RSS Devils Team Notes

[New Jersey Devils]

Pre-Season Game Preview #1: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers

Things are getting real again.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils versus the New York Rangers

The Time: 1:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: Local TV — MSGSN, Devils Hockey Radio

Camp Battles?​

The biggest thing worth following in the preseason, other than hoping for good health, is determining which players on the team earn depth spots. The New Jersey Devils are playing this preseason with some question marks in their forward group. Discussed most commonly among fans, these games will help Sheldon Keefe pick his preferred fourth line center, as it seems the team currently plans on having Cody Glass play on the third line, while Dawson Mercer is at wing in the top six.

The #NJDevils group is different than the opening two days but the lines have stayed the same.

Here's what the first session looks like today.

Devils open the preseason tomorrow, we'll try and get some clarity from HC Keefe on how he plans to tackle that first game roster. pic.twitter.com/OqhePW24yw

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 20, 2025

Out of that first practice group, Marc McLaughlin is the candidate to make the roster as a depth center. In the AHL last season, McLaughlin had five goals and 15 assists in 50 games between the Providence Bruins (34 games) and the Utica Comets. In the NHL, he had two goals and an assist in 14 games between the Bruins (12 games) and Devils. McLaughlin has never been a big scorer, topping out at 30 points in Providence in 2022-23. Now 26 years old, McLaughlin has to prove that he is better than the guys on PTOs despite his limited offense.

Second #NJDevils group about to start practice. Would imagine this will likely be pretty close to the roster for the first preseason game tomorrow afternoon against the Rangers.

Potential first look at Arseny Gritsyuk: pic.twitter.com/9jufzjme9m

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 20, 2025

Group Two features the three other obvious candidates for fourth line center, though I would say there are two more on the wings who should get a shot. Juho Lammikko (the youngest, coming off the most playing time in Europe), Luke Glendening (the best faceoff man, and a righty), and Kevin Rooney (the former Devil, a bit younger than Glendening, and a good penalty killer) are vying for that fourth line role to start the season. Additionally, Angus Crookshank and Thomas Bordeleau have played center professionally before, so I would hope that the team considers them, as well, despite their more skilled and offensive games. Amanda Stein also said that Sheldon Keefe confirmed this second group is the closest practice group to the players you will see on the ice today. So, we are really getting right into it.

Defensively, things should be simpler. The Devils will have their starting six once Luke Hughes is signed. But who will be the seventh defenseman while Johnny Kovacevic is recovering from his long-term injury? Seamus Casey is certainly the most talented, but I am not sure whether the team would see it as the best idea to have him ride along in the press box on most nights rather than play 22 minutes a night in Utica. Out of Practice Group 1, you would have Topias Vilen and Mikael Diotte trying to show what they can do to earn a depth role. Out of Practice Group 2, excluding Casey, seventh defenseman candidates include Dennis Cholowski, Ethan Edwards, Colton White, and Calen Addison.

Last season, I was not impressed with Cholowski in a Devils uniform, though hopefully things will be different now that it is his second year with Sheldon Keefe. I have high hopes for Ethan Edwards, who seems to play a lot bigger than his frame, and with plenty of speed. However, Edwards may be in the same territory as Seamus Casey in terms of benefiting more from ice time in Utica rather than holding a press box role. I enjoy seeing Colton White on occasion, and I never feel like he embarrasses himself, so I think he would be a good option as a depth defenseman. And Calen Addison showed a lot of promise as a third-pairing, second power play option in Minnesota a few years ago, so he may be a good reclamation project for the team.

The Rangers Side​

Like the Devils, Mike Sullivan will has said that he does not plan on icing many veterans in the game this afternoon. The Rangers just made cuts from their camp roster yesterday, so this game may very well help them determine who else can move on to their AHL camp. Vince Mercogliano also reports that Artemi Panarin has been out a couple days with a lower-body injury, so Sullivan has an extra reason to hold his veterans out of these pre-season games.

Rangers are scheduled to play their first preseason game at 1pm tomorrow in NJ, but I wouldn’t expect to see many (if any) established vets. Sullivan told us he’s looking to get three appearances for most of those guys. We should start seeing them at MSG on Tues and Thurs. #NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 20, 2025

The Rangers keeping their veterans healthy should be their top priority. Their core is one of the older ones in the league, and they are fighting this year to avoid a repeat offense of missing the playoffs. Depth-wise, they are looking for Juuso Parssinen to take a step forward, possibly as a third-line center. Parssinen had a nice run with five points in 11 games as a Ranger last year, but has 53 points in 137 career games, mostly with Nashville. Peter Baugh noted that Sullivan has marked Zibanejad for the wing this season, so Parssinen’s development is rather important to them.

Whoever lines up for the Rangers today, I hope that the Devils play fast hockey and light the lamp plenty of times. There are a lot of guys in the Devils’ expected lineup today who are fighting for jobs, and some (Rooney, Glendening) possibly fighting for the continuation of their NHL careers on their PTOs. And, if Nico Daws ends up in net, I hope he has an excellent game. He is very much an NHL backup-caliber goalie, at the very least, and he needs to play his way into whatever situation is best for him at this point as he enters what should be his athletic prime. If that means the Devils have to trade him before the season begins, so be it — I am simply unsure of whether someone like Daws could pass through waivers. Last season, he had a .939 save percentage in six games and four starts in the NHL, earning one shutout with a 3-1-0 record. If we see that Daws today, I would be thrilled.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of today’s game? Will you be watching? Who are you rooting for to make the team? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...eview-1-new-jersey-devils-vs-new-york-rangers

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Arseni Gritsyuk Posts Two Points As New Jersey Devils Lose Preseason Opener, 5-3

Happy Earth, Wind & Fire Day, and welcome back to New Jersey Devils hockey. On the 21st night afternoon of September, the Devils hosted the New York Rangers in the 2025-26 preseason opener at The Rock. In a game light on regulars, New Jersey fell to their Hudson River rivals by a final score of 5-3.

It’s hard to know just what to make of a game like today’s. As mentioned, there were few regulars in the lineup for New Jersey, so it’s not like we can dissect how the main guys looked on the ice. And even if we could, it’s hard to take preseason results seriously. Remember, this is the same franchise that put up a perfect preseason in 2023-24, only to embark on a listless regular season and miss the postseason altogether.

Still, there are some takeaways we can focus on. Number one to me was the play of Arseni Gritsyuk. After being drafted by the late Ray Shero all the way back in 2019, Gritsyuk has finally made his way to North America. He played on a line with Cody Glass and Paul Cotter this afternoon, the only regular forwards who dressed for this game (unless you want to count Kurtis MacDermid, who was on Matt Rempe duty today).

I thought Gritsyuk started out slowly, but really came on strong as the game progressed. He first got on the scoreboard with a beautiful assist on Paul Cotter’s goal:

It may only be September, but Cotter’s hands are in midseason form. pic.twitter.com/IVw0UnZf9B

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 21, 2025

It’s not captured in the above tweet, but Cotter actually made a pretty nice defensive play to get the puck moving back the other way. It was nice to see Gritsyuk and Cotter combine on a pretty goal like that.

Then in the dying minutes of the game, with the Devils on a 5-on-3 power play, Gritsyuk showed off what we have all been told is his best asset: his shot:

Grits serves it up on a platter. #NJDevils | @Mikes_Amazing pic.twitter.com/1wh5lQ1Bf0

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 21, 2025

By the way, New Jersey was on that two-man advantage thanks to Brennan Othmann doing his best Rempe impression by elbowing Calen Addison in the head. Addison’s status is worth monitoring as we go forward, at the time of this writing, I have not seen an update.

In any case, it was nice to see Gritsyuk finish with two points. He also registered six shots on goal, another great sign that he was able to generate offense for himself. And for good measure, he recorded four hits as well. It’s just one preseason game, but Gritsyuk’s debut was encouraging.

Cotter, Glass, and Jake Allen were the only other players who suited up today that are locks for the opening day roster. Allen only played the first period, allowing one goal on 10 shots, including a bundle of saves in a period-ending flurry by the Rangers. He looked solid. Cotter and Glass had up and down performances in my opinion, though I thought Cotter was a little more noticeable. He did have that goal after all.

Elsewhere, there were veterans playing on PTOs such as Kevin Rooney and Luke Glendening. There was other veteran depth such as Dennis Cholowski, Juho Lammikko, Brian Halonen, Mike Hardman, and Nathan Legere. There were younger players looking to establish themselves such as Thomas Bordeleau, Angus Crookshank, Ethan Edwards, and Addison. And there was also Nico Daws, who had a rough second period on the way to giving up four goals on 13 shots over two periods of play. It wasn’t the best outing for Daws, and the Devils need to figure out what to do with him considering he is no longer waiver ineligible. Your mileage may vary on how the rest of the roster performed, but again, it’s the first preseason game so it’s hard to take too much out of this contest.

But despite the loss, and despite a lack of familiar faces, it was nice to have New Jersey Devils hockey back. Here’s to the (unofficial) beginning of the 2025-26 season.

The Game Highlights: Courtesy of NHL.com

The Other Devils Debut​

Aside from the new players, today also marked the Devils debut for Don LaGreca. After a sudden and unceremonious end to the Bill Spaulding era of calling Devils games for MSG Networks, LeGreca is now the latest voice of the Devils. Broadcaster taste is largely subjective, but I thought LaGreca had reasonable chemistry with Ken Daneyko and Bryce Salvador in his debut game. I didn’t think he crushed it, and I didn’t think he was terrible. A perfectly reasonable performance.

Although someone needs to help me out here…did it sound to anyone else like he was pronouncing Arseni Gritsyuk’s last name with an “L”? As in, “GritsLik”? I swear it sounded like that to me at times.

Next Time Out​

The Devils continue their preseason slate on Tuesday when they host the New York Islanders at The Rock. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.

Your Take​

What did you make of today’s game? Were you encouraged by what you saw out of Gritsyuk? Who were some other standout performances to you? What did you think of Don LaGreca behind the mic? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-new-jersey-devils-lose-preseason-opener-5-3

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Announce Theme Nights, Final Year of “Jersey” Jersey

It’s the start of a brand new work week (hooray?), and the New Jersey Devils have given us some news. No, it’s not Luke Hughes, yet. But I had been wondering when the full promotional schedule would be released, and the Devils have finally released their theme nights and giveaways. Additionally, they have said that the 2025-26 season will be the final year of the black and white “Jersey” jersey. We will start off there.

End of the “Jersey” Jersey​

The Jersey Jersey has been controversial at best since it was first leaked in 2021. I would say, though, that the jersey has grown on people more than not since the initial, largely negative, reaction. Any time I go to the Prudential Center, I see no shortage of black-and-white Devils jerseys, but that may very well be the reason they are moving towards retiring the jersey. If thousands of people already have a regular home Jack Hughes jersey and a “Jersey” Jack Hughes jersey, Fanatics and the team are simply going to make more money by releasing a new jersey.

Personally, I am excited for the change. I am not a fan of the all-black look. Maybe it would be better if it had more red to it. But I also think the home jersey would be better with more black in it (as in, the classic bottom stripe on the dynasty-era jerseys). I know the team’s goaltenders are also probably pretty happy with having a change on the way, as the black socks on the black jerseys can make it odd to follow pucks through defensemen trying to block shots. However, they are unique, and I won’t take that away from them. They aren’t a boring black practice jersey masquerading as a game jersey.

Theme Nights​

Theme Nights, Community, and Group Nights at the Prudential Center in the 2025-26 season include:

• 10/22 vs. Minnesota Wild — Pride Night
• 11/10 vs. New York Islanders — Military Appreciation Night
• 11/29 vs. Philadelphia Flyers — Hockey Fights Cancer presented by RWJBarnabas Health
• 12/1 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — People With Disabilities Night
• 12/3 vs. Dallas Stars — Filipino Heritage Night
• 12/11 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning — Jewish Community Night
• 12/13 vs. Anaheim Ducks — Devils Youth Foundation Night
• 12/21 vs. Buffalo Sabres — Ukrainian Heritage Night
• 1/3 vs. Utah Mammoth — Mascot Madness
• 1/14 vs. Seattle Kraken — Faith and Family Night
• 1/27 vs. Winnipeg Jets — Italian Heritage Night
• 1/29 vs. Nashville Predators — Swiss Heritage Night
• 2/3 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — American Sign Language Night
• 2/5 vs. New York Islanders — Black History Month Celebration
• 2/25 vs. Buffalo Sabres — Devils Down the Shore
• 3/3 vs. Florida Panthers — Educators Night
• 3/4 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs — Irish Heritage Night
• 3/7 vs. New York Rangers and 3/8 vs. Detroit Red Wings — Youth Hockey Weekend presented by RWJBarnabas Health
• 3/12 vs. Calgary Flames — Portuguese Heritage Night
• 3/14 vs. Los Angeles Kings — Polish Heritage Night
• 3/16 vs. Boston Bruins — Women in Sports Night
• 3/29 vs. Chicago Blackhawks — Star Wars Night
• 4/7 vs. Philadelphia Flyers — First Responders Night
• 4/9 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins — Autism Acceptance Night
• 4/12 vs. Ottawa Senators — Jersey Appreciation Night

In addition to these nights, the Devils say they will, at some point, have giveaways for, at the very least, a Jack in the Box, a Brett Pesce bobblehead, and an NJ Devil lunch box. I do not yet see these specifically on the schedule.

Looking at this spread of nights, it looks like the Devils decided to have no shortage of theme and cultural nights at The Rock this year, and I am happy to see it. If all of these nights bring people in to watch New Jersey Devils hockey, the nights are doing their job. Now, I hope that the Prudential Center puts the proper amount of effort into all of these promotions, but the important thing to me is that it really seems like there isn’t anyone left out of the schedule. In a literal sense: you are more likely to attend one of these nights than not if you pick a random New Jersey Devils game to attend this season.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think about the sunset for the Jersey jersey? Did you end up buying one of them? Did you like them or dislike them? Do you think you will buy one in their final season? Are there any theme nights you are looking forward to in particular? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/e...unce-theme-nights-final-year-of-jersey-jersey

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 9/22/25: Debuts Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Arseny Gritsyuk had a goal and an assist in his preseason debut as the Devils fell, 5-3, to the Rangers on Sunday: [Devils NHL]

Any thoughts on the first game of the Don La Greca experience?

The Don La Greca era of @NJDevils hockey has officially begun! Catch #NYR vs #NJDevils preseason hockey on MSG and streaming on The Gotham Sports App! @DonLagreca | @KenDaneykoMSG pic.twitter.com/Qv68k5pZ3x

— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) September 21, 2025

Congrats to the Markstroms:

Welcome to the world, little goalie in training!

Congrats to the Markstroms on the birth of their baby boy, Cruz. pic.twitter.com/hP9tzrBUAR

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 20, 2025

Hockey Links​

How realistic is a Sidney Crosby trade for each team? Where could he end up if the Penguins decide to move him? [The Athletic ($)]

A look at some of the guys who will be pushing to make Olympic impressions early on this season: [ESPN]

A frightening story from Rasmus Dahlin:

A letter from Rasmus and Carolina.

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 19, 2025

“The Chicago Blackhawks have settled a second lawsuit brought by a former player who claimed they were negligent in dealing with sexual assault allegations leveled against then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.” [ESPN]

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d.../devils-in-the-details-9-22-25-debuts-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Pre-Season Game Preview #2: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN, MSGSN2, Devils Hockey Radio

Last Devils Game​

New Jersey played their preseason opener on Sunday afternoon, losing a 5-3 decision to the New York Rangers at The Rock. The big story out of that game was Arseni Gritsyuk scoring a goal and adding an assist.

Last Islanders Game​

New York also opened up their exhibition slate on Sunday, falling 3-2 in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers.

A Promising Debut​

Take this with all the grains of salt in the world considering it’s the preseason, but Arseni Gritsyuk looked good in his North American debut. He broke onto the scoresheet with a pretty assist on Paul Cotter’s goal, and late in the game he added a power play goal off a blistering one-timer from the left flank. He also added six total shots on goal and four hits, so Gritsyuk made his presence felt all over the ice on Sunday.

It wasn’t a perfect debut, as I thought Gritsyuk looked a bit out of sorts at the beginning of the game. But as the contest wore on, he seemed to get more and more comfortable. Head coach Sheldon Keefe seemed to agree in his postgame press conference, and he also intimated that we will be seeing a lot of Gritsyuk in the preseason:

Keefe said Gritsyuk will play in many of the #NJDevils preseason games.

He needs the reps to find the rhythm in all areas of the game, especially away from the puck.

"The more touches he got in the second half of the game, I thought Grits started to come alive a bit."

Full: pic.twitter.com/7obZ5Yg7dq

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 21, 2025

I’m not sure that means we are guaranteed to see him again tonight, but even if we don’t, get used to seeing Gritsyuk in the lineup a lot in the runup to the regular season. Hopefully he shows Keefe the improvement he is looking for.

Emerging Patterns​

The Devils’ practice yesterday consisted of the players who did not suit up in the preseason opener on Sunday. Here’s how things shook out:

Here’s how the #NJDevils are skating today at practice. It’s the players who did not play yesterday.

Keefe staying very consistent in his lines and pairings through camp, so far. https://t.co/XnDCVGAYng pic.twitter.com/aX1i9EjtlR

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 22, 2025

Already we are seeing some lines and pairings start to come together. Hughes and Bratt have obviously been a set for a couple seasons at this point, but it was an open question who would join them on the other wing. For the time being the answer appears to be Evgenii Dadonov, who has practiced next to Hughes and Bratt for a few sessions now. Dadonov has a long history of playing at or near the top of a lineup with elite teammates, so this combination definitely intrigues me, even as Dadonov reaches the twilight of his career.

Elsewhere, Nico Hischier has been centering Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer all training camp. Given how much this trio played together last season, and also taking into account Stefan Noesen’s groin injury, this seems like close to a lock to be A Thing into the regular season as well. This also seems to confirm something I felt in the offseason: despite a lot of rumblings, Mercer will not be the third-line center for this team.

On the third line, Ondrej Palat and Connor Brown have skated a lot together, and the center here has been either Cody Glass or a fill-in. Since Glass played in the preseason opener, he got practice off yesterday, hence Marc McLaughlin’s placement here. This appears to be Keefe’s plan as the third line, so while we might not see Glass tonight, expect to see a lot of Palat-Glass-Brown at some point.

The fourth line is the one unit up front that is hard to comment on, as there hasn’t been much consistency here during training camp. Keefe still has some time to figure this one out, but hopefully we get some answers soon.

On defense, it seems Keefe is determined to roll pairings of Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton, and Brenden Dillon and Simon Nemec. These pairings have gotten a lot of time together during practices, and with Johnny Kovacevic expected to miss a lot of time to begin the campaign, Keefe has apparently seen it fit to reunite Siegenthaler and Hamilton. Let’s hope they can rekindle some of the magic they’ve shown in the past.

As for the last pairing, I believe this is the first time we’ve seen Seamus Casey line up on his offhand this preseason. He was paired with Brett Pesce, and I have to assume Casey is just a placeholder until Luke Hughes finally signs a contract and gets back onto the ice. Assuming this is correct, Hughes-Pesce would be the only pairing that will stay intact from last season’s go-to combos.

By the way, expect to see most, if not all, of this lineup tonight. Per Keefe:

Sheldon Keefe says that tomorrow’s preseason game will be quite close to this #NJDevils roster, with some tweaks.

Expectation is that Jacob Markstrom will start. Plan on how long he’ll play in the game is still TBD. https://t.co/bJ03CISCLu

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 22, 2025

It’ll also be nice to see Jacob Markstrom back in action for the first time this preseason as well, assuming he does suit up. And by the way, congratulations to the Markstrom’s on the birth of their son!

New York Islanders…Emphasis On “New”​

This past offseason brought some significant changes to Long Island’s hockey team. Old friend Lou Lamoriello was fired as general manager…or actually, excuse me….his contract was not renewed. Clearly different than being fired. In his place comes Mathieu Darche, a fresh-faced general manager who previously served as the AGM for the Tampa Bay Lightning for three seasons.

Darche got to work taking a big swing in the offseason trade market. Back in June, he traded franchise defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for Emil Heineman and two first round picks in this summer’s Entry Draft. Dobson had spent the first six seasons of his career with the Isles, but will now ply his trade in the hockey hotbed of Montreal.

Perhaps Darche felt comfortable dealing Dobson since New York won the draft lottery in the spring, and with it the right to draft defenseman Matthew Schaefer. A product of the Erie Otters of the OHL, Schaefer comes in with lofty expectations, as any top overall pick does. Whether he makes the opening night roster is still a bit of a question on Long Island, but I lean toward saying he does make the cut.

Schaefer made his professional debut on Sunday in New York’s preseason opener. He managed to find his way onto the scoresheet with an assist on Kyle Palmieri’s goal, and he also registered five shots on goal in a whopping 24:39 of ice time. He’s also getting Islanders fans excited by doing the little things right:

Just an absolutely insane defensive backcheck from Matthew Schaefer on Matvei Michkov

In the first overall pick’s first NHL game too

(via @OSulr81) pic.twitter.com/CqRBhSJOdg

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 22, 2025

Now that is some serious skating talent.

Whether Shaefer makes the team or not, Islanders management and fans alike have high, high hopes for the young defenseman’s future. I’m not sure if we will see him play again tonight, but if we do, keep an eye on him.

Your Take​

What do you make of tonight’s game? What do you most want to see out of the Devils? How do you feel about the line combinations and defense pairings that we are seeing early on? What is your take on the new-look Isles? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...iew-2-new-jersey-devils-vs-new-york-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Veteran-Heavy Devils Handily Defeat Islanders in Preseason Action, 6-2

No real surprises here. And really, nothing for Sheldon Keefe to complain about.

Dougie Hamilton and Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist each, Timo Meier and Jack Hughes had two assists apiece, and a veteran-heavy Devils lineup routed the New York Islanders’ not quite ready for primetime players 6-2 in a preseason game Tuesday night at Prudential Center in Newark.

Many of the Devils regulars, including Hughes who missed the end of last season and had offseason shoulder surgery, were making their preseason debuts Tuesday night after sitting out Sunday afternoon’s 5-3 loss to the Rangers.

With the veterans dressed the Devils controlled play from the opening draw.

Hamilton opened the scoring 13 minutes, 52 seconds into the first period, by ripping a one timer over the blocker of Isles’ goalie Marcus Hogberg.

Hogburg, who split last season between AHL Bridgeport and the Isles, looked sharp early, stopping the first 13 shots he faced, including a nice kick stop on a short break from Nico Hischier, and fought off pucks on a couple of net front scrambles off the sticks of Arseny Gritsyuk and Brett Pesche.

But with a 5-on-3 power play just coming to an end, Jack Hughes found Hamilton at the top of the left circle, and Hamilton fired it home for his first of the preseason and a 1-0 Devils lead.

The lead was short-lived, however, because Jacob Markstrom continued a disturbing trend of allowing first-shot goals, allowing Emil Heineman’s turnaround shot from between the circles to hit his shoulder and roll down his back into the net, tying the game at 1-1 just 2:04 later.

Markstrom, scheduled to play the first period, finished with 2 shots on 3 saves and a .666 save percentage before being replaced by Georgi Romanov to start the second.

The Devils retook the lead less than a minute into the second when Nico Hischier netted his first of the preseason on the power play off a pass from Bratt at the bottom of the right circle.

Goals from newcomer Connor Brown and Dawson Mercer just 1:08 apart midway through the second put the Devils comfortably ahead 4-1.

Rookie defenseman Ethan Edwards and winger Evgenii Dadonov scored early in the third to push the lead to 6-1, before the Isles’ Calum Ritchie got a late goal to get it to 6-2. Edwards later took a shot to the leg on a Devils penalty kill and had to go down the tunnel for a bit, but he returned for one shift in the final few minutes.

The teams will meet again at 7 p.m., Friday at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats

Highlights​

Your Thoughts​

Not a whole lot can be taken from these preseason games where it’s an NHL team vs. an AHL team with a few NHLers, but you have to be happy when everyone follows the game plan, escapes without injury, and picks up a win. Anyone else concerned about Markstrom’s tendency to give up first shot goals.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...dily-defeat-islanders-in-preseason-action-6-2

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Early Takeaways From Two Preseason Games

The preseason is officially underway, and through two games, there is definitely some things we can take away from a Devils perspective.

Keep in mind, I think this should all be looked at through the lens of “its preseason” and “the Devils have yet to face a lineup comprised of mostly NHL players”. And even if the Devils had faced lineups comprised of NHL players, different players have different approaches to the preseason. Some veteran players are content to simply get through the games healthy and get a sweat in, while players on the roster bubble might be more incentivized to show something and make an impression as they try to win an NHL job.

With those disclaimers out of the way, I wanted to highlight a few things that I have noticed through two contests.

There Might Be Something to the Palat-Brown combo in the Bottom Six

One of my biggest concerns with playing Ondrej Palat in the bottom six in the past had been the fact that when we saw it last year, he didn’t appear to have any chemistry with anybody. It’s not a coincidence that he looked better when he played in on a line with Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. Players who know what to do with the puck on their stick and can even drag along players to success. The Devils didn’t have any of that last year in their bottom six.

So let’s just say that I was pleased that the pairing with newcomer Connor Brown showed promise. They had a chemistry that looked like they’ve played with each other for years even though they’ve only been together a handful of practices, and Palat’s tape-to-tape pass to Brown set up what was ultimately the game winning goal against the Islanders last night. I don’t know if Luke Glendening will stick centering them (more on him in a bit) but I can see the Palat-Brown combo sticking together for awhile.

One more aside on Palat, who has been a notorious punching bag of the Devils fanbase since he signed here. Obviously, he’s not worth his $6M AAV cap hit and I’m not going to suggest that he is. But last night was another example of his hockey smarts, and its another example of how the hate on Palat has shifted too far in that direction. Palat going to the front of the net and screening the goaltender helped lead to Evgenii Dadonov tapping in the PPG that made it 6-1. It’s the type of play that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet but helps create a goal that he’s made a career of. Again, stuff like that alone doesn’t make up for the fact his cap hit is too high or that that $6M could be better spent elsewhere, but you can see why he still has a role on this team and why he’s better than your run of the mill, AHL, flavor of the week option.

Luke Glendening Probably Has the Early Edge For 4C

I wrote last week about the roster crunch, and I’ll dive more into it next week when I write about the forwards in our series of season preview articles in greater depth, but my big takeaway from last week is that the Devils probably have, at best, one spot up for grabs amongst forwards.

Since I wrote that, Shane LaChance and Lenni Hameenaho have both dealt with some sort of nagging injury since the prospects challenge, and while I wouldn’t say that eliminates them from the conversation of breaking camp with the big club, it probably does put them behind the eight ball in terms of winning a job out of camp. So knowing that, I think its probably worth shifting our attention to the potential center options.

With the Devils playing Dawson Mercer at wing last night, as well as the PTO signings the Devils previously made with Kevin Rooney and Luke Glendening, this is probably as strong an indicator as any that the Devils plan on Cody Glass being the 3C and going with either one of the PTO options or Juho Lammikko as the 4C. And I think between the three of them, Glendening has probably made the strongest case for a contract thus far.

This is a situation where I think having a player who can fill a specific role the best matters. Whoever wins this job is going to be tasked with playing on the penalty kill. Whoever wins this job is probably going to be on the ice in late game, defense-first situations. Whoever wins this job will likely be tasked with getting a critical faceoff win, and while faceoffs by and large don’t matter, they can matter situationally. Having another good option in the dot aside from Nico Hischier doesn’t hurt. Even though all of these players can theoretically do that, this is where I think Glendening’s reputation and track record at the NHL level sets him apart from Rooney and Lammikko.

There’s a lot of preseason left so there’s still time for both Rooney and/or Lammikko to make their case. But if it were up to me and I had to make a decision today, I’d probably lean Glendening.

I’m Not Sure Where Gritsyuk Fits In At The Moment, But I Want to See More

The one drawback with the top nine wingers seemingly being set is I’m not sure how Arseni Gritsyuk fits into the equation.

I don’t see the Devils putting Gritsyuk with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt for now. The combination of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer seems like a line they’ll likely use a ton this season. And if the Palat-Connor Brown connection is indeed real, the last thing I want to do is mess with that. Which leaves being on the fourth line with whoever is left, likely Paul Cotter and either Cody Glass or whoever the 4C winds up being.

Now, some might frown upon Gritsyuk, with his offensive instincts, skating ability, and quick release being “wasted” in a 4th line role. But I do want to harken back to a theme from last year that I noted with this team on how this team didn’t have an identity in the bottom six. It was a mish-mosh of parts that didn’t fit together, which is why none of it worked.

It’s too early to say that the Devils identity in their bottom six this year is “what if we just build four lines that can skate, push the pace of play, and score” but it does seem like they have pieces up and down the lineup that could potentially do that. Dadonov, who is currently in a top six role, brings skill and hockey IQ to the table. Brown is a good two-way player who skates well and can play in all situations. Cotter skates hard, plays hard, and has to be accounted for in potential breakaway opportunities. Gritsyuk skates well and has more offensive skill than a typical bottom six winger. I don’t say this to be disrespectful of the players who are no longer here, but its a better mix than “last season in the NHL” Tomas Tatar, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, and Justin Dowling, among others.

As we all know, lines don’t stick together forever. There will be games where what the Devils are running out there doesn’t work, they’re trailing, and they pull out the line blender to try to create a spark. This is where I think having a guy like Gritsyuk who can theoretically move up into a more featured role on a scoring line with more talented players can play. This is where I think having better players overall give Keefe more options with which to work.

Either way, Gritsyuk has an intriguing toolkit at his disposal and I want to see more from him. I don’t think its the end of the world if he starts out in a fourth line role considering he is still adjusting to playing on North American ice, and if the Devils do suffer an injury somewhere in the Top Nine, he’ll be a natural candidate to move up the lineup to try to create offense.

Should Ethan Edwards Be the 7th Defenseman?

There wasn’t a lot of newsworthy stuff to come out of the Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald season opening press conference last week, but the one thing that I did take note of was their praise for defenseman Ethan Edwards.

I don’t know if there’s anything about Edwards’ game that jumps out as above average or even elite. But he’s a good skater, plays with poise, is positionally sound, and after watching him in two preseason contests, I can see why the decision makers like him.

I don’t know if Edwards is necessarily NHL-ready right this second but I don’t know that he’s too far off either, which raises the question whether or not he might be best suited as the 7th defenseman for as long as Johnathan Kovacevic is on the shelf. He’s young enough that he probably should be playing regularly somewhere, but that would also have to be weighed against practicing against NHL-caliber players everyday, which is something he wouldn’t get if he were to start the season in Utica. At the very least, I’d like to see Edwards get the call if the Devils need a defenseman in a pinch rather than turning to the Dennis Cholowskis or Colton Whites of the world.

Edwards plays a solid “meat and potatoes” sort of game that works against AHL caliber lineups like what the Rangers and Islanders have dressed this past week. Let’s see if it plays against better competition.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-games/61032/early-takeaways-from-two-preseason-games

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025 Preseason Gamethread #2: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders

The Time: 7:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: Local TV — MSGSN, MSGSN2, Radio — Devils Hockey Network, Out of Market: ESPN+

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils vs. the New York Islanders

The Game Preview: Jackson previewed today’s game.

The Song of the Day: Since Sheldon Keefe reportedly plans on icing a lineup of mostly NHL players tonight, I have a rather simple choice for the song of the day. It’s Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J. Tonight doesn’t mark any comeback, but this Devils group needs to pull all of their skill together and finally go on a run this season. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ead-2-new-jersey-devils-vs-new-york-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Gustav Hillstrom and Daniil Orlov Boom Out of the Gate

Gustav Hillstrom​

With nine points in his first three games, Gustav Hillstrom is lighting up the U20 Nationell.

The recently renamed U20 Nationell (formerly J20 SuperElit) is the top junior league in Sweden. The Devils have two prospects on the Brynas IF U20 team from their most recent draft class, center Gustav Hillstrom and defenseman Sigge Holmgren. While both have played well, with Sigge Holmgren earning his first point since his lost season from injury, Gustav Hillstrom has really shined, leading the league last week as of Thursday night with nine points in his first three games (four goals, five assists).

Although Hillstrom’s dominance has been at the junior level in his +1 year, the experience may be preferable at this stage of his development. Brynas IF is a stacked team, especially at center, featuring two former NHLers in Niklas Backstrom and Johan Larsson. Earning top minutes in juniors rather than riding the pine or playing limited time in a checking role in the SHL will probably be better for him longterm. At least, so far, the results are encouraging.

Daniil Orlov​

The Russian defender has been off to a hot start for Spartak Moskva with six points in seven games, a dizzying pace compared to his 15 points in 52 games last season. The 21-year-old is signed through 2027-28, so it will be awhile before Orlov may be brought over. With the glut of defensive prospects in the system, the Devils can afford to wait.

2022 4th rounder Daniil Orlov has his first goal of the KHL season.

and what a celly, lmao. pic.twitter.com/8MPhN2M3YU

— Devils Insiders (@DevilsInsiders) September 16, 2025

Around the Pool:​

• Goaltender Trenten Bennett followed up a shaky prospect challenge with a stellar 45 save win in his OHL season opener for Owen Sound.
• In other goaltender news, Veeti Louhivaara has been loaned to KeuPa HT of the Mestis and has started the season with a 1-1-1 record and 2.29 GAA to go along with a contradictory .848 SV%. Such is the bizarre world of small sample sizes.
• After missing most of last season with injury, winger Kasper Pikkarainen has been playing on the top line for TPS in the Liiga and has his first point, an assist, for his efforts.

TPS tänään!

Kokoonpanon tarjoaa AVIS. #HCTPS #Turku #Liiga pic.twitter.com/ktQxegAQk1

— HC TPS (@HCTPS) September 17, 2025

Your Take​

Post your comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/p...llstrom-and-daniil-orlov-boom-out-of-the-gate

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Could Any of the New Jersey Devils PTOs Make the Team?

Prior to the New Jersey Devils officially starting their 2025-26 training camp, the team announced that they had brought in four players on professional tryouts. Goaltenders Georgi Romanov and Adam Scheel along with forwards Luke Glendening and former Devil Kevin Rooney were signed on September 5th. Since that time, they have yet to trim the roster even once at this point, meaning all four still seemingly have a chance to obtain a roster spot. Maybe one or two wind up as an AHL signing rather than an NHL. But how realistic is it for these players to make the team?

Well, let’s be honest right from the outset: the chances of Romanov and/or Scheel making the team are slim, even at the AHL level. The Devils have Jacob Markstrom, Jake Allen, Jakub Malek, Nico Daws and Tyler Brennan seemingly ahead of them, as all five of those players are signed. That means that one of those five (most likely Brennan) starts the season as the fifth string goalie down in the ECHL. Jeremy Brodeur is also under contract to Utica (and possibly others signed to Adirondack), meaning there are plenty of bodies in net within the organization. Unless either goalie absolutely blows management/coaching away both in practices and in games, I don’t think either goalie finds a spot on New Jersey’s depth chart. At best, they’re showcasing their skills in case of injuries or other clubs who need a goalie somewhere in their organization.

On to the forwards in Rooney and Glendening. Rooney has already has a run with the team albeit not under Sheldon Keefe. The thing with Rooney to me is that every organization has players like him, and I don’t think he’s bringing anything to the table that the Devils don’t already have. Quite simply, he’s another veteran body to fill out the ranks while getting a glimpse of other players. Glendening, meanwhile, might have a bit more utility to him. While he’s older than Rooney and his offensive skill has dried up, he’s still a solid defender and can step in and win some draws. As a matter of fact, he’s already shown that he can do so through two preseason contests. While the Devils have some of those glue guys already spread through their lineup, Glendening might find himself sticking around longer if he continues to have strong showings.

The most important date for all of these guys? This upcoming Monday, the 29th. Why is that? Because it’s the day after the Devils have split squad games, with one group playing a home game against Washington and a second traveling to play Ottawa. The Devils have enough players in camp without the four PTOs, but with veterans needed and the possibility that some of the Devils regulars do not play in either game, all four of these players could be useful in one of these games. The next day of camp will probably be when we begin to see quite a few cuts made, since at that point there’s only about a week of preseason ad two preseason games left. If any of the four are still in camp at that point, that would mean they’re probably slated to play in at least one of those final two games. That could mean as well that they’re being considered for a spot.

As of right now? I think Glendening at least has a shot to stick, especially if he continues to win faceoffs. He wouldn’t cost the Devils more than league minimum, so it’s not as if he would be eating cap that needs to be used elsewhere. At the same time, Glendening has also been a black hole on offense for the last few seasons now, so the Devils might not be inclined to have someone in that spot when so many were chastised for being that type of players for the team last season. He’s looked at least passable in the two contests he’s appeared in so far, but I would like to see how he fares against better quality of competition. I think in the end it will really depend on if the Devils feel like his skills off the puck are worth having him on the roster. The other three players, as I somewhat alluded to before, I see all being cut before rosters are finalized.

Now I’d like to hear your thoughts on the Devils PTO players; do you see any of them making the NHL team? Are there any that you think get signed to try and bolster the Utica roster? Do you think any of them are strictly here as bodies for the split squad Sunday and will be gone after that point? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...y-of-the-new-jersey-devils-ptos-make-the-team

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Enough is Enough: Tom Fitzgerald Needs to Get Luke Hughes Signed

For most of this NHL offseason, I have been very patient with the New Jersey Devils in their negotiation with Luke Hughes. I promoted the idea of keeping Hughes’s cap hit down via deferred salary (as the Carolina Hurricanes have done with multiple players). Jared wrote in mid-August about how he was not concerned about the lack of a deal at that time. I wrote at the end of August about internal caps and why I was not worried about Novozinsky’s five-year article. Jackson ended up writing in early September about why he thought a bridge deal might not be a bad idea. But at a certain point, patience turns to frustration, and the Devils seem to be crossing that line and risking the growth of their own core.

Plainly, if the Devils want Luke Hughes to take the next step in becoming a number one defenseman, missing the entirety of training camp and preseason for a second season in a row is not going to help. Last year, there was nothing that could be done about Luke’s absence. He was out with a left shoulder injury, which was eventually surgically repaired after he left Game One of Round One of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Hurricanes. There are no such excuses now. Luke has gotten surgery and recovered well enough to play in camp right now. With only four preseason games, including tonight, it seems like we would be lucky to see Luke Hughes in the preseason at this point. If he does not sign in time, Hughes will not even have a chance to work with new defensive coach Brad Shaw before the regular season begins.

That is frustrating.

It is also frustrating to see anyone even half-seriously push the idea that Ethan Edwards can be thought of as a Hughes replacement. Yes, Keefe rightly praised Edwards recently, and he played very well against the Bridgeport Islanders on Tuesday. If Ethan Edwards was not a 23-year old fresh out of college in need of consistent playing time, I would be promoting him as the best left-handed seventh defenseman option available on the team. However, it is September and not April, and Edwards’ best place will be racking up minutes in Utica following the Devils’ last preseason game on October 4.

Superficially, Edwards shares some abilities with Hughes. They are both very good skaters. Edwards seems keen on pinching on offense, and he was rewarded with a goal against the Islanders. But I am not about to compare someone who topped out at 21 points at Michigan in his senior year to another defenseman who had 17 goals his freshman year of college, and 48 points the next season. Flash forward to today, and Luke Hughes has already had two productive NHL seasons. If Ethan Edwards has filled in for Luke Hughes even more than rarely by the end of the season, something will have gone seriously wrong. I have NHL hopes for Ethan Edwards, but don’t try to sell him as a Hughes replacement or stand-in.

Luke Hughes is one of the few players Devils fans are hinging the hopes of their next five or ten years on, along with his older brother, Jack, and Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Simon Nemec, and others. If the Devils want to win a Stanley Cup over this timeframe, they not only need to keep Luke Hughes, but they need him to be better than he has been in his first two seasons. Luke is not off to a bad start in the NHL by any means, but they need him to be a 60-point producing two-way force if they want to get to the promised land. At what point does playing hardball hurt the team more than paying a little more than what Tom Fitzgerald would like to pay Luke on a long-term deal?

If Luke comes back for the last three games of the preseason and gets into two exhibitions plus practices, I will say that all is well that ends well. But if Luke misses the preseason, I will be reaching unexpected amounts of frustration for a hockey season I have been greatly looking forward to. If this somehow stretches on long enough that Luke Hughes misses regular season games, my mostly-positive takes on the front office and their offseason will sour significantly.

Had the news on their negotiations indicated any progress over the last week, I might feel better about the state of things. We have heard that there is a big gap between the Hughes camp and Fitzgerald, and that has not changed. But I am not interested in hearing the explanations of why X and Y players’ contract outlooks might be holding back the sides from coming to an agreement. We cannot be seriously comparing an RFA in pre-arbitration years to veteran unrestricted free agents looking for their last big paydays. The rising cap affects all, yes, but more importantly, we are talking about how one of the most gifted athletes of all the defensemen in the NHL should be paid now, four years from now, and eight years from now. They are not fitting that cleanly under the cap without one of or a combination of long-term injured reserve, deferred salary, or a trade.

It has been up to Tom Fitzgerald to figure out how to make the money work for the last three months. It certainly could have and should have been done by now. Nothing has happened to significantly change the cap outlook of the team. Johnny Kovacevic will be out until the calendar year 2026. Maybe, he could be back by January or February, or maybe not. The Devils will have just a bit under $7 million in cap space when Seamus Casey is sent down for Luke Hughes. They would have even more if they were willing to waive Kurtis MacDermid. So, if the team wants to sign Hughes to a max deal of at least $72 million, they can shave the AAV down to $8.5 million with deferred salary (if they deferred about $17 million over the first four years), but they would still need to put Kovacevic on LTIR unless they wanted to defer over half of the total salary while running a bare-bones, no-extras roster. I am not sure they want to do that either, with Juho Lammikko signed and Luke Glendening looking like a good fit in camp.

If that all seems ridiculous, get this: Tom Fitzgerald has taken so long to sign Luke Hughes that it is now notably more difficult to save cap room by deferring salary than it was a month ago due to the decline in interest rates. Just waiting and “being patient” has dulled the tools Fitzgerald has had at his disposal.

Was I seriously expecting that the Devils would use deferred salary to their advantage? No, but it would have been nice to see them use the same tools that a division rival has used to get a leg up on everyone else. And it would have been very nice to see Luke Hughes suit up for training camp on time like the other guys on the Devils roster. Either way, Luke Hughes must be signed by the end of preseason, or the front office is putting the success of this season at risk. If the team is already going to have Kovacevic out until New Year’s or even later, they cannot afford to have Luke Hughes playing catch-up with Brad Shaw and on his pairings and special teams assignments for the first month of the season.

Your Thoughts​

Do you think Luke Hughes will sign this weekend? How are you feeling about Hughes and Fitzgerald right now? How will you feel in a week if he’s still unsigned? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...om-fitzgerald-needs-to-get-luke-hughes-signed

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Mixed Bag Lineup at the Isles for a Friday Night Tilt

Keefe seems intent on continuing to rotate the primary roster players every other game, with a mixture of players filling things out. Tonight was no different as the boys took the bus out to UBS Arena for game 3 of the pre-season.

There was nothing very notable about the actual lineup up front, but the coaching staff continues to tinker with pairings on the back end, giving Dougie a look with Edwards, Siegenthaler with Nemec, and Cholowski with Casey. This was the pre-season debut of Seamus Casey after dealing with an injury sustained during the prospects challenge.

On the Islanders side we got a pretty good look at the bulk of their forward corps: Barzal, Horvat, new addition Drouin, Duclair, Gatcomb, and Cizikas all dressing for the fishsticks. Devils fans also got a look at 1st overall pick in the ‘25 draft, Matthew Schaeffer.

Casey made his presence felt early, sending a nice little flip pass to Glendening on a rush chance, at 2:01 of the first period. Employed Luke corralled it nicely and in one motion gave Sorokin a shimmy and went top shelf. 1 shot, 1 goal is pretty good – they should try and do that every time. Casey was in on everything early offensively and had a couple of good play break-ups defensively. The Devils were on the front foot most of the period, controlling shot attempts 22-15, scoring chances 9-7, and high danger scoring chances 6-2, while veteran Jake Allen was a perfect 8 for 8.

View Link

The ice started tilting the Islanders way in the 2nd and their NHL-heavy lineup decided to show up, even thought he Devils had to slog their way through Long Island traffic on a Friday night. The Devils fumbled their way through a couple of Power Plays, where the only chances came on two Gritsyuk one-timers and a nice feed from Cotter to Lammikko on the doorstep, who proceeded to bury it in Sorokin’s chest. After an extended shift that trapped the Devils on the ice for nearly two minutes, the Devils got 2 bad breaks – literally – as Rooney and Hardman were stickless. Allen kicked out a shot from Barzal, but Gatcomb was sitting on top of the crease and finished it off. Jakub Malek took over with 8:30 left in the 2nd and was tested on a nice cross crease play but otherwise closed out the period clean. The Devils gave a lot of the fancy numbers back, handily getting out chanced 9-3 and out shot 7-4 with an ugly 22.9% xGF.

We headed to the 2nd intermission tied 1-1, in a mostly uneventful game. But the Devils came out buzzing in the third, with Nathan Legare putting them up for good with a nice individual play, stripping the puck from aforementioned 1st overall pick Matthew Schaffer at the blue line, then keeping a strong stick getting through Ethan Bear and ripping one home past Sorokin at 8:44. Welcome to the league, Matthew!

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Only a few minutes later at 12:21, Gritsyuk intercepted an errant puck at the top of the zone, barreled in on a breakaway, burying a second chance opportunity on Sorokin, after his first shot was stopped. Credit to Casey for his second assist of the game while taking a big forecheck hit to move the puck up in the D zone to Cotter.

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The Isles answered with 16:50 left, as Angus Crookshank failed to clear it, leaving it for Schaefer who fired a pass deep to Duclair who turned and roofed it over Malek. Angus quickly made up for his transgressions buy burying the empty netter to seal the game for the good guys.

View Link

Quick Notes​

Malek looked very good in his real NHL debut, stopping 12 of 13, including a sick glove save on a cross slot one- timer, and helmet save on a short side attempt. He looked composed and swallowed up rebounds. More of him please.

The battle for 4C continues between Lammikko, Glendening, and Rooney. Glendening seems to be the current leader in the clubhouse (in my opinion, followed by Lammikko and then Rooney).

Casey is so fun to watch.

Edwards continues to have understated, yet solid games. Very Andy Green (h/t Devils Insiders). That being said, the Ethan propaganda seems targeted to an audience of 1.

Halonen had a hilariously bad PP shift in the 2nd, where he ate it 3 times, including putting himself in a cartoon pretzel at the blueline. Aside from his goal in the first game, he hasn’t really been doing himself any favors.

I really liked Legare’s couple of games last season, great type of player to have as a first call-up option.

Pre-season game 4 (and 5?) is a split squad at 3pm on Sunday, with one team going up to Quebec to face Ottawa, with another group staying home to face The Caps.

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...g-lineup-at-the-isles-for-a-friday-night-tilt

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The 2025 All About the Jersey Top 25 Under 25: The Hopefuls From 15-11

It is time for another five! This one is an interesting group: these are the first group of five who are all on NHL two-way contracts, meaning all five could play for the New Jersey Devils this year and will almost certainly all suit up for the Utica Comets. Let’s begin with one of our favorite Michigan draftees!

15. Ethan Edwards (D) — Last Rank: 21 — Age: 23 — 2024-25 Teams: Michigan Wolverines (NCAA — 36 games), Utica Comets (AHL — 10 games)

Drafted back in 2020, Ethan Edwards has been a question mark for the New Jersey Devils’ future as a result of the stacking of the blueline since then. With Luke Hughes expected to lead the defensemen for years to come, along with other possible long-term Devils in Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey, and Anton Silayev, it has been difficult to conceive of a place for Ethan Edwards on the team. With Jonas Siegenthaler returning to form last season, the left side of the defense has become quite formidable on paper, both in the present and the future.

With a bit of patience, AHL seasoning, and careful management, though, Edwards may still be a Devil: he has a lot of tools that Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald value. He is an excellent skater, and strong despite his shorter stature. He was not a massive point producer at Michigan, topping out at 21 points in his senior year, but has shown the willingness to go to the net on offense — and his skating ability allows him to do that with recovering to his position in mind.

In my view of the current Devils roster, Edwards may very well be the fourth best left-handed defensive option behind Siegenthaler, Hughes, and Dillon. When the season begins to approach the playoffs, I would hope that the Devils’ front office has a look at Edwards’s performance in the AHL (alongside Seamus Casey, if he plays there) before trying to use the trade market to bolster the defense. His individual growth is most important right now, but I would take an older defenseman with Edwards’s exact skillset as the seventh defenseman on any day of the week.

14. Thomas Bordeleau (C/W) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 23 — 2024-25 Teams: San Jose Barracuda (AHL — 68 games), San Jose Sharks (1 game)

Acquired in a trade for Shane Bowers during the offseason, Thomas Bordeleau looks to restart his career with the Devils. At 5’9” and 174 pounds, Bordeleau had 14 goals and 24 assists for the Barracuda last season. I thought to compare him to Xavier Parent (ranked 26th in our list), who is just an inch shorter and about the same weight, who had 17 goals and 19 assists in 61 games for the Comets last year. Of course, Bordeleau has played 44 NHL games for the San Jose Sharks in his career, but the breakdown of his play is not very pretty. He has averaged about 15 minutes of ice time per NHL appearance with six goals and 12 assists with a -22 rating, while going 48.9% in the faceoff dot. In his most extensive NHL season (27 games in the 2023-24 season), the Sharks scored five times and gave up 18 goals with Bordeleau on the ice at five-on-five, while Bordeleau put up seven of his 11 points on the power play.

I do think a ranking of 14 might set expectations a bit too high for Bordeleau, who may be lauded as an NHL option by some fans because they see he’s played there before, while not having any pessimistic sentiment towards him because he’s played for a different team. And, yes, the San Jose Sharks have been a very bad team, and good players can be buried by bad team play. But I would hope that a guy competing for a spot on this year’s Devils team, with their playoff and contending aspirations, would have been able to crack the Sharks’ lineup for more than one game last season. He has a lot to prove, even if he has shown skill before. He almost makes me think of a guy like Joseph Blandisi — someone who showed a lot of skill on a bad Devils team in The Second Devils Dark Ages, but couldn’t stick in the NHL after his first big stint. Hopefully, Bordeleau explodes in the AHL and sets him up for a real NHL shot.

Bordeleau was a second round pick in 2020, a lauded prospect of the United States National Development Program, and a productive player at Michigan. Perhaps he was just incredibly unlucky in San Jose, but I do not currently see a great way for him to make the roster as it stands today. He is a skilled, undersized forward trying to break onto a team that needs a fourth line center. If the Devils needed a scoring winger, I would have more hope for his case. He did have a good preseason debut against the Rangers as a winger for Kevin Rooney, in which he led the team in expected goals percentage, but he has yet to get back onto the ice. Perhaps when the Devils play their split-squad games, Bordeleau may get a shot with more ice time.

13. Jakub Malek (G) — Last Rank: 13 — Age: 23 — 2024-25 Team: Ilves (Liiga — 33 games)

Staying steady at 13, Jakub Malek has finally appeared in a preseason game for the New Jersey Devils. After being loaned to Ilves in the first year of his entry-level contract, Malek did not suit up for the Devils last year in the preseason. This was best for the team at the time, as they were carrying Nico Daws and Isaac Poulter in the AHL along with Jeremy Brodeur and Tyler Brennan in the ECHL. With Poulter off to Winnipeg and Daws’s status for the upcoming season up in the air, Malek has a chance to solidify himself as a future NHL starting goaltender with a strong season at Utica. When Sam Kasan interviewed him for the team’s prospect profiles on NHL.com, Malek said about his goals for playing in Utica:

To win the Calder Cup. I can’t wait to be there because it will be something totally new for me. I can’t wait for the fun, I can’t wait for the games, I can’t wait to be there with the guys.

Given the Comets’ lack of success over the last few years as a Devils affiliate, that should be music to their ears. When Malek was last a member of VHK Vsetin in the second Czech league, Malek put up a .932 save percentage in the regular season along with a 7-4 record and .933 save percentage in the playoffs, turning 20 years old at the end of that 2021-22 season. Since then, Malek has grown in the Finnish Liiga, going from 22 to 27 to 33 games played, while continuing to show that he can handle professional competition with a .910 save percentage and a 40-22-15 record across those games.

"That was my first impression of him. I thought he was excellent." – #NJDevils HC Keefe on Jakub Malek.

Malek said he was a nervous going in but "it was important to stay in my head, still concentrate. Im happy with myself that I stayed concentrated & focused on my performance.” https://t.co/T8vyAiCfwP

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 27, 2025

In the long-term, Malek still projects as a goaltending option for the New Jersey Devils once Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen no longer hold down the fort in goal. Having primarily played European professional hockey since he was 18 years old, Malek might be ready for the NHL as soon as this season, but circumstances dictate that he works to master the AHL first. In the process, he will likely have the opportunity to play with everyone in this section of our Top 25 in his first North American season.

In the short-term, Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen need to hook him up with a good mask.

12. Cam Squires (RW) — Last Rank: 17 — Age: 20 — 2024-25 Teams: Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL — 58 games), Utica Comets (AHL — 3 games)

Since being drafted in the fourth round in 2023, Cam Squires has continued to be a solid forward prospect for the Devils. When he was drafted, I was intrigued by his higher-end production profile for a fourth-round pick while cautioning that it would take him some time to become NHL-ready due to his low weight at the time. But it has been a couple years since then, Squires has aged out of the QMJHL, and he had four points in his first three games for Utica last season, which bodes well for his first full season there this year. If he plays in the AHL like he did in the QMJHL (as he signaled an ability to in the spring), it won’t be long before he’s an NHL option. This was how Mitchell Brown tracked Cam Squires in his D+1 season (the only year with enough tracking data for Squires):

Cam has yet to play in a preseason game, but he did play for the Devils in the recent prospect challenge, where he had a fight (in which he actually did well against a larger opponent, who Squires was familiar with from the QMJHL) while showing off a bit of his skill. Hopefully, Squires actually plays on the split-squad day, as he was an extra for the Devils’ game group last night. But, as the youngest player at camp for the New Jersey Devils this season (having turned 20 in April), he does not seem very likely to get consideration for more than a top six role in Utica this fall. Still, if he plays like this in Utica, it won’t be long until he needs the next level of competition.

11. Shane LaChance (LW) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 22 — 2024-25 Teams: Boston University (NCAA — 40 games), Utica Comets (AHL — 2 games)

Tomorrow will be a big day for Shane LaChance. After getting banged up in the Prospect’s Challenge, LaChance is only returning to play tomorrow, having missed the first three games of the preseason. The 6’5”, 220-pound forward was a fixture at the front of the net for Boston University last season, scoring one of their two goals in their stunning loss to Western Michigan in the Frozen Four Final. After signing an ELC with the Devils, he scored a goal and an assist for the Comets in two games at the end of the season.

His acquisition first flew under the radar for many Devils fans because of misdirected anger over Tom Fitzgerald facilitating the Trent Frederic trade from Boston to Edmonton, in which the Devils traded Petr Hauser to Boston, retained Frederic’s salary, and traded him to Edmonton for LaChance. LaChance, the son of Devils Director of US Scouting Scott LaChance (himself an accomplished NHLer of over 800 games played), was simply not the focus of the fan reaction to that trade. It was only as the Frozen Four rolled around that more people took notice of LaChance, whose build and goalscoring profile fits the bottom six needs that fans have been clamoring for Fitzgerald to remedy. He can park right in front of the goalie and do all the things you need a power forward to do there.

LaChance could have spent another year or two at college if he so wished, having only turned 22 on August 30 after two years of playing hockey for Boston University, but the move to the AHL is probably best for his career. Playing upwards of 60 games, with the chance to get a cup of coffee in the NHL (possibly soon, if he performs well for the rest of the preseason), will do him good. This is especially true considering LaChance’s size, as the AHL and NHL will present bigger challenges for a forward of his stature.

The Rankings​

Please see the full rankings below:

The community was almost perfectly on point for what the final results ended up, with just the exact order out of place. This will be an interesting five to follow. As I mentioned above, all five are most likely to spend the majority of their seasons with the Utica Comets, and their successes or failures will largely determine whether Utica can make the Calder Cup Playoffs. Squires sticks out a bit in terms of age, while LaChance does in terms of his skillset. Jakub Malek has the most professional experience of these five, and clearly should not be counted out from the Devils’ future. Bordeleau has plenty of skill, but has yet to really put it all together at the professional level. And Ethan Edwards looks smooth as butter on skates, and I hope he takes to the physical stylings of the AHL while not limiting himself on offense.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of these five? Do you think any will make the NHL this season? Who do you think will have the best year with Utica? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/n...ersey-top-25-under-25-the-hopefuls-from-15-11

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025 Preseason Gamethread #3: New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders

Sheldon Keefe has chosen to play Arseni Gritsyuk in three consecutive games. Will he shine again tonight? (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Time: 7:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: Local TV — MSGSN2, MSGSN, Radio — Devils Hockey Network, Out of Market: ESPN+

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the New York Islanders

The Game Preview: Jackson took care of that this morning.

The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ead-3-new-jersey-devils-at-new-york-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025 Preseason Gamethread #4: Split Squad Sunday vs. WSH, @OTT

The Matchups:

• The New Jersey Devils versus the Washington Capitals (@ The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ)
• The New Jersey Devils at the Ottawa Senators (@ Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC)

The Time: 3:00 PM ET

The Broadcasts: TV — NHL Network and NJD.tv (vs. Capitals), NJD.tv (@ Senators). Radio — Devils Hockey Network

The Game Preview: I posted one this morning.

The Song of the Day: This is the odd day of the preseason in which the Devils split their team in two, and I feel like making a joke out of that, so I need a song about people being far away from each other. So Far Away by Dire Straits works for these purposes.

The Rules: The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...on-gamethread-4-split-squad-sunday-vs-wsh-ott

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils Fall Flat in Quebec in 2-0 Loss to Senators, Lose Close Game in Shootout to Capitals on Split-Squad Sunday

First Periods​

Quebec: Dawson Mercer had the first few chances of the game for the New Jersey Devils, looking good from the center spot. Romanov was eventually tested by some high-low action that led to Fabian Zetterlund digging away at him in the crease, but Romanov kept the puck out. Unfortunately, five minutes in, the Devils still seemed to have a lot of trouble possessing the puck and getting into the offensive zone, as they just continually pushed Ottawa back and then played a of defense up and down the ice.

Cholowski and Addison had some point shots blocked almost eight minutes into the game as the Devils began pushing into the offensive end again. The Devils were still struggling to get shots on goal, but they seemed to have more juice by the halfway point of the period. Georgi Romanov, however, continued to have to make saves, with him making a nice one on a centering try from a sharp angle. The Devils eventually went to the penalty kill, as Cholowski went to the box for a hook. The Devils were able to initially push Ottawa back, sending the puck out a couple times in the first minute. Romanov eventually made a breakaway save on David Perron, and the Devils survived the kill.

Late in the period, the Senators continued to hold the Devils to few chances as New Jersey was having trouble stringing enough passes together. Nathan Legare, who had a good game against the Islanders, got the second shot on goal for the Devils in the final 30 seconds or so, as he got in close from a sharp-ish angle on the rush and forced Ullmark to make a pad save. After another save for Romanov on the other end, the period ended with shots at 11-2, Ottawa.

Newark: The Devils and Capitals went back and forth in the first few minutes, but no great chances came out of the skating. The Capitals did a good job of blocking shots, and Ramus Sandin had the first good shot of the game with a wrist shot off the iron on a rush play. Just a bit over seven minutes into the game, Aleksei Protas had to leave the ice after being shaken up. Brian Halonen had a chance to get to a loose puck by Lindgren almost nine minutes into the period, but he was a bit too slow to the puck on the rush and the chance went nowhere.

Topias Vilen got the puck at the top of the faceoff circle for a shot though traffic, and Shane LaChance and Lenni Hameenaho went digging at the puck, but it was frozen by Lindgren. Just as Cholowski was going to the box in the other game, Kurtis MacDermid took a two-minute penalty for holding in the defensive zone. The Capitals had a good start to their power play, but a shot that deflected off the glass went out of the zone to give the Devils a chance to change. After that change, the Devils looked much better until a late turnover had to be saved by Simon Nemec, who got the puck back to the blueline. Just after the kill, before MacDermid could really leave the box, Jacob Markstrom was left down on the ice as the Capitals were pushing, and former Devil Graeme Clarke roofed the puck to make it 1-0, Capitals.

Brian Halonen had a chance to one-time the puck after Shane LaChance dug the puck out of the wall and set him up, but Halonen fanned on the shot. The Devils were thus held to two shots in the first period to Washington’s 10, as the Capitals took a 1-0 lead into intermission.

Second Periods​

Quebec: Still struggling to get shots on goal against the Senators, the Devils were too weak with their passes and too reliant on Romanov bailing them out. The Devils, however, went to the power play just over three minutes into the period. The Mercer-led unit had trouble, again, keeping the puck in the offensive zone. They were bailed out a bit by a second penalty almost a minute into Ottawa’s first, sending them to a five-on-three. Cholowski took a one-timer from Legare that was gloved by Ullmark. Lammikko was kicked from the next draw, and Connor Brown won it back. Cholowski took another shot on goal that was stopped by Ullmark, and the Devils were caught on an offsides after being pushed to center ice. After play returned to five-on-four, the Devils just missed on setting Cotter up, cutting to the net, and the penalties were killed with two shots on goal, both from Cholowski.

Thomas Bordeleau had a very nice rush and shot, with moving traffic towards the net, but nobody could clean up the rebound. Romanov had to face Tim Stutzle on a penalty shot after Calen Addison took Stutzle down on a breakaway, leading to a collision in the crease. Romanov shook the contact off, got ready, and stopped Stutzle on a move to the forehand.

Jordan Spence took an interference penalty with 7:06 to play, and the Devils sent their power play back out Glass won the draw, and he worked from the wall, dropping the puck off for Dadonov, who set Mercer up for a one-timer in the slot that was stopped by Ullmark’s shoulder. The Devils had trouble getting chances afterwards, going up and down the ice and even taking an icing call towards the end of the power play. The Devils looked stronger on the attack after the penalty expired, but they could not convert with Ullmark flopping around in his crease on a rush play. At the end of the period, after Romanov made a big stop on a tipped shot by Brady Tkachuk, off a feed on the rush from Claude Giroux, Evgenii Dadonov faked a wraparound, sliding the puck through the crease to Connor Brown, who was stopped by a diving Linus Ullmark, keeping the game tied through two periods.

Newark: The Devils went back and forth, up and down the ice, with the Capitals in the first few minutes, but Ryan Leonard got a goal on the first shot of the second period on a rush chance after Palat lost the puck on the wall, with Topias Vilen unprepared for Leonard’s burst of speed. After a slow period, the Devils finally to a delayed penalty with under six minutes to play. The Devils got Hischier on with the Hughes line, but they were unable to get a good shot on goal. Andrw Cristall went to the box for a trip. After a TV timeout, play resumed with a power play faceoff, and Nico Hischier scored in the slot off a feed from Hughes, just seconds after the draw! The Devils made it 2-1.

Third Periods​

Quebec: Austin Strand took a tripping penalty three minutes or so into the final frame, and Romanov made another big stop off the faceoff draw for the penalty. The Devils’ penalty kill did a great job of keeping Ottawa at bay for the two minutes, killing another penalty. At even strength, a minute after the kill, Connor Brown tried to shoot for a Mercer deflection, but Mercer could not get on the puck. After a later faceoff, Xavier Parent was denied on a low shot.

The Devils went to the penalty kill with just over five minutes to play, as Connor Brown took a tripping call. Romanov was still on tested again on this penalty kill, going post to post to deny Tkachuk in the first 30 seconds. But then, Stephen Halliday scored a go-ahead goal on a shot that tricked Romanov after Calen Addison knocked the puck to Halliday while deterring an initial drive to the net by Stutzle as Colton White came over to help. The Senators then got their empty netter from Olle Lycksell after a drop pass from Edwards to Addison was picked off at the blueline. Again, the passing was too weak, and it cost the Devils again, sealing this game at 2-0.

Newark: The Devils won the opening draw in the third period and the Hughes line went n the attack, now with Palat in place of Gritsyuk. A shot from Hughes went wide, and Palat almost slowed the puck down enough to keep possession continuous. But Casey brought the puck back from center ice to the offensive zone, and Nemec took a shot that was sent wide by Lindgren. On the other end, Nico Daws took over for Markstrom. After a few heavy hit attempts (Nico Hischier had flipped over Dylan McIlrath, and Ostipov tried to throw a hit in the neutral zone before Brian Halonen was sent into the wall on a rush), Ilya Protas went to the box for a dangerous trip at the end boards. On the power play, Jack Hughes had a chance at the side of the net, but he wasn’t able to get the puck over Lindgren’s pad.

Timo Meier rang a low one-timer off the iron, and the top unit stayed on the ice for about the entire power play. They were just unable to connect on their final passes to create chances, and the penalty was killed with only one shot on goal. Arseny Gritsyuk took a goaltending interference penalty about eight minutes in, and the Devils looked good on the kill. At one point, Bratt and Hughes had a two-on-none for about 125 feet, but their back-and-forth passing led to a pad stop on Bratt by Lindgren.

The Devils got a late power play, with six minutes left, when Clarke tripped Dillon in the neutral zone. The Devils had to take the puck from their own end, and Seamus Casey set Hughes up for a one-timer that went wide and out of the zone. Hischier later had a shot saved by Lindgren’s pad, and it came back out for Gritsyuk, who could not get the puck through traffic. Just as the penalty expired, Jack Hughes took the puck from the faceoff circle and shot through a Shane LaChance screen. LaChance batted the puck into the net to tie the game! However, Washington challenged for goaltender interference. The call was confirmed, and LaChance had his goal, and the Devils had a power play again on the delay of game call!

The Devils did not get a good chance on their second power play, bringing the game to the final two minutes. Hischier centered LaChance and Hameenaho, who worked hard on the wall. Hischier was set up for two shots, with the second going square off the corner of the iron! And the game went to overtime.

Overtime in Newark​

Timo Meier was tripped by Pierre-Luc Dubois early in overtime, sending the Devils to a four-on-three power play. Seamus Casey sailed a shot over the net and out of play about 30 seconds into the power play. The Devils had trouble moving the puck for a bit, but they had several chances at the end of the power play after Daws bailed them out on a shorthanded rush. Hischier and Hughes both had shots denied by Lindgren before the penalty expired, and play was at four-on-four until a Meier shot was deflected out of play. Hameenaho had a shot deflected out of play on a rush after taking a drop pass from Palat before Hischier and Hughes went out with Nemec for an offensive zone faceoff, and Hughes drew another penalty on Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois went at Hughes, and Hischier went at Dubois, and the power play was wiped off. The Devils were unable to score at even strength, and play went to a shootout.

Jack Hughes went first, beating Lindgren over the shoulder after a lot of regular stickhandling. 1-0, Devils.

Dubois went first for Washington, beating Nico Daws over the blocker to make it 1-1.

Jesper Bratt led off the second round, and he was denied on a backhand.

Ryan Leonard tricked Daws a bit with his handles, pulling Daws out of position for a shot past the blocker, making it 2-1, Capitals.

Arseny Gritsyuk went third, keeping the game alive with a simple move and a shot over Lindgren’s glove.

Jakob Chychrun went third for Washington. He went wide and slow, telegraphing a slap shot that went off the pad.

Timo Meier went fourth. He lost the puck a bit and was stopped low.

Aleksei Protas went fourth for Washington. He made a simple move that was saved at the pad.

Nico Hischier came on for the fifth attempt. He went slow and tried to pull last-second to the backhand, but was denied.

Andrew Cristall went last for Washington, winning the game on a backhand over Daws’s pad.

Short Thoughts​

I may come back to this later to give some more thoughts, but I was rather disappointed by the group in Quebec today. With several players who needed to impress to lock down a spot, their offensive push was really poor, and Georgi Romanov was really the star of the show for the Devils up there today. I did not really love what I saw from the defensemen, but the forwards were even worse with their difficulties with puck movement. As for the team in New Jersey, I was really encouraged by LaChance, Melovsky, and Hameenaho, who outshot Washington 5-2 as a line, while LaChance scored a goal just after a power play by batting a puck in the air into the net. With that goal in his preseason debut alongside strong possession numbers at five-on-five, LaChance probably put himself into the conversation to start the year in New Jersey as the team seeks out players to round out the roster.

Highlights in New Jersey​

Your Thoughts​

Were you able to watch the games? What did you think? Or did you attend the Devils game at the Prudential Center? Who stuck out to you? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...in-shootout-to-capitals-on-split-squad-sunday

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils 2025-26 Season Preview Part 1: The Defensemen

Welcome friends to another year of All About The Jersey season previews. This will be a multi-part series where the team here at AATJ will run through key areas of the team such as defensemen, forwards, special teams, and so on. If you can believe it, the long offseason is drawing to a close and the return of honest to goodness regular season hockey will be here before we know it. It will be good to have real Devils hockey back.

For the 2025-26 season, we will kick things off with a look at the New Jersey Devils defense corps. What additions and subtractions did the unit experience over the offseason? How did New Jersey defensemen perform last season? How might the defensemen be paired together? We’ll get into all of that today.

Enough preamble. Let’s begin.

Additions and Subtractions​

We start with arguably the most boring part of this preview, because quite frankly…this is almost the exact same group as last season.

There will still be at least some level of change, though. The biggest one is probably Johnny Kovacevic missing significant time to begin the season. We still don’t know exactly how long he will be out because you’d have a better chance of finding Jimmy Hoffa than getting injury information out of this franchise, but at the very least it seems like it will be more a matter of months, not days or weeks. His most logical replacement will be Simon Nemec, who of course is a familiar face around here. If not him, then Seamus Casey would most likely be the next man up.

There is also Brian Dumoulin, who came over at the trade deadline as the Devils were enduring some injuries to their blueline. He played roughly to his expected level during the regular season, but really stepped up in the postseason, where he was the only starting-caliber defenseman who was fully healthy by the end of the Devils’ first round series against Carolina. Dumoulin logged some huge minutes against the Hurricanes, and while he wasn’t flashy, he got the job done. Following the season, he hit unrestricted free agency, where he signed with the Los Angeles Kings on a three-year, $12m deal.

We do also have to talk about Luke Hughes though. At the time of this writing, Hughes is still unemployed. Over the summer, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said that once Independence Day came and went, his number one offseason priority would be hammering out a deal with the youngest Hughes brother. Fast forward almost three months, and still nothing. I think it’s safe to say that Devils fans are starting to get fed up. As Chris said this weekend, enough is enough.

All that being said though, I still believe that Luke Hughes will make a deal with the Devil(s) before the season begins. Call it blind faith if you wish, but I just don’t see the two sides dragging this out to the point where actually missing game action is in play. We just saw how quickly these things can move with the Anaheim Ducks and RFA Mason McTavish. On Saturday morning, the two sides appeared far apart…and then mere hours later, they agreed to a long-term deal. NHL insiders, ladies and gentlemen!

Anyway, aside from Kovacevic missing time and Dumoulin departing after his handful of games, it’s a pretty status quo blueline in New Jersey. Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brett Pesce, and Brenden Dillon are all still here after playing (mostly) full seasons in 2024-25. Simon Nemec is expected to be the Kovacevic replacement, and Seamus Casey and Dennis Cholowski are expected to be the depth. Despite the post-Christmas struggles this team endured, the defense mostly did their job in 2024-25 (more on that below), so I don’t consider it a bad thing that basically the entire blueline is back.

As far as additions go, New Jersey did sign Calen Addison to a minimum contract in the offseason. I would not be surprised if we saw him get a handful of games in the NHL as an injury replacement for a few games, but if Addison is getting regular playing time, it’s probably safe to say something went horribly wrong. It’s not that Addison is a complete stiff, as he’s had some measure of success at the NHL level before. But he’s certainly not one of the six or seven best defensemen in the organization, so I would hope he gets most of his playing time in Utica this season.

There’s also Ethan Edwards, who has looked pretty good in preseason action thus far. The University of Michigan product signed his Entry Level Contract when his college season ended back in March. He got into 10 AHL games after his days as a Wolverine were over, collecting three assists in those contests. Edwards is like Addison to me in that he may have some potential, but I hope we don’t see a lot of him in 2025-26, because that would mean something went wrong somewhere.

How Did The Defense Perform In 2024-25?​

So if basically the entire blueline is back from last season, the follow-up question that needs to be asked is this:

How did that blueline perform last season?

Well when it came to their primary job of playing defense, they were actually pretty great. According to Natural Stat Trick, New Jersey was near the top of the league in some key defensive stats last season (all stats 5-on-5):

Corsi Against per 60: 55.86 (7th-best in the NHL)

Shots Against per 60: 25.56 (7th)

Scoring Chances Against per 60: 24.68 (8th)

High Danger Corsi For per 60: 10.1 (10th)

Expected Goals Against per 60: 2.38 (10th)

Actual Goals Against per 60: 2.27 (11th)

Now granted, those are team-wide stats and not just for the defensemen on the roster. But the fact remains that New Jersey played some darn good defense in 2025-26 and the actual defensemen deserve most of the credit for that.

Digging a little deeper, it was clear that Sheldon Keefe unearthed a true gem of a shutdown pair in Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnny Kovacevic. They played 750 5-on-5 minutes together (748 actually, but who’s counting), and in that time they absolutely suffocated opponents. According to MoneyPuck, among defense pairings with at least 450 minutes of time together, Siegenthaler-Kovacevic posted the best xGA/60 in the league (1.82). As we mentioned already, Kovacevic will miss a decent chunk of time, so that pairing won’t be reunited to start the campaign. But after a down 2023-24, Siegenthaler returned to being an elite shutdown defenseman. Even if he doesn’t have Kovacevic with him, I’m fairly confident Siegenthaler will continue to put up strong defensive numbers.

The one knock on that pairing was that they did not bring much offense to the table. When they were on the ice, Siegenthaler-Kovacevic made sure that absolutely nothing happened, which made for quite the juxtaposition to the Dougie Hamilton-Brenden Dillon pairing. While Siegenthaler-Kovacevic was low-event, Hamilton-Dillon was incredibly high-event. Again according to MoneyPuck, among defense pairings with 450 minutes at 5-on-5 together, Hamilton-Dillon posted the sixth-best xGF/60 rate (3.18) in the NHL. For comparison, Siegenthaler-Kovacevic were at 2.47 xGF/60. And it’s a good thing Hamilton and Dillon brought the offense because they also allowed 2.76 xGA/60 together, almost a full goal higher than Siegenthaler and Kovacevic. So Hamilton and Dillon did win their minutes, just like Siegenthaler and Kovacevic did, but they did so in a completely different way.

Meanwhile, in the middle of those two pairings’ Yin and Yang, the defense combo that actually saw the most 5-on-5 time together was Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce. The young gun and the steady veteran spent 943 minutes together in 2024-25, largely winning their minutes every night while not being truly elite at either offense or defense. This time we’ll use NST (again, all stats 5-on-5):

CF%: 52.96%

SCF%: 55.74%

HDCF: 53.13%

xGF%: 52.65%

Not world-beating numbers, but when Hughes-Pesce was on the ice, the puck was generally in the opponent’s zone.

As far as the others go, it’s a little hard to extrapolate too much from Casey’s and Cholowski’s numbers since they had such small sample sizes, but we certainly can for Nemec. I did a bit of a deeper dive into Nemec over the summer, so if you want a more granular breakdown of his 2024-25 then you can check that out. The short version is that he was hurt the entire year, it hampered his game, he put up atrocious numbers both in terms of underlying metrics and raw production, and he made up for a lot of that with a very strong finish to the year in the playoffs. The Devils certainly have to hope that how he ended the season is indicative of how he’s going to play now that he will most likely soak up Kovacevic’s minutes as he recovers from his injury.

So as we can see, the defense put up some pretty good metrics last season. The problem was, while the underlying numbers were good to great, the point production was mediocre. Hughes led the blueline with 44 points (seven goals, 37 assists). 44 points is a perfectly respectable number, especially for a very young player in only his second full season, but for the Devils to be true Cup contenders, they need their top-scoring defenseman to post more than that. They need something more like Hamilton’s 2022-23, when he put up 22 goals and 74 points. Speaking of Hamilton, in his first year back after suffering a torn pectoral that cost him about 75% of his 2023-24 campaign, he came back and registered nine goals and 40 points. That’s a down year for Hamilton, but to be fair, he did miss 18 games due to injury (which is another problem). If he played a full slate, he most likely would have surpassed Hughes, but he still did not approach his 2022-23 numbers.

Hughes and Hamilton are the offensive dynamos of the back end, they need to produce points because the rest of the defense corps will almost certainly not. Here are the rest of the team’s numbers from last season:

Pesce: three goals, 17 points

Kovacevic: one goal, 17 points

Dillon: two goals, 16 points

Siegenthaler: two goals, nine points

Cholowski was held pointless in six games, and while Casey did post four goals and eight points in 14 games, he will absolutely not put up a shooting percentage of 33% again.

The defense played good defense, but there is more to defense than defense. New Jersey will need more production out of their blueline this season if they want to take the next step toward competing for a title.

Projecting The Pairs​

This would have been an easy exercise if Kovacevic was healthy. If he was, I think we would almost certainly see the same pairings we saw for the vast majority of last season. Instead, we have to see how the pieces fit together without him.

Throughout training camp and the preseason, head coach Sheldon Keefe has reunited Siegenthaler and Hamilton quite a bit, at least based on Amanda Stein’s reports on lineups in practices and preseason games over on her Twitter feed. Meanwhile, Nemec has skated with Dillon in multiple preseason games and practices as well. Obviously Hughes can’t participate since he’s still an RFA, but I think considering him and Pesce got the most 5-on-5 time of any pairing last season, that’s a combo that Keefe will want to keep together.

So based on those context clues, here’s how I see the defense corps shaking out come regular season time:

Hughes-Pesce

Siegenthaler-Hamilton

Dillon-Nemec

Extra: Chowlowski

Again, this assumes a Hughes contract actually gets done before opening day. If it doesn’t I don’t know what’s going to happen. And I’m also penciling Cholowski in as the seventh defenseman here because I think general manager Tom Fitzgerald and the rest of the Devils braintrust will want players like Casey and Edwards to get ample playing time at the AHL level to start the season. So it was between Cholowski and Addison for the seventh spot with the big club, and I think the Devils coaching and front office like Cholowski more, so he gets the nod.

Final Thoughts And Your Take​

As disappointing as the Devils season was a year ago, the defense mostly held up their end of the bargain. They regressed post-Christmas just like every other part of the team, but it’s probably the one unit that regressed the least. Aside from Kovacevic, which is certainly a significant blow, New Jersey enters the season with a healthy defense corps after injuries completely decimated the blueline in the second half and especially in the postseason. I am excited to see Hamilton, Siegenthaler, and Dillon back to full strength, Nemec actually enter a season healthy, and for Hughes to finally sign a contract. I am also excited to see what the younger players like Edwards and Casey can do, whether that be with the Devils or in AHL Utica.

Now that we’ve gone through a rundown on the defense corps, what do you make of this unit for 2025-26? When do you think we’ll see Kovacevic back? When do you think Hughes will sign his contract, and what will the terms be? Do you agree with the projected pairings I laid out above, and if not what would you prefer to see? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...-2025-26-season-preview-part-1-the-defensemen

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Preseason Game Preview #4: Split Squad Sunday vs. Washington Capitals and at Ottawa Senators

The Matchups:

• The New Jersey Devils versus the Washington Capitals (@ The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ)
• The New Jersey Devils at the Ottawa Senators (@ Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC)

The Time: 3:00 PM ET

The Broadcasts: TV — NHL Network and NJD.tv (vs. Capitals), NJD.tv (@ Senators). Radio — Devils Hockey Network

Two Teams With Chances to Shine​

The New Jersey Devils are splitting their team up into two groups today. One Devils team will stay home to play the Washington Capitals, while the other goes up to Quebec City to play the Senators. As Amanda Stein reported, Sheldon Keefe will go to Quebec to coach the away team, while Jeremy Colliton will be head coach for a day in Newark. Keefe noted that the practice groups that the Devils ran yesterday will not entirely stay together, but the individual lines will not be broken up. So, which lines will stay at home, and which lines will go on the road?

Practice Group 1 — Close to NHL Lines​

Practice Group 1 yesterday was made up of most of the Devils’ best players. With just Jackson van de Leest practicing in Luke Hughes’s spot, and the Siegenthaler-Hamilton pairing taking a backseat just after they had both played against the Islanders (Seamus Casey took a full maintenance day), it looked almost like an NHL lineup. Notably, Arseny Gritsyuk swapped with Evgenii Dadonov, giving Gritsyuk a chance with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt this afternoon. Additionally, Dawson Mercer is getting a game at center, despite Sheldon Keefe noting many times that they envision Mercer at wing to start the year. With Mercer off the Hischier line, Timo Meier moved to right wing, while Ondrej Palat went from the fourth line to Hischier’s left, making room for Nathan Legare to join the fourth line.

Here’s the #NJDevils Group 1 lines and pairs… Devils had split squad games tomorrow, so we’ll see how this all plays out. pic.twitter.com/jDDKWMNYYr

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 27, 2025

I would imagine that one or both of the top six lines here stay in Newark today. Assuming Ottawa will be playing their stronger lines than Washington, going to Quebec City could be good for Dawson Mercer, who would be able to take first-line center duties on the road if both Hischier and Hughes stay home. Regardless of which of the first three lines goes to Quebec City, I mostly expect Cody Glass to be part of the away team. Defensively, I think the defenseman most in need of playing time here is Simon Nemec, so wherever he goes, he should be playing on the first pairing.

Practice Group 2 — Battles and Long-Shots​

The second practice group is made up more of players who are not guaranteed a spot on the roster a week from today. Five Devils from this group will make their preseason debuts: Shane LaChance, Matyas Melovsky, Lenni Hameenaho, Cam Squires, and Xavier Parent. From this group, the great fourth-line center battle should really start moving, with all of Melovsky, Luke Glendening, Kevin Rooney, and Juho Lammikko centering lines, while Angus Crookshank, Thomas Bordeleau, and Xavier Parent (all being able to play center) are on the wings.

Here’s your #NJDevils Group 2: pic.twitter.com/iRbwH0afDH

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 27, 2025

Since it is their first preseason game of the year, I think the Melovsky line will play in New Jersey, especially as fans may be looking forward to seeing LaChance and Hameenaho in person. Since Luke Glendening may very well have the edge in the fourth line center battle, I imagine he will end up playing in front of Sheldon Keefe in Quebec. However, Kevin Rooney and Juho Lammikko also need to impress the head coach, so I also would not be terribly surprised to see one of or both those lines go to Quebec (especially if they keep Glendening in Newark to use MacDermid as star injury deterrent). Defensively, I think that Cholowski-Addison pairing is one Keefe is looking at to determine NHL extras, so I would predict they will be playing first or second pair minutes in Quebec.

The Goals for Today​

Almost every Devil in camp will get to play today. That means that the Devils may make several cuts from their preseason roster tomorrow. With limited spots to hand out for the regular season, that being a temporary fourth line role in replacement for the injured Stefan Noesen, alongside extra skaters, the Devils really have to start narrowing who they give ice time in the preseason if they are still unsure about their decisions. So far, Luke Glendening has stood out as a fourth line center option, while Nathan Legare’s game against the Islanders got the attention of the coaching staff enough that he’s playing with a possible regular season fourth line in Paul Cotter and Cody Glass.

But while Glendening competes with Rooney and Lammikko, with Legare trying to stand out from the pack of wingers, the coaching staff cannot forget giving the younger players a shot. On offense, there were the five young AHLers all making their preseason debuts. If Shane LaChance starts scoring left and right in preseason, he will quickly make himself appear a legitimate fourth line option. Matyas Melovsky might be able to insert himself into the competition with Glendening and the other centers. Hameenaho could make a case to give him a shot on the NHL roster with his offensive gifts. And from the first practice group, perhaps Topias Vilen could make a case for himself to get ice time as an extra in Kovacevic’s absence in his preseason debut.

Whatever may happen, it continues to be an obvious goal of the preseason to stay healthy. For the most part, the Devils have done a good job of that so far this preseason. Calen Addison and Ethan Edwards already returned to game action after being injured against the Rangers and Islanders, respectively, while only Marc McLaughlin remains out with an injury he sustained on Friday, which was unfortunately confirmed by Keefe to be camp-ending at the least. As long as nobody else joins McLaughlin, the Devils will be doing mostly well in terms of staying healthy.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of the split-squad day? Which game will you be watching? Will you be watching both? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...vs-washington-capitals-and-at-ottawa-senators

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: A Whole Lotta Nothing Edition

As of Sunday night, according to Elite Prospects, not one Devils prospect had tallied a point this week in a game that matters. This post analyzes that nothing, so you don’t have to.

When Nothing Happens​

What does one write about when nothing happens? I suppose I could remind readers of the solid play of Goaltender Jakub Malek in his pre-season debut, or the rise of the profile of Ethan Edwards, but other writers have the preseason games covered. Overseas, it’s been an extremely boring week. When this article was written on Sunday, Gustav Hillstrom and Sigge Holmgren, two bright spots in this young season, have not played since last Tuesday.

In Russia, Daniil Orlov, who has been on fire to start the season, went pointless in the two games he played in that stretch. Fellow Russian defenders have fared much worse on the score sheet overall. Anton Silayev is pointless in 9 games (KHL), Artyom Barabosha pointless in 10 (VHL), and Daniil Karpovich pointless in 5 (3 KHL, 2 VHL). Silayev has seen his TOI drop this season from an average of 17:25 last season and 18:34 in the playoffs to 16:48 under new coach Alexei Isakov.

Winger David Rozsival has started his USHL season with a four game pointless streak.

Winger Kasper Pikkarainen has one assist in eight games to start his comeback season for TPS of the Liiga, an assist that happened before last update. So, nothing this week.

In net, Trenten Bennett hasn’t played a full game since his stellar opening night performance, but made 14 saves on 14 shots in 26 minutes of net time on Sunday night in a 5-4 win. All four goals against Owen Sound were surrendered by the other netminder. The only other Devils prospect to see action in a game that counts, Veeti Louihaarva earned a loss for KeuPa HT in the Mestis, dropping to 1-2-1 on the season.

That’s it.

All of this should change once Utica and the NCAA begin their seasons, but this week, there is only nothing.

Your Take​

Have something to say? Post it below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/p...prospect-update-a-whole-lotta-nothing-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 10/1/25: Passing the Tests Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Sheldon Keefe on Luke Hughes’ absence:

Here’s Keefe on Luke Hughes’ continued absence from training camp. https://t.co/t6XM5nbvOF pic.twitter.com/I8152LKJXF

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) September 30, 2025

“Gritsyuk continues to pass every test he faces. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing on the 4th line or the top line. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5v5 or special teams. It doesn’t matter if it’s a breakaway during regulation or in the shootout. He is consistently finding ways to get the job done.” [Infernal Access ($)]

“I do think Markstrom is worth extending past 2025-26, but I don’t think it should be for a multi-year extension. To me, it’s far too important for the Devils’ future to ensure that both Mikhail Yegorov and Jakub Málek are developed properly so that they can both contribute meaningfully during the most important years of the team’s Cup contention window. With that in mind, though, no one should blink an eye at the proposed value of $5 million — that’s a bargain through and through.” [Devils’ Advocates]

The Steve Dangle Podcast previews the Devils of 2025-2026:

First round of camp cuts:

#NEWS: We have made the following roster moves.https://t.co/9vNtc0LLqo

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 29, 2025

With a trimmed camp roster, who is still contending for a roster spot or contract? [New Jersey Hockey Now]

Hockey Links​

The Wild get a very, very big deal done with Kirill Kaprizov:

8 MORE YEARS OF THE THRILL

Full details » https://t.co/M3RiI5ylvM pic.twitter.com/uezQzj3ntX

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 30, 2025

“(Kirill Kaprizov’s deal) is the highest in NHL history in terms of total money and average annual value ($17 million), breaking the marks previously held by Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin ($124 million) and Edmonton Oilers standout Leon Draisaitl ($14 million AAV).” [ESPN]

Kaprizov structure is truly one of a kind, per sources. He's getting 20% of $95.5M cap in salary/signing bonuses ($19.1M) his 1st 4 years

He has $1 million salaries in each of the 8 years.

July 1 signing bonuses: 2026: $18.1M; 2027: $18.1M; 2028: $18.1M; 2029: $18.1M; 2030:…

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) September 30, 2025

“With such an important decision looming not only for just McDavid but also for the Oilers, the league and his peers, The Athletic canvassed 10 player agents to get their thoughts. Receiving anonymity to speak freely about someone who isn’t their client, the agents were posed a simple question: ‘What would you advise Connor McDavid to do?’” [The Athletic ($)]

“Even with revenue sharing what it is, we have to wonder how high the salary cap needs to go before we start creeping back towards an era where certain teams can always spend to the cap, and others either have to pick their spots, or work within their own internal caps. It wasn’t unusual in recent years to see nearly half the league utilizing LTIR to stay under the cap, where today roughly half the league is beginning the season with at least $4.5 million in cap space. Teams already have more breathing room — what will that look like when the upper limit gets to $113.5 million? $120 million? Or more?” [Sportsnet]

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...the-details-10-1-25-passing-the-tests-edition