News Devils Team Notes

[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.

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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.

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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

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Luke Hughes Signs 7-Year Extension With New Jersey Devils

After several weeks of waiting, the New Jersey Devils have finally signed their top young defenseman to an extension. While we had all hoped it would be worked out during the month of July, silence spiraled into rumors, leading to a few discussions on the matter over the last couple weeks. Recently, Jackson gave the case for a bridge deal, but Pierre LeBrun reported on Insider Trading a couple weeks ago that the Devils and Luke Hughes seemed to be working towards a long-term extension. This was later backed up by Elliote Friedman, who repeatedly said that Hughes was fixated on a long-term deal. This was welcome news for Devils fans, who had been subjected to rumors about his contract, ranging from talk of a five-year deal to match him up with Jack’s contract (which had cold water poured on by Jack himself) to Paul Bissonnette’s later mention of a mystery Hughes family member wanting the brothers on the New York Rangers. But, as Jack said,

[Luke] enjoys playing in New Jersey…I’m giving really political answers, because that’s what you’re supposed to do. Even more so than Matthew [Tkachuk], like, I’m on Luke’s team. So, I want to see it get done. But, yeah, obviously, there’s a lot of pieces in play. I know he wants to stay in New Jersey.

Unsurprisingly, most of the talk about the Luke Hughes contract situation has been based off of pure rumor and conjecture. Without any solid reports to work from, people have taken plenty of shots in the dark. Tom Fitzgerald bears some blame for this after calling Luke’s contract his biggest priority in his free agency media availability. Had he worked the contract out with more haste, or simply said that the two sides would work on it over the summer, the length of negotiations might not have roused so much suspicion. Still, the news over the last week or so was all that the two camps were looking at a long-term extension, meaning seven or eight years.

Flash forward to today, and Luke has signed a 7-year, $63 million contract. This move will likely mean that Johnny Kovacevic will soon be on long-term injured reserve, as the Devils will be over the cap ceiling as a result of this contract. With this deal, Hughes is also eligible to play in the final two preseason games before the regular season commences on October 9. After missing nearly two weeks of training camp, Hughes still gets a little bit of time to get up to speed with his teammates and coaches, and I look forward to seeing him on the ice.

Please note that this article will be updated with more of a reaction to this contract. For now, please feel free to discuss the deal with your fellow Devils fans. And let us all be glad that this is starting to be put behind us.

The Cap Picture​

With today’s deal, the Devils are listed with -$3.983 million in cap space on PuckPedia. In addition to the injured Johnny Kovacevic, Marc McLaughlin is currently listed as carrying a $190,000 cap penalty for being on Season Opening Injured Reserve. Additionally, the roster is listed with three extras:

• Kurtis MacDermid with a cap hit of $1.15 million
• Seamus Casey with a cap hit of $950,000
• Thomas Bordeleau with a cap hit of $775,000

With Hughes on the roster, it is highly unlikely that Seamus Casey would receive much ice time if he stayed with the Devils. By sending Casey to play 23 minutes a night in Utica, the Devils could call up Colton White, Dennis Cholowski, or Calen Addison to save $175,000 against the cap. As for Bordeleau, the Devils may keep him on the roster, but they would not be able to generate any savings by replacing him with another player. For example, if Luke Glendening signed a league minimum contract with the team, there would be no change to the cap hit on that roster spot.

The bigger savings could come from Kurtis MacDermid, who has the maximum cap hit that can be buried in the AHL at $1.15 million. If, say, the Devils wanted to keep Bordeleau or Angus Crookshank, or if they signed Kevin Rooney to a contract, then the Devils would save $375,000 by having them on the roster over MacDermid. Lesser savings could come from Juho Lammikko’s contract, as his lineup spot would be in question if Glendening were signed. Lammikko makes slightly above league minimum at $800,000. However, if he were sent down, there is no guarantee he would report to Utica. On a one-way contract and a recent history of play in the Swiss National League, a cut from the NHL roster could mean a return to Europe for Lammikko. However, since the Devils would only save $25,000 against the cap by replacing Lammikko with a player on league minimum salary, there is not much to be gained there.

Per league LTIR rules, though, the Devils should remain as highly over the cap as they possibly can to maximize the LTIR pool. After Kovacevic goes on LTIR, they can play with making room under the LTIR exception cap for further acquisitions. PuckPedia has noted on their LTIR page:

If a team cannot be cap compliant on opening day without using LTIR, the LTIR Pool is the amount the team exceeds the Cap. For example, if a team is $3M over the Cap and places a player on LTIR with a $4M Cap Hit for the opening roster submission, the LTIR Pool is the $3M that the team exceeded the cap

On the Devils’ specific situation, PuckPedia wrote on Twitter:

With Hughes @ $9M, we have #NJDevils projected $3.98M over cap with 23 active + Kovacevic, Noesen, McLaughlin injured.

If McLaughlin ($190K season opening IR cap hit) is going to be out long term, they could submit roster with him & Kovacevic ($3.82M LTIR benefit limit) on LTIR…

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 1, 2025

The Devils will be able to play with their present roster for the first few months of the season. The real question is whether they will be able to go the entire season without a trade. Whether they acquire an LTIR-retired player, such as Carey Price, or if they trade a player away to make room under the cap, they will need to do something if Johnny Kovacevic returns without another player on the team getting hurt. But that is a problem for later.

Note: This article was updated at 2:35 PM with the above section. It will be updated further.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...signs-7-year-extension-with-new-jersey-devils

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Preseason Game Preview #5: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers

I think we can all agree, that we’d like to see more of this tonight in NYC.

Yes, it’s the preseason only, and yes these games don’t mean much in the long run. There is still however, never a bad time to beat the Rangers, if you’re a Devils fan. Read ahead for a preview of the penultimate preseason game for the 2025-2026 Devils.

• The Matchup: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers
• The Time: 7:00pm EST
• The Broadcast: MSG, Devils Hockey Radio

Last Devils Game​

On Sunday, 9/28/2025, the Devils lost both of their split squad games against the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals. The Devils also lost their first preseason game this year against the Rangers at The Rock on 9/21/2025, so expect maybe a little bit of extra motivation to return the favor against the NY home crowd tonight.

The Daily Luke Hughes Signing Watch Is Over!​

Per the official Devils press release on Wednesday morning, the incessant complaining “Luke Hughes Daily Signing Watch” is officially over! This will most likely be “old news” by the time you read this, but the short version is that A) Luke Hughes is signed for 7 years/$63m/$9m AAV. B) Per the press release, “He will join the club for practice Thursday.

Regular Season Squad(s)?​

Sheldon Keefe says this is close to the #NJDevils roster that will play against NYR on Thursday. Might be a couple of adjustments but will look predominantly like this: https://t.co/oXHtZCwZ0s

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 30, 2025

Per Amanda Stein on Twitter X on Tuesday afternoon, it looks like the Devils will be icing a lineup that should be pretty close to what you’d expect to see on game 1 of the regular season. Now that Luke has put pen to paper on his contract, there is the possibility that he plays on Thursday. As mentioned previously, he is expected to practice with the team on Thursday. However, Amanda Stein is leaving to attend a wedding in Montreal, so she will not be covering the rest of the pre-season. There may be an official announcement at some point between now and tonight, but my guess is that we will not know if Luke is playing until pretty close to puck drop. If Luke ends up playing tonight, I would assume that Casey comes out in his place.

For the Rangers, it looks like JT Miller is still “day-to-day” per Vince Mercogliano from The Athletic. However, based on their practice from Tuesday afternoon, it appears that they will be icing a pretty close to NHL/game 1 roster as well (the team made some additional cuts and as of Tuesday, their camp is down to 27 players).

#NYR practice lineup:

Perreault – Zibanejad – Laf
Panarin – Trocheck – Cuylle
Sheary – Pärssinen – Raddysh
Edström – Laba – Rempe
(Berard & Brodzinski rotating in)

Gavrikov – Fox
Soucy – Borgen
(Bottom two pairs are rotating with Schneider, Vaak, Robertson, Fitzgerald & Morrow)

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 30, 2025

There is the possibility that these lineups will change slightly between this morning and puck drop, however, short of players coming back from injuries or additional cuts, this should be as close to an NHL game as possible. While a “revenge” win would be nice, the 2 biggest benefits of this game are that they can finally put the “will he or won’t he” aspect of the Luke Hughes contract out of their minds and it is going to give the big club players 1 last game to get up to regular season speed and intensity (a different lineup, full of players destined for the AHL is expected to play against Philadelphia on Saturday). I don’t know how many, (if any) systematic changes have been made this camp, but they can also use this time to get more reps in with those too.

Grimace’s Prediction​

After speaking with Grimace this morning, I am pleased to inform you, the faithful members of the Devils Nation, that he expects a 3-1 Devils win tonight. Considering he is a plastic toy from a McDonald’s happy meal, that doesn’t actually speak, you know that prediction is as good as money in the bank.

Your Take​

Besides the obvious desire to see the Devils hand the Rangers a glorious beat down of epic proportions, what else do you all hope to see….or not see tonight? Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-preview-5-new-jersey-devils-new-york-rangers

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025 Preseason Gamethread #5: New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers

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

The Time: 7:00 PM

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN. Radio — Devils Hockey Network

The Game Preview: Matt posted this in the 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...hread-5-new-jersey-devils-at-new-york-rangers

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 10/3/25: Priority No. 1 Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

ICYMI: Priority No. 1 is finally handled. Luke Hughes gets a seven-year deal:

We've agreed to terms with Luke Hughes on 7-Year deal. Read more https://t.co/RjtjRiSP6X

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 1, 2025

Devils and Hughes' camp led by agent Pat Brisson were focused on a 6-year deal for the longest time and remained far apart on what a 6-year deal would look like. Going to a 7-year deal instead, plus Devils finally being willing to go $9M AAV, sealed the deal. https://t.co/GDfelnHFpv

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 1, 2025

“(Luke) Hughes is an elite skater, especially for someone who measures 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds. He’s dynamic with the puck, and his offensive toolkit should continue to improve. There’s everything to suggest he’ll break out eventually.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

The countdown is on!

We now have Luke Hughes commenting on whether he wants to team up with brother Quinn someday!

“Yeah, of course. I think the 3 of us would all love to play together someday… Never say never.”#NJDevilshttps://t.co/jsumStkQc5

— Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovoNHL) October 2, 2025

Paul Cotter, Ondrej Palat and Dawson Mercer each had goals, Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 of 20 shots and the Devils took a 3-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday. [Devils NHL]

Very funny moment at the end of Thursday’s game:

Quick is clearly not a fan of Paul Cotter. #NYR pic.twitter.com/twAQqZi9mc

— Snark Messier (@NYRFanatic) October 3, 2025

Hockey Links​

Jackson LaCombe gets an eight-year deal:

Jackson LaCombe is now the highest-paid player in Anaheim Ducks history, signing an 8-year, $9 million AAV extension pic.twitter.com/KH7FtrupmO

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 2, 2025

As does Niko Mikkola:

8 years x $5M AAV for Niko Mikkola, value extension for the two-time defending champs https://t.co/eiiyltwuzC

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 2, 2025

“According to Sportico’s annual team valuation rankings released Wednesday, the average NHL franchise is now worth an estimated $2.1 billion. This is up 17 percent from last year at this time and more than 100 percent from 2022, when the average team value was only $1.01 billion.” [The Athletic ($)]

“Kirill Kaprizov didn’t just reset the NHL marketplace by securing a record-shattering extension from the Minnesota Wild. He triggered an earthquake that is likely to produce reverberations across the industry. The Athletic spoke with seven certified player agents immediately after Kaprizov’s $136 million, eight-year extension ($17 million average annual value) with the Wild broke Tuesday morning to gauge what they think of the contract and how they see it affecting their clients down the road.” [The Athletic ($)]

Who seems primed to regress this season? [ESPN]

“The calculus has changed, and players need to be careful about giving up years of service if they believe they can be stars. Young guys need to be careful with the term they give away, because for those guys in this new salary cap world, the sky’s the limit.” [Sportsnet]

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-in-the-details-10-3-25-priority-no-1-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Acquire Zack MacEwen from Ottawa Senators in Exchange for Kurtis MacDermid

Just after 5:30 PM today, the New Jersey Devils announced that they have traded Kurtis MacDermid to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Zack MacEwen. While the Devils were expected to look for ways to cut salary after signing Luke Hughes to a long-term extension, this was somewhat surprising. The Devils are expected to have a cushion for their cap situation because of Johnny Kovacevic’s injury, which is expected to keep him out until after New Year’s. With this move, they get a bit of a head start on readying themselves for cap compliance after Kovacevic’s return.

#NEWS: We have acquired Zack MacEwen from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid.

Full Details: https://t.co/SU2ZFRxDrS pic.twitter.com/j6uGBeic6u

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 3, 2025

MacDermid and MacEwen are similar players. Over the last five regular seasons, MacEwen has been in 33 fights between the NHL and AHL, while MacDermid has been in 23. In that span, MacDermid has 276 penalty minutes with seven goals and 11 assists in 198 NHL games, averaging 7:41 of ice time per game. MacEwen, by comparison, has 298 penalty minutes with 12 goals and 15 assists in 216 NHL games, averaging 9:22 of ice time per game. In the AHL, MacEwen also has 13 goals, 13 assists, and 37 penalty minutes in 35 games during that time frame. Prior to his signing with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, MacEwen also played 155 games for the Utica Comets when they were the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. In addition to MacEwen producing a bit more than MacDermid in the NHL, he also grades better in his underlying metrics. In the three-year RAPM comparison on Evolving-Hockey below, MacEwen is shown to have a considerably less negative impact on team offense and a slightly less negative impact on defense.

Of course, advanced stats do not tell the whole picture: both players have negative on-ice results. Over the last three seasons, MacEwen’s teams have been outscored 39 to 28 with him on the ice at five-on-five, while MacDermid’s teams have only been outscored 21 to 19, albeit in nearly 261 fewer minutes played. Since being traded to New Jersey, the Devils had been outscored 7 to 3 with MacDermid on the ice.

With how jam-packed the lineup is beginning to get, though, MacEwen might have trouble consistently cracking the lineup. MacDermid was in that boat last season, when he only played in three games from the month of February to the end of the season, including an appearance in the final game of the season in which several regulars were scratched. That is where the issue with his contract likely came in. Making $1.15 million per season through 2026-27, Kurtis MacDermid had the maximum cap hit that could be completely buried in the minor leagues if he were to clear waivers. However, with the team’s fear that a team would claim him, that move never happened. By comparison, MacEwen makes the league minimum at $775,000 per season, and the Senators were able to send him to Belleville in both of the last two seasons. Regardless of whether the Devils send him down or carry him on the NHL roster, MacEwen or any other player on league minimum salary replacing MacDermid represents savings of $375,000 against the cap ceiling.

I will say, though: Kurtis MacDermid is one of the best fighters I have ever seen on NHL ice. For a heavyweight, he does not tire out very quickly, as I don’t think he’s ever been outlasted in a fight since he was traded to the Devils. From his fight with Matt Rempe (which Rempe unsurprisingly did not want a repeat of) to the one above and several others, MacDermid was as good of a fighter you could ask an NHL enforcer to be. Comparatively, MacEwen has a bit more of a wild side to his fighting style, as was on display when he welcomed Mason Geertsen to the Devils some years ago.

Even in this preseason, MacEwen has shown his ability to throw some thunderous punches. So, I don’t think the Devils should be losing too much in the fighting department, even if I think MacDermid is the closest any player is to being a professional fighter in the NHL. A part of me, even though I argued for MacDermid to be waived to make room against the cap, is still sad to see him go, but I think Devils fans will enjoy having MacEwen around for rivalry games and games against certain other teams like the Panthers, Senators (not even counting MacDermid now being there), Ducks, or any other team that plays things a little more aggressively than average.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of the enforcer trade? Are we exchanging the Big Mac nickname right from Kurtis to Zack? How many games and fights do you think MacEwen will have this season? Will Mac and Mac fight each other on December 9? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...awa-senators-in-exchange-for-kurtis-macdermid

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Preseason Game Preview #6: New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers

Sure it won’t be outside, and Nico won’t be playing in this game, but maybe one of the AHL bound players will score 2 goals tonight and make a last minute case for why they belong on the big club? | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHL via Getty Images

I’m sure the Devils Nation is sad to see the preseason end, but unfortunately all mostly boring, glorified scrimmages that they call pre-season games good things must come to an end. Read below to find out more about the final game of preseason against the 2nd rate rivals from Philly.

• The Matchup: New Jersey Devils @ Philadelphia Flyers
• The Time: 12:30pm EST (Per the Devils, the original 3:00pm start time has been changed to 12:30pm)
• The Broadcast: NBC Sports, Devils Hockey Radio

Last Devils Game​

On Thursday, 10/2/2025, the Devils defeated the Rangers 3-1 at MSG, per the proclamation of Grimace. While a win against the Rangers is always glorious, preseason game or not, the result of that game will not really have any impact on today’s game, for reasons discussed below.

Hopefully it’s nothing serious or long term, and hopefully he will be back in time for the regular season, but Pesce did not finish the game on Thursday. He was not expected to play today anyway, but still, something to keep an eye on over the next few days.

No update on Brett Pesce.

Keefe said he’ll have to be evaluated to see if he’ll miss time. #NJDevils

— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) October 3, 2025

The Last Stand of the AHL Squad​

Here’s your #NJDevils Group 2 look today: https://t.co/Inpv58ABCq pic.twitter.com/Vm3IKkI1f9

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) September 30, 2025

Per Amanda Stein on Twitter X on Tuesday afternoon, it looks like the Devils will be icing a lineup that is most likely AHL bound after the game. Amanda Stein is leaving to attend a wedding in Montreal, so she will not be covering the rest of the pre-season. Some of these players may end up playing a few games during the regular season. However, barring any significant injuries (insert Michael Scott screaming “PLEASE GOD NO! NO!” here), or poor play, I don’t expect to see any of these players on the NHL roster any time soon after today. If for some reason you have a burning desire to see any of the players in this lineup, now is probably your last chance to do so for a while. Although, if the injury bug decides to rear its ugly head with mid season form, starting with last night, I suppose this could be the NHL roster by March.

Long story short; this is a game that doesn’t mean much, if anything, other than serving as one last “show us what you got, and why you should be the first man up once we inevitably need someone to fill in.” If you watch the game with that in mind, you should have a good time.

The Flyers were most recently defeated by the Islanders by a score of 4-3 on Thursday, 10/2/2025. The game today also represents the last preseason game of the season for the Flyers. As of this writing, the unofficial game lineup has not yet been posted. In addition, I’m not sure if the Flyers will be practicing between their game on Thursday and this now even earlier game today. However, at a minimum, expect at least a few players to be playing for roster spots/next man up status in this game today.

The Return of Noesen and Hughes III Will Have to Wait​

Noesen in on the ice practicing in a full contact jersey. #NJDevils workflow…

Lachance – Rooney – Hameenaho
Crookshank – Hardman – Halonen (Noesen working in)
Bordeleau – Gruden – Legare

Edwards – Addison
White – Strand
Osipov – Diotte

— Sam Kasan (@samikasan) October 3, 2025

Per Sam Kasan on Twitter X yesterday, Stefan Noesen practiced with the team in a full contact jersey. However, as of this writing, he is close to participating in a full practice, but is not close yet to playing. It looks like Noesen got some work in yesterday, so while he’s not ready yet, his return should be imminent.

Per the same article from yesterday, Luke Hughes will not play in the preseason finale in Philadelphia. This is not surprising for a few reasons. 1) He most likely could use a few more practices to get up to speed, 2) There is really no reason to rush him back into a game, that quite frankly, doesn’t mean much and isn’t necessary at this point in his return to the team. 3) There’s probably more value at this point in getting one last look at the AHL players to see what they leave out on the ice today. It’s better for everyone to just let him take the next 5 days or so getting ready for the home opener, which is when the real fun begins.

Grimace’s Prediction​

Grimace informed me that he is quite pleased that everyone in the Devils Nation was happy with his 100% accurate prediction of the score on Thursday. I politely asked him to make a prediction for today, but he seemed hesitant, stating “I don’t want to spoil them by telling them the score for every game. What fun is that?” When pressed, he stared straight into the camera and responded “My prediction? PAIN.” For who? That’s up to you to decide. I just report what he tells me.

Your Take​

Besides the obvious desire to see the Devils remind the Flyers that they are not even good enough to be considered the main rival of the Devils, what else do you all hope to see….or not see tonight? Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...eview-6-new-jersey-devils-philadelphia-flyers

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025 Preseason Gamethread #6: New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Philadelphia Flyers

The Time: 12:30 PM (Note: the original start time was 30, but was recently changed)

The Broadcast: TV — NBC Sports Philadelphia, Radio — Devils Hockey Network

The Game Preview: Matt wrote this in the 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!

A Note: Thanks to the lack of an MSG broadcast, I am unsure if there will be a full recap for today’s game. I may just have to post the highlights as they come. Preseason problems, pfft.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ad-6-new-jersey-devils-at-philadelphia-flyers