt0u5

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) August 11, 2025

“There are some intriguing UFAs available, a few of whom may be PTO options for the New Jersey Devils.” A look at a few options: [Devils on the Rush]

“There’s a perception Timo Meier and Jack Hughes should not, and can not, play together. There was a time that was true. They admittedly didn’t mesh well for the first year and change of Meier’s Devils tenure. That no longer appears to be the case. While they didn’t spend a ton of time together in their first season under Sheldon Keefe, the results were not just good, but great, when they did.” [Infernal Access ($)]

Hockey Links​

“The Ottawa Senators are inching closer to building a new arena. On Monday the team announced it has reached an agreement with the National Council Commission on the purchase and sale of land parcels totaling 11 acres at LeBreton Flats, located just west of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. It’s a significant step for the Senators in relocating from their current arena in Kanata, Ontario — approximately 15 miles from the Flats — to somewhere more central in the region.” [ESPN]

“An arbitrator has ruled in favour of the Philadelphia Flyers in a grievance filed by the NHLPA following the termination of Ryan Johansen’s contract in August of 2024, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.” [TSN] [Daily Faceoff]

“We spoke with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk recently about their video game history, the Panthers’ wild offseason, Brady’s future in Ottawa, Matthew’s health heading into next season and their thoughts on the new NHL collective bargaining agreement.” [ESPN]

“Let’s do another round of Cap Court. You know the drill by now: Five players, five dicey contracts (from a team perspective), five arguments over whether the deal is actually bad enough to be ‘bad.’” [The Athletic ($)]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...evils-in-the-details-8-13-25-a-return-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

If He Struggles Again in 2025-26, Should the New Jersey Devils Consider Moving on From Timo Meier?

Timo Meier has been a member of the New Jersey Devils for roughly two and one third seasons now. Coming over from the San Jose Sharks just prior to the 2023 trade deadline, Meier was viewed as an impact piece that could help share the team’s scoring load, while also bringing some toughness to the group. While Meier did have some initial struggles adjusting to his new team, he did manage a respectable nine goals and five assists across the 21 games he played in. He followed that up by going absolutely ice cold in the first round of the playoffs (compounded by a questionable Jacob Trouba hit), but recovered to add four points in his four second round appearances. While the Devils were eliminated, it seemed that a full season in Jersey could bring about bigger things for Meier.

But first, a new contract was needed. Meier had been acquired from San Jose as an impending restricted free agent, meaning both he and valuable teammates Jesper Bratt both needed new deals. Both would re-sign before July even rolled around; Bratt would get his deal done first, coming in at eight years and $7.875 million per season. Meier would sign about two weeks later for a deal of identical length, but at a higher $8.8 million per season cap hit, making him the highest paid forward on the Devils. For that type of money, Meier would surely be rivaling Jack Hughes for the team scoring lead going forward, right?

Well…not quite…

Meier would see his point total dip in 2023-24 down to just 52 in 69 games; credit where credit is due though, he did lead the team in goal scoring at 28. However, there were three other forwards with 27: Bratt, Hughes and Nico Hischier. All guys making less money who outscored Meier in total points by a wide margin; Nico was the next closest and had 15 more points while only appearing in two more games than Timo. While Jack would have the best points per game rate of all four, it would be Jesper Bratt, appearing in all 82 games, who would lead the team with 83 points. Yes, the same player who had just signed for a million less per season than Meier put up 31 more points than the highest paid forward on the team. He slid even more last season; he would record one more point for a total of 53, but he played in 80 games, meaning he actually contributed less points per game than he did in 2023-24. Bratt meanwhile? He would only appear in 81 games this time, but set a new career best again with 88 points for a team that struggled at times to score.

With all the talk of bad contracts, a key defender still unsigned partly due to cap space and the complete lack of depth scoring last season, maybe it’s fair to start lumping Timo Meier in to the “problems” pile for the New Jersey Devils. Maybe there was some excusing his performance in 2023-24, as he was reportedly battling injuries throughout the season, even when he was in the lineup. But 2024-25? There was no such reported injury issues, nothing that would result in Meier putting up less points per game than he did during the season prior. Meier will turn 29 just prior to the start of the 2025-26 regular season, so it’s not as if father time is going to ruin him and turn him into a black hole of offensive production. But should the Devils contemplate finding a way to move on from him?

Well, I think before the Devils move on from him, maybe they should try to maximize him first. Despite some appearances with the unit, Meier isn’t being used on the team’s top power play regularly, as he ranks sixth on the team in power play time on ice per game at 1:52. Only 13 of Meier’s points last season came from extra man situations, while Bratt (34), Hischier (29) and Jack Hughes (27) all had a larger chunk while seeing roughly a minute more of ice time per power play. One could argue that Timo’s stats don’t merit him getting time on the top unit, but at the same time he’s never really been given that chance. For a player making the most of any of the forwards, maybe it wouldn’t hurt the Devils to try him there, or at the very least, to create two more balanced power play unit to spread out the scoring responsibilities.

Even if the Devils set him up for success, if Timo continues to trend as a roughly 50-55 point per season forward, then he has to start being seen as part of the problem. Some fans are critical of how disappointing Dawson Mercer has been, yet Mercer makes less than half of Meier’s salary and put up 36 points, which is more than half of Timo’s. Additionally, Mercer spent a lot of time in the Bottom 6 last season while Meier was typically getting more even strength ice time in the Top 6. If we’re going to be that upset with a $4 million forward seemingly underachieving, I think we should be even more critical of an $8.8 million dollar forward who is definitely underachieving. Another season of middling should have Meier in the conversation for a trade.

It wouldn’t be easy to move on from him though, as even with the rising salary cap, not a lot of teams will want a forward making as much as he does for the numbers he’s producing. Maybe there’s a team that feels like they would have a better situation for him if they brought him on. Regardless, I don’t think anyone is taking him for five more seasons as his current cap hit if he puts up a repeat this year. The Devils could retain some salary of course, but the problem would be them not getting back much (if anything) of consequence. The additional cap space would be the real win, but then you have to go out and replace Meier with some of it anyway.

Maybe later on in the contract the Devils decide to part ways with Timo, but for now, I think he’s going to be sticking around for a few more seasons. Between the rising cap and other, less valuable contracts still on the team, Meier isn’t the biggest issue. Maybe Meier turns back the clock a bit and gets closer to the 76 points he put up for San Jose in 2021-22 than the sub-55 point seasons he’s had for the Devils. If he can do that, and the Devils can keep getting contributions from elsewhere, than maybe Meier helps propel them deep into the playoffs as they hoped he would when they brought him to Jersey in February of 2023.

What are your thoughts on Timo Meier’s time as a Devil; do you think a bad 2025-26 could see him put on the trade block? Do you think it’s still too soon to judge the situation? Are you concerned that there wouldn’t be much of a market for him if the Devils decide to move on? Are you more concerned about how the Devils would go about replacing him? Do you think he turns it all around and has a season that you would expect from an $8.8 million player? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...sey-devils-consider-moving-on-from-timo-meier

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Case to Keep Dougie Hamilton

Howdy gang, Happy mid-August.

I know Chris just wrote about the long term D Corps and Gerard wrote about a Dougie bounce back already. Admittedly, I had this one half-cooked in the hopper for the Uncle Pucker site and it’s probably a month or two late, but I am here to spin a yarn about Douglas Entertainment Hamilton.

Most of the Devils fanbase identified Dougie and his newly updated 10-team no trade as a prime candidate to get moved this offseason. He popped up in trade rumors after Elliotte Friedman mentioned him on 32 Thoughts:

To me, the next biggest question for the Devils is Dougie Hamilton. He went from a full no move clause to a partial no trade. I’m just curious to see what happens. Uh, they paid him his bonus on July 1. I don’t have a great feel for it in terms of percentage chances that anything occurs with him. But I know his name was kind of out there a little bit. And I heard they’ve been talking to a couple teams. So we’ll see where that goes.

I see the logic, we all do, it’s very clear: The right side of the blueline is getting full and we have some promising up and coming kids. Quite frankly, I question the timing and logic of the Kovacevic signing but that’s a story for another time. Trading Dougie would’ve been and still would be, a mistake for the 24-25 season with the way our group looks right now. At this point in the offseason it likely isn’t going to happen but I want to emphasize that is correct decision.

Reason 1: Kovechkin, you ok?​

Something happened during the playoffs that made trading Dougie a non-starter for me: Kovacevic got hurt. I touched on this in my first blog – the mystery around his injury and the lack of transparency we get from the NHL around injuries. What was it? Ligament? Something else? Sign of life? Blink twice if you can hear me, Johnny.

What we do know is that he is not starting the season, and reading some tea leaves on it I think he might be out much longer than just a few games to start the season. If it is a ligament tear (sprains don’t require surgery) and based on common knee injury timelines, I am guessing we won’t see Kovacevic until early 2026 at the earliest, but please note my liberal arts degree didn’t include orthopedic specialties. We haven’t been told anything, and obviously there are myriad other knee injuries out there, but my best speculative guess is some sort of ACL tear.

Reason 2: The Alternatives​

To entertain the trade chatter, let’s game this out a little, shall we? If we were to trade Douglas, we wouldn’t get the value we need back: a shiny new top 6 forward or established 3C. He has value, but it doesn’t line up on a 1-for-1 basis. I suppose there are packages and/or convoluted 3-team/retention deals – some fans can get very clever – but I just wanted to look at where we sit purely without him.

I’ve seen some people talk about loyalty and I’m not going to get all kumbaya about him “choosing” the Devils. As Don Draper said, that’s what the money is for. However, the time to trade him was during the playoffs -> pre-free agency to give us more flexibility to look at UFAs or make trades before we got to the most boring off-season of all time. In the scenario with Dougie gone and Kovacevic maybe dead, we are likely running a right side of Pesce, Nemec, and Casey for 40-50 games. That makes me about as uncomfortable as the back of a Volkswagon.

I am a big believer in Nemec, and think he is closer to the guy we got in the playoffs than the one we got during the regular season. As of now though, we do not know which version we would get or if it will be a mixed bag. Nemec has an NHL top-4 ceiling and an AHL floor, and we cannot afford to find out by giving him big minutes out of the gate. I have full confidence he shows us he is that top-4 guy, but he definitely needs some time to grow still and we will get some of those AHL floor moments. That floor is what concerns me as it was pretty rough:

The below are in 365 5v5 minutes, via Natural Stat Trick:

37.67 xGF%

Shot attempts for/against: 303 vs 384 (-71)

Goals for/against: 8 vs 17 (-9)

Scoring Chances for/against: 134 vs 174 (-40)

High Danger Scoring Chances for/against: 48 vs 71 (-23)

On-ice save percentage: .912

Those numbers are pretty bleak, and when you layer in the fact that he got just over 70% offensive zone starts, well, hopefully you get my concern.

Casey certainly burst onto the scene and has an “it” factor. I still lay in bed on cold nights and re-watch that heel-drag top-corner snipe against Buffalo in Prague. But make no mistake, he was the beneficiary of some serious luck of the Irish on both sides of the puck.

The below are in in 157 5v5 minutes:

35.47 xGF%

shot attempts for/against: 125 vs 175 (-50)

Goals for/against: 8 vs 4 (+4)

Scoring chances for/against: 56 vs 84 (-28)

high danger scoring chances for/against: 20 vs 32 (-12)

On-ice sv pct: .949

Similar to Nemec he was sheltered with 70% offensive zone starts, and that on-ice save percentage is pretty glaring to me – he really got a lot of help from the goalies. Carrying a 1.08 PDO will regress to the mean and getting caved in will normalize the longer he plays. Make no mistake, I think his ceiling is Raflaski-esque but there is no reason to rush him. He is on his ELC and another year of consistent Utica top pair seasoning will do wonders for his development.

Since we can’t seem to escape injuries, what if one of them gets hurt? That would likely mean Dennis Cholowski-on-his-off-side’s music. Dennis carried a 35.5 xGF% and was similarly under water on all the above metrics, so he is not a guy you want logging 15-20 minutes for any extended period of time. The other main option would be AHLer Calen Addisson, and well that wouldn’t be great either. Suddenly, our great defensive depth doesn’t feel as great anymore.

Reason 3: Admin Still Has Juice​

I won’t belabor the point that Gerard thoroughly covered about how effective he is offensively, but for comparison purposes here are the same numbers for Doug:

In 1352 5v5 minutes via Natural Stat Trick:

52.2 xGF%

Goals for/against: 54 vs 42 (+12)

shot attempts for/against: 1135 vs 1035 (+100)

scoring chances for/against: 510 vs 461 (+49)

High danger scoring chances: 201 vs 198 (+3)

.914 on ice sv pct

60% O-zone starts

He also makes people around him better, particularly Nico and Timo. Together, they are one of the most effective trios in the league. In fact, there isn’t anyone still on the team that he isn’t on the positive side of xG differential on the team (or close, sigh.. hello Ondrej):

Dispelling Some Defensive Concerns​

For all of Dougie’s shortcomings defensively, Nemec and Casey as the starting baseline is a far worse gamble. I personally think his defensive issues are overstated and he is more hit or miss defensively. The way I tend to look at it is “puck on his stick = good, puck not on his stick = adventure.” He occasionally loses his gap control on rush chances, sometimes he goes walkabout in the D-zone, and one of his best offensive attributes (pinching down the wall to keep Ozone play alive) backfires here and there. All three lead to flat footedness that gets mistaken for slowness. We tend to remember those moments more than the boring ones where he does his job and even the anointed best defensive defenseman in the league isn’t immune to getting dog walked while flat footed.

There has been a league wide trend toward bigger, rangier D and Dougie still fits that bill. Size does matter and he has great length, a good stick, and wins most of his board battles by sealing opponents along the wall using his strength. Yes, I get it, he doesn’t use his 6’6” frame to lay big hits (except for that one). His biggest strength is tilting the ice so well that it minimizes his Dzone time. The addition of Brad Show should be a boon for him as well.

If I’m right about Kovacevic, Dougie will likely also be on the PK , and you’d be surprised at what that looks like. While a limited sample, opposing shot rates are below league average with him in there.

It can’t be overstated how important Kovacevic was to the #2 ranked PK in the league, as he clocked in the second most minutes at 201, with Dillon on-ice for 215 minutes. We will need a veteran like Dougie to fill some of that void and fill it well.

Regarding his “loss of footspeed” his top speed has actually gotten faster each year and has been steadily above league average in 18-20 MPH speed bursts. I went back and watch a few clips and it made me realize that he looks slow because he is an upright skater, but at 6’6” that is masked with long strides.

Where he does clock in below league average is that 20-22 MPH bursts, which I think shows a lack of acceleration to that top speed and why he gets visibly burned occasionally. He has been pretty consistent year-over-year, though, and shows no real decline in footpseed by any measure:

Reason 4: But Wait There’s More!​

One of the more under-discussed issues that contributed to our offensive woes was the lack of goal scoring from the defensive group. We NEED his offense and we NEED the rest of the group to step up offensively. We were near the bottom of the league for goals from the group, and if you take Casey and his luck out, we were tied with Montreal and Detroit:

The Injury Elephant in the Room​

Obviously, he has missed significant time since his arrival here – 100 regular season games over 4 seasons, or 30% of his time here. That’s not great, but I do want to note that every injury has been somewhat freak-ish. In Year 1 he caught a puck to the face a broke his jaw, year 3 he tore his pec which is a rare hockey injury, and last season it was a nebulous leg injury that didn’t require surgery that happened on a somewhat innocuous play. All unrelated, so it’s not a consistent injury issue, or a consistent soft tissue issue.

I am confident he will put together a full season this upcoming year. Frankly, we NEED him to do that for one more year while the kids grow and Johnny heals.

So what do you think? Do you want to see him moved still or do you agree it’s a mistake?

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2025-devils-offseason/60220/the-case-to-keep-dougie-hamilton