RSS Devils Team Notes

[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

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The 2025 All About the Jersey Top 25 Under 25: The Initial Half of the Top 10 from 10-6

We are getting closer and closer! We are wrapping up our Season Preview and Top 25 Under 25 this week, prior to the regular season puck drop on Thursday, so we are coming out with the first half of our top 10 today! While all five of these players project to have solid or better NHL careers, only three are likely to play there this season. Hopefully, all three play those games for the New Jersey Devils. With that said, let us get to the rankings! At number 10, we have…

10. Nico Daws (G) — Last Rank: 8 — Age: 24 — 2024-25 Teams: Utica Comets (AHL — 34 games), New Jersey Devils (6 games)

Starting our list off today at number 10, Nico Daws played a career-high 34 games in the AHL for a pretty sorry Utica Comets group, who went 11-20-3 in his starts, in which he had a 3.16 goals against average and an .893 save percentage. But Nico still got moments to shine in the NHL, playing in six games with a .939 save percentage and 1.60 goals against average. On February 23, 2025, he had his first career NHL shutout against the Nashville Predators, saving 29 shots and 3.72 expected goals against, which included nine high-danger chances, three rush shots, and six rebound shots against per Natural Stat Trick.

This is just who Nico Daws has been at times in the NHL. He is very big and takes up quite a lot of net, but he has had some injury troubles that have slowed him down at times. He had hip surgery in 2023, and it can still seem like the way to beat Daws is by working from behind the net, where he might be a bit too slow to move post-to-post. Over two years removed from that surgery now, though, I hope that Daws stays healthy moving forward. He is capable of making incredible saves and winning big-time games, so I was not really sure if he would still be on the Devils by the time we posted his part of the Top 25 Under 25.

Now waiver-eligible, he is the Devil I worry most about being claimed in the coming days. Do not get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the Jacob-Jake goalie tandem in New Jersey, but I had largely assumed going into the offseason that Nico Daws was to take over for Jake Allen as Jacob Markstrom’s backup this season. One rather surprising five-year deal for Allen later, and Daws’s future with the team is questionable. I would love to see Daws make it to Utica and put up a strong season there, but something is going to have to happen eventually. Maybe Daws clears waivers and ends up the injury backup for the Devils this season. Maybe they don’t even test it and try to trade him to help ease their salary situation (whether they dump salary or acquire a perma-LTIR player). Either way, Nico Daws looks like too much of a professional in his NHL appearances to stay in the AHL forever, and it would be boneheaded to lose him for nothing after all these years of development and promising NHL stints.

9. Lenni Hameenaho (RW) — Last Rank: 10 — Age: 20 — 2024-25 Team: Assat (Liiga — 58 games)

Likely AHL bound but possibly good enough for the NHL at this very moment, Lenni Hameenaho projects to be a big part of the contending future of the New Jersey Devils. He has improved in the Finnish Liiga in each of the last three seasons, going from 21 points at age 18 to 31 points at age 19 to 51 points at age 20. He is not the biggest player in the world, but he has NHL size and more than enough skill to be a force in the middle six. The only problem right now is that there is pretty much nowhere for the Devils to play him.

Patience here may yet be rewarded. Hameenaho saw growth in each of his Liiga seasons, and now he can toughen his game up in Utica in preparation for a long, productive career with the Devils. Picked at the end of the second round in 2023, he is a man of professional hockey already, too good for younger competition. If the New Jersey Devils end up needing a middle six forward due to an injury or trade this season, Hameenaho may very well be the best option to call up from Utica, assuming that is where he starts his season.

Perhaps a bit superficially, he reminds me of Tyler Toffoli. He does not seem to be the fastest guy on the ice, but he has a knack for where he needs to be. And when he is carrying the puck, he protects it well and tries to be very solid against physicality. He will throw reverse hits, he will sneak the puck around checkers when they come to hit him, and he will find the soft spots of the ice. With a right-handed shot, too, Hameenaho possesses many of the skills that are needed to round out the rather left-hand and speed-dominant styles of the Devils offense.

8. Anton Silayev (LHD) — Last Rank: 7 — Age: 19 — 2024-25 Team: Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL — 63 games)

The big man, Anton Silayev, has not been off to a good start to this season, offensively. James noted in his prospect post on Tuesday that he was seeing his ice time drop for the Torpedo, going from an average of 17:25 per game last season to 16:48 in the first 9 games of this season (now down to 16:28 through 12 games). With a new coach in Nizhny Novgorod, I would hope that the Devils are monitoring their situation closely. Silayev is only under contract through the current season. If this type of treatment for the young defenseman continues, losing ice time despite his team doing well with him on the ice, I would hope that the Devils end up on the phone with Torpedo by later in the season to discuss an early termination. The only problem? Torpedo is currently fourth in the KHL with a 8-3-1 record. Unless Silayev really falls down the depth chart, he’s just going to continue getting middling minutes on a successful team.

Silayev has occasionally shown solid puck skills, but he is still limited as one of the largest professional defensemen in the world. At 6’7” and 207 pounds, the Devils are hoping for the kind of offensive growth in his 20s that Zdeno Chara had with the Ottawa Senators, but I have not always been convinced by that comparison. Silayev seems to use an extra long stick, which might be good for his defense, but may make it challenging for him to generate a ton of power on his slap shots. Chara, a bit taller and quite a bit wider, may not be the best model for a defenseman like Silayev, whose primary gift is that of his size and speed combination.

Regardless of how many points he puts up in the KHL or how much ice time he gets right now, Silayev should be the shutdown centerpiece of the Devils defense for years to come after he arrives in North America. Without even needing to project as a top pairing defenseman because of the presences of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, he will be afforded years to grow at his own pace. For a defenseman of his stature, that is very advantageous to the Devils.

7. Mikhail Yegorov (G) — Last Rank: 22 — Age: 19 — 2024-25 Teams: Omaha Lancers (USHL — 19 games), Boston University Terriers (NCAA — 18 games)

As the top-ranked goaltender of the Top 25, Mikhail Yegorov quickly earned the love of Devils fans for his spectacular play for the Boston University Terriers after departing the Omaha Lancers during the 2024-25 season. In Omaha, defense was optional, with Yegorov sporting a shocking 3.86 goals against average and .892 save percentage in 2023-24 — meaning he was facing nearly 40 shots per game in his draft year. After working up to a .912 save percentage and 3.12 goals against average in the first half of 2024-25, earning three hard wins out of 18 starts, Yegorov saw it fit to leave the USHL for college.

Former Devil Jay Pandolfo and his Terriers have put Yegorov in a much more favorable position now. Now in 19 games played after his first win of the season the other night, Yegorov has a .929 save percentage and a 2.14 goals against average in 19 total games with Boston University for a 12-6-1 record. At 6’5”, Yegorov is both a positionally-gifted and athletic goaltender, looking rather confident for a guy who only turned 19 years old in March. He was still 18 when he had his Beanpot performance shown below.

As he gets older, Yegorov will likely work with goaltending coaches to work on cutting down even more angle with his frame. He seems to track the puck very well already, and getting just an extra few inches or so away from the goal line on some shots will make him even tougher to deal with as he approaches the NHL. At just 19 years old, Yegorov can spend another couple years at Boston University before making the jump to Utica, especially with the Devils currently having Markstrom, Allen, Daws, and Malek in the organization. I think Yegorov could be ready for the NHL as soon as next season, but there is no reason to rush his development with the amount of goaltending depth the Devils currently have.

6. Seamus Casey (RHD) — Last Rank: 6 — Age: 21 — 2024-25 Teams: Utica Comets (AHL — 30 games), New Jersey Devils (14 games)

In just three years since being drafted in the second round, Seamus Casey has gone from being someone Devils fans saw as a possibly superfluous member of the most organizationally-stacked position and likely trade bait to being a key hinge of the team’s future offensive hopes. Drafted the same year as Simon Nemec, Casey has to contend with Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Nemec, and the injured Johnny Kovacevic for the right to get NHL ice time as a right-handed defenseman. So why is his skill so tantalizing that the team has not traded him to a position of greater need, such as center?

In 14 NHL games, Seamus Casey has four goals. And they have all been great shots. He has a knack for finding the top corner, even through bodies in front of the net.

Seamus will not have much time to shoot the more he shows this ability in the NHL. But that itself opens up opportunities. When players give him respect at the point, he is capable of moving the puck to create goals for his teammates. And even if he doesn’t score on his shots, they are dangerous for the goalies to deal with. On top of his skills, he has been teammates with both Ethan Edwards and Luke Hughes at Michigan, though he did not get to play with Luke very much (the Devils outscored opponents 2-0 in 14:58 of Hughes-Casey time at 5v5) last year as a Devil.

The more Casey bulks up, and the healthier he stays, the more threatening he will be to opponents. His teammates loved him from the moment he stepped on NHL ice, and it’s for good reason: it is rare to find players with the skill to create offense as a defenseman. And doing it before even playing in the AHL showed it would be a mistake to trade Casey. Does he need to work on his defensive game? Sure. But he played most of his 14 games with the Devils at age 20, and most 5’10” 20-year old defensemen drafted in the second round would fare a lot worse than he did in a short stint on their off-hand to begin their NHL career. Even if he is just working to master AHL play this season, a good year there will bode well for Seamus Casey’s NHL contributions for years to come.

The Rankings​

Please see the rankings from today’s listing below.

With the pure tie at nine and ten, I deferred to James and the community votes again for putting Lenni Hameenaho over Nico Daws. As was expected, the votes in general were starting to come closer and closer to the real results. I had all five players placed in this section of the Top 25, as did the community, with the community coming closer to the actual final rankings. James, Jared, and Matt each just missed out on one. Even the averages of this vote all placed the guys in pretty much the right spots. In last week’s vote, which was 15-11, two players had an average vote above 15 (Bordeleau and Edwards). This week, everyone had a pure average in the top 10, which I thought was pretty cool.

Well, now we can all safely guess who the top five are…look for that article in the coming days, alongside Parts 5 and 6 of the Season Preview.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of these five? Who will have the most NHL impact this season? Who will have the best career? Will any win a Stanley Cup with the Devils? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/n...r-25-the-initial-half-of-the-top-10-from-10-6

 

[New Jersey Devils]

What Did We Learn About The Lineup During The Preseason?

The New Jersey Devils wrapped up their preseason schedule on Saturday, falling in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a mostly AHL lineup, as the big guns stayed back in Newark to get some rest before the regular season begins. I think I speak for the vast majority of Devils fans when I say I’m glad the exhibition schedule is concluded and the regular season is mere days away.

But while most of us find the preseason to be interminable, there’s no denying that a lessons can be learned and information can be gleaned from the runup to opening day. The Devils had a lot of questions surrounding their roster and lineup entering training camp and preseason game action, and after a full slate of practices and exhibition contests, we have gotten a lot more clarity on what this team will look like once the games start mattering.

Let’s dive into what we learned this preseason:

Dadonov Gets The First Shot With Hughes And Bratt​

Ondrej Palat was mostly the third wheel with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt last season. His performance with the two offensive dynamos made it clear: He simply could not continue in that role in 2025-26.

So the hunt for a suitable winger for that line began in the offseason. The Devils imported Arseny Gritsyuk from Russia, signed Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov in free agency, and surely considered players like Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier, even if only briefly. And after a long training camp and preseason slate, we have our answer: It will be Dadonov getting the first opportunity with the Hughes line.

The Russian winger provides smarts, offensive skill, and surprising speed for a 36-year old. He scored 20 goals and 40 points a season ago with the Dallas Stars, showing he’s still got plenty of juice left as he enters the twilight of his career. The hope is that Dadonov’s speed allows him to keep pace with Hughes and Bratt, his playmaking ability creates chances for them, and his finishing touch can compliment Hughes’ and Bratt’s own playmaking ability well.

It’s a tiny sample size during preseason action, so take this with the biggest grain of salt in the world, but according to Natural Stat Trick, this trio didn’t exactly light the world on fire during the exhibition slate. In two games and 22:12 of 5-on-5 play together, they posted an Expected Goals For% of 43.31%. They did out-attempt their opponents 19-14 and win the Scoring Chances battle 9-8, though, so it wasn’t all bad.

In any case, Dadonov gets the call first. I expect head coach Sheldon Keefe to give this line a lot of runway to see if they mesh, and hopefully they do sooner rather than later.

Meier-Hischier-Mercer, Once Again​

Nico Hischier spent a lot of time centering Meier and Mercer last season, and it appears as though that line will remain intact for 2025-26 as well. They’ve lined up together all preseason, and the early returns have been promising. Again, it’s a microscopic sample during exhibition games so all the caveats still apply, but per NST, this line looked great together in the preseason. In two games and 25:19 of 5-on-5 ice time, the Hischier trio posted a ludicrous 80.32% xGF%. They out-attempted, outshot, and outscored their opposition. They were truly dominant together.

The big difference with this line when compared to the new-look Hughes line, however, is that we do have a healthy sample size of regular season games to draw from. In 2024-25, at 5-on-5 these three played 264:01 together. In that time, they won the puck possession battle, though not to the extent you might want to see. Their xGF%, CF%, and SCF% all came in right around 51%, while their High Danger Corsi For% was a little better at 53%. Those are decent but not spectacular numbers. They did outscore their opponents 9-4 though, which is dominant.

But while these numbers are not spectacular, at least we do have some proof of concept that this line can work well together, especially considering the brutal competition they faced a season ago. If this line can win their matchups against the opposition’s best every night, the rest of the lineup theoretically can feast on depth players. Let’s hope the preseason is a sign of things to come.

Glass Is The Third Line Center​

One of the biggest questions facing New Jersey entering the offseason was how they were going to overhaul the bottom half of their forward group. The complete lack of offense they got from that part of the roster was untenable, it was arguably the single biggest reason why their season derailed in the second half and into the playoffs. And more specifically than finding an answer to the bottom six in general, general manager Tom Fitzgerald needed to find an answer to the question of who was going to be the team’s third line center.

The answer, it appears, is Cody Glass.

Once the free agency frenzy ended, it looked like a two-man race between him and Mercer for the 3C job. In the preseason, Mercer was reunited with Hischier and Meier, while Glass has been centering Palat and Brown, so I think it’s safe to say Keefe wants Glass to start out anchoring the third line.

On paper, the trio of Palat-Glass-Brown is intriguing to me. Those three offer a lot of defensive ability, Glass and Brown especially. Brown provides a ton of speed and forechecking capability too, which is another wrinkle this line can throw at opponents. I’m worried about how much offense this unit can provide though, there’s not a whole lot of offensive upside here at all.

But if this can be a legit shutdown line that can take pressure off of Hischier, then they will be valuable even if they don’t chip in a ton of points. Glass has that potential, it’s something I wrote about over the summer. If he can make good on that promise, this could be a terrific third line.

Gritsyuk And Cotter: Secret Weapons?​

Down on the fourth line, it appears Keefe will go into the season with Paul Cotter and Gritsyuk on the wings. Who centers that line remains to be seen, though it does look like Luke Glendening has taken advantage of his PTO enough to make the team and secure the 4C job. Whoever is down the middle though, they will have a very skilled pair of wingers to work with.

I don’t think a lot of us wanted to see Gritsyuk on the fourth line to open the season. A lot of us had visions of him holding it down on the third line, or perhaps even riding shotgun next to Hughes or Hischier in the top six. But I have to admit, having him and Cotter down on the fourth line could pay huge dividends.

Gritsyuk has played a ton this preseason, and according to Natural Stat Trick, he’s won the puck possession battle handily. His 5-on-5 xGF% was just north of 55%, and he out-attempted and outscored his opposition as well. By the eye test, he showed off that terrific shot we’ve heard so much about, and he’s more than kept up with the pace of NHL play. He looks ready for the North American game. Meanwhile, Paul Cotter provides a ton of speed, skill, and toughness, even if his hockey IQ limits his ultimate upside.

New Jersey was starved for depth scoring in 2024-25, but if Gritsyuk and Cotter show as much chemistry in the regular season that they did in the preseason, then they could be the team’s secret weapon on the fourth line.

Siegenthaler-Hamilton Is Back​

Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton have spent a lot of time together during their shared time in New Jersey. Over the past three seasons, they’ve played a whopping 1345:54 at 5-on-5 as a pairing. In that time, they’ve posted an xGF% of 54.75%. Their CF% is right around 55%, and they’ve outscored their opponents 73-53. Each of them has struggled through their fair share of injuries and dips in performance, but the larger body of work is clear: Siegenthaler-Hamilton is a defense pairing that works.

Which is why I was encouraged to see Keefe put these two back together this preseason. Siegenthaler paired with Johnny Kovacevic to make a truly formidable shutdown pairing in 2024-25, but with Kovacevic on the shelf for at least a couple months, Keefe had to pivot. He pivoted back to the Ol’ Reliable of the Devils blueline, and if past performance is any indication, this pairing should provide a ton of value to the Devils for as long as they are paired together.

Hughes-Pesce Is In Limbo For Now​

At the time of this writing, Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, New Jersey’s most used defense pairing at 5-on-5 last season, had yet to combine for one practice rep or preseason game. This was mostly because of Hughes’ contract holdout (which came to a merciful end on October 1st), but even with Hughes now signed, we still haven’t seen them together yet thanks to Pesce’s injury he suffered in the Devils’ preseason game on Thursday. According to Ryan Novozinsky at NJ.com, Keefe was uncertain if Pesce would be ready for the season opener, but Pesce’s own dad seemed to confirm on Twitter that his son is fine. So I suppose that’s mostly good news, but it’s still a situation that bears monitoring.

Between Hughes’ holdout and Pesce’s injury, I wouldn’t be surprised if this duo needed a few games to get back up to speed together. But given how the other pairs have shaken out in the preseason, Hughes-Pesce will in fact be reunited to begin this season. Let’s hope they pick up right where they left off.

Nemec’s Next Big Chance​

Kovacevic’s injury opened the door for Simon Nemec, who looks to be starting the season on the third pair with Brenden Dillon. We all know the struggles Nemec went through in 2024-25, so I won’t go over it again here. But other than pulling a Severson in the preseason game on Thursday, Nemec has looked excellent during the exhibition slate. In four preseason games and 78 minutes of 5-on-5 play, Nemec’s big underlying numbers (xGF%, CF%, SCF%, HDCF%) clocked in around 60% across the board. Meanwhile he outscored his competition 4-2. All the usual preseason caveats apply, but those are terrific numbers. And anecdotally, based on my own personal eye test, Nemec looks faster, more confident, and smarter and more decisive in his decision-making. His game is all about subtle little manipulations, whether that be with his eyes, hands, or skates. He showed off that subtly-effective game in the preseason, and as long as Kovacevic is hurt, Nemec appears to be the sixth man on the blueline.

I mentioned Damon Severson in a negative connotation in the last paragraph, but I would be remiss if I did not mention how big a role Severson played in the franchise-record setting 2022-23 campaign. Pushed down to the third pair, Severson absolutely obliterated softer competition, posting a 5-on-5 xGF% of 60.23% while outscoring his opponents 60-50. It can’t be overstated how important it is to be able to roll three strong defense pairings. If Nemec can play the role of Severson this season, being deployed in sheltered minutes and thoroughly dominating that assignment, that will go a long way toward returning New Jersey to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Extras And Injuries​

We still have yet to get full clarity (lineups don’t have to be finalized until 5pm today, after all), but all indications are that Luke Glendening won the 4C competition in camp. I expect New Jersey to sign him to a one-year deal at or close to league minimum.

Elsewhere, Arthur Staple has reported that Shane Lachance has made the team. Coming off a good run at Boston University, Lachance is a big body who will presumably be the first man in if there are injuries.

Speaking of injuries, Stefan Noesen aggravated a groin injury during the offseason, and it looks like he won’t begin the year in the lineup as he recovers. He was on the ice this weekend though, so his return appears to be on the horizon.

Juho Lammikko has been dealing with his own injury, but he could still make the team and serve as the 13th or 14th forward next to Lachance.

On defense, the battle for the seventh defenseman spot appears to be down to Seamus Casey and Dennis Cholowski. I think I would prefer Cholowski gets the nod, primarily so Casey can get big minutes in Utica instead of rot in the press box.

The last move of note here is that Nico Daws was waived with the intention of getting him through to Utica over the weekend. We will find out today if he cleared or if another team claimed him. I will be sad to see Daws go if another team claimed him, I hope he remains in the organization.

Final Thoughts And Your Take​

And there you have it, this is what appears to be the Devils’ opening night lineup. After all the offseason think pieces, all the internet speculation, all the armchair GMing, this is what Fitzgerald and the Devils braintrust has decided to put together to enter the 2025-26 season. Is this a team that is capable of making the playoffs? Certainly. Is this a team capable of winning the division? Outside shot, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Is this a team capable of hoisting the Stanley Cup in June? That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?

In any case, I am excited for another season of New Jersey Devils hockey. All the good and the bad, the exciting and the infuriating, I am ready for it all. I can’t wait to share another campaign with you all.

What do you make of this lineup as we enter opening week? Is there anything you’d change about these configurations? What part of the lineup concerns you the most? What part of the lineup excites you? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...e-learn-about-the-lineup-during-the-preseason

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 10/6/25: The Roster Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Kevin Rooney, Lenni Hameenaho and Paul Cotter scored for the Devils as the Flyers took a 4-3 win via the shootout on Saturday. [Devils NHL]

“With the preseason about to conclude, we have a pretty good idea of what New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe is thinking for line combos and defense pairs to begin the regular season. Similar to last preseason, Keefe has been relatively consistent with the line combos and pairs he’s used. Let’s analyze each unit as we get ready to begin the 2025-26 campaign.” [Devils on the Rush]

Farewell to Kurtis MacDermid:

#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

More cuts as we close in on a finalized roster:

We have made the following roster moves https://t.co/ExAC3dTPLI

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 5, 2025

“The preseason is concluded, and the regular season is around the corner. Let’s predict the Devils’ opening night roster & lineup.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]

“What, exactly, does Luke Hughes’ long-term extension mean for the immediate and long-term future of the New Jersey Devils?” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links​

A trade:

TRADE

The #SJSharks acquire defenseman Ryan Ellis and a 2026 conditional 6th round pick from the Flyers for Carl Grundstrom and Artem Guryev.

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 5, 2025

Filip Gustavsson gets a five-year deal:

The Wild have signed Filip Gustavsson to a five-year, $34M contract extension, per @FriedgeHNIC pic.twitter.com/UDr3cLU7xT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 4, 2025

“The race for the Stanley Cup is wide open, but the eventual champ will come out of the Western Conference, according to a panel of NHL.com writers and editors. A total of 15 staff members made their preseason predictions and five picked the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Cup, four picked the Dallas Stars and three picked the Colorado Avalanche. One staffer picked the Edmonton Oilers, while the only Eastern Conference teams to get a pick were the two-time defending Cup champion Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes.” [NHL.com]

“The NHL pre-season is just about wrapped up, and for the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, it ended on a violent note. Florida and Tampa Bay played each other three times in a row to end their respective pre-season campaigns. With each game, the contests became more violent, and the final contest ended with more than 300 penalty minutes.” [The Hockey News]

“If you haven’t kept up with the NHL in the past few months, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a chance to catch up on everything that has happened — the hirings, firings, signings, trades and significant rules changes thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement. It’s all in our guide to the 2025-26 season for lapsed fans.” [ESPN]

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ils-in-the-details-10-6-25-the-roster-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils 2025-26 Season Preview Part 4: Special Teams

Studs.

Howdy gang! We are so so close to another season of Devils hockey. I’m pumped, I do think we have a real squad here, and are due for some things to fall the right way. The air is getting crisp, all my other favorite teams stink, so please for the love of god be good, Devils. I know a lot of you are in the same fandom boat, so let Uncle Timmy welcome you to our All About The Jersey special teams preview, where we get to bask in some greatness.

Both the power play and penalty kill units have been major bright spots the past few seasons. 24-25 was no different as we were the best combined special teams in the league last season at over 110%, finishing 3rd on the PP at 28.2% (just .1% short of 2nd) and 2nd on the PK at 82.7% (.9% short of 1st). For context, the President’s Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets were second at 108% and The Islanders were last at 85% (LOL).

I don’t see any reason why a successful repeat won’t happen in 25-26, so let’s get into it.

2024-25 Special Teams Overall Performance​

As mentioned above, both sides of special teams were flat out elite. Aside from a bit of swoon pre-4 Nations on the PP, both special teams units were a warm blanky, particularly when the 5 on 5 play was iffy all season and collapsed after Christmas.

Not once did our boys drop below 100% combined all season, and when the PP dipped in December and March, our PK picked up the slack.

I mentioned this in my Power Play blog a few weeks ago, but the Devils were one of the most dangerous units in recent history, one of only three teams to generate double digit xG/60 in the past two decades (or as far back as moneypuck data goes). What’s even crazier is we actually shot UNDER expected for the year by about 4 goals, so there was room for improvement over the 28% finish. For comparison, the two teams ahead of us, Winnipeg and Vegas, were 10 goals above expected and 3 goals above expected, respectively.

The PK was middle of the pack in terms of chance generation against, ranking 20th in xGA/60, and I think you can safely call the previous PK philosophy as “bend but don’t break.” They tended to stay in a tight box/diamond and collapse low, minimizing bumper and cross slot/royal road chances against, while allowing perimeter passing and shots. Going the other way, they were 2nd in generating 1.13 xG/60 offensively, and I think we should count on some good counter attacking with the addition of Brown and another year of Nico, Jack, and Bratt on the kill.

Now, I wouldn’t be a fair and balanced, handsome and tenacious “journalist” if I didn’t bring up the absolute tire fire that the PP was in the playoffs against the Canes. The combination of personnel dropping like flies and facing the #1 PK tanked any chance we had, posting a Blutarsky-esque 0.0% – the only team in the playoffs to not score a PP goal. I did notice some structural changes that probably didn’t help, with Timo on the left flank and Bratt on the right flank, but it didn’t matter since we could not generate even a modicum of pressure. If you factor in short-handed goals against, the PP was a net negative, -6.7%. It was bad is what I’m trying to say, if you didn’t pick up on that.

Similarly, the PK was godawful in the playoffs, finishing at 68.4%. One of the only significant advantages we had going in to the series (our elite PK vs. their middling PP) , turned out to be our Achilles heel and fittingly, the series ended with a Devil in the box. Losing our #1 and #2 minute munchers here in Dillon and Kovacevic, and Siegenthaler returning from injury and getting thrown immediately into the fire didn’t help.

You cannot convince me otherwise that if they buried a couple of opportunistic goals on the PP, and maintained an 80ish% PK we could’ve eked that series out in 7. Argue with a wall.

24-25 PP Leaders and Projected Units​

Ok, so I got my doomer rant out of the way, back to more fun stuff. I wrote a lot about systems/structure, and a bit about the slingshot zone entries here, and since you all read that and took notes I won’t bore you with being repetitive since I’ve now linked the blog twice.

Below is a everyone who got PP time that is on the 25-26 roster, sorted by TOI (mostly). Gritsyuk had 3 PP goals according to the KHL site. All numbers from Natural Stat Trick:

This is what the number 1 unit looked like for most of past season:

The news about Stefan Noesen’s groin injury has opened the door to interesting options, but it would be surprising to see any new guys supplant returning players on the first unit. My guess is Mercer takes that Noesen netfront/bumper spot to keep the handedness consistent and we will see what happens when Noesen returns. I do not think Timo will move up to PP1 as so many have wishcasted – in my opinion it is too lefty heavy and eliminates a lot of the optionality that makes it so dangerous (did you read the other blog yet?). I can also see the newly very rich Luke Hughes taking the D spot at any point this season, but still feel like this is Dougie’s role to lose. I do want to note that in last night’s pre-season game with the Rangers they ran out a 5 forward PP1 unit and Dougie was on PP2 so this may in fact happen.

Where we will likely see some upgrades are on the second unit as we say goodbye to Erik Haula, Tomas Tatar, and Ondrej Palat. (Sorry, one second, my producer just handed me a note – Palat is still here I am being told). In Tatar and Haula’s stead, we will likely see Evgeni Dadonov and Arseni Gritsyuk adding some much needed skill and scoring pop to PP2.

Admittedly, I tried to whip up a fun little graphic for the second unit where I expect some combination of Luke/Dougie, Timo, Dadonov, Gritsyuk, Glass/Palat. They might even sneak in a 2nd D in there between Nemec and/or Casey. I had a hard time sorting who goes where, and we haven’t heard much about the look from practice reports nor have we seen any extended time in a game together in pre-season. So, no graphic for you. Both Gritsyuk and Timo love to shoot from the right flank so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Dadonov seems like a Jack proxy on the left flank but is such a smart player he can go anywhere. Glass/Palat will probably be the netfront/bumper with whomever is not the right flank guy between Timo and Gritsyuk. See what I mean – why I didn’t make a graphic, it would’ve looked like a Jackson Pollock. What I would like to see is this unit get some more time, as the second unit got about 20% of the time in 24-25 (25-30 seconds), compared to 25-30+% across the league.

24-25 PK Leaders and Projected Units​

As for the PK, it was largely anchored by Dillon, Kovacevic, Pesce and Siegs (and Dumoulin, enjoy LA buddy). Up front Mercer and Nico were unit 1, with a mix of guys no longer here taking up the second unit time. Jack and Bratt saw increased usage as the season went on, and Glass got some solid minutes after he was acquired. Below is a basic and fancy number rundown for our current roster, care of Natural Stat Trick:

We will see some of new additions rotate up front as Connor Brown is an absolute stud and either Lammikko or Glendening (or Rooney) should replace Haula’s minutes. They will work in rotation with the aforementioned mainstays Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and the dynamic pairing of Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes. Defensively, we are without mainstay Johnny Kovacevic until the new year at least, so expect to see those minutes spread between Simon Nemec and Dougie Hamilton until one gains the trust of the staff.

That last part is a concern of mine going into the season. In his limited minutes Dougie was surprisingly effective having the lowest xGA/60 on the team, while Nemec was right in between Kovacevic and Pesce. I think it’s important to heavily emphasize their limited time as the longer you kill penalties the likelier something bad will happen, and neither Nemec or Dougie are known for their defensive acumen. A lesser concern is burnout for Nico – as Keefe has repeatedly mentioned there are no easy minutes for Nico, and hopefully Lammikko/Glendending can earn enough trust to defray some of his time as we get deeper into the season.

We should see a more aggressive PK unit from Brad Shaw as his philosophy is predicated on hunting pucks and turning them into opportunities, not just sitting back and allowing the play to come to us. If I was a gambling man (oh wait, I am!) I may look at some shorthanded goal props for Jack, Bratt, and Brown.

Final Thoughts​

We should expect nothing short of more excellent special teams play. Frankly, we need it. I want to be greedy and see both units finish 1st in the league with the power play flirting with 30% all year, and the kill close to 85%. This would go a long way in quelling my concerns about 5v5 scoring carrying over from last season.

As I mentioned before, I am a major enthusiast of sexy power play goals, so I will leave you with this filthy PP goal from last weekend that took all of 7 seconds:

View Link

Let me know what you think about the special teams, any concerns or things you want to see? Sound off below!

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...s-2025-26-season-preview-part-4-special-teams

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The 2025 All About the Jersey Top Five Under 25: The Top Five

Here it is: the end of this list means the start of a new regular season. Let us get to it.

5. Arseny Gritsyuk (W) — Last Rank: 5 — Age: 24 — 2024-25 Team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL — 49 games)

Since breaking out for Avangard Omsk in the 2021-22 season, Arseny Gritsyuk has captivated Devils fans as a potential boon to the team’s group of skilled forwards. Gritsyuk never took a step backwards in the KHL after that first big year, in which he had 16 goals and 28 points in 39 games. Since then, he had 15 goals and 40 points in 66 games, followed by 19 goals and 38 points in 50 games, and finishing with 17 goals and 44 points in 49 games in the 2024-25 season. Of course, Gritsyuk signed with SKA St. Petersburg after his contract with Omsk expired in 2023, so he even took a back-seat to big-name veterans on the roster over the last two seasons, especially as it came to power play usage.

He might have to play again on the second power play in New Jersey, but there should not be any worries about his ability to function in an NHL offense after skating with the team in the preseason. Gritsyuk played all six possible games, leading the team with five points (two goals and three primary assists). Beyond those five points, Gritsyuk had 14 individual scoring chances with 15 shots on goal, also throwing nine hits and drawing a penalty. While most people will not miss Gritsyuk’s skill, they might forget that he’s not an average rookie: he’s coming off of four seasons in the second-best professional league in the world, in which he was one of the best young players. With SKA last season, Gritsyuk was second to just Evgeni Kuznetsov in points per game, though Kuznetsov had nearly twice as much power play ice time per game. At even strength, Gritsyuk scored roughly 1.2 goals per 60 minutes, which would be a near-elite clip if it translated to the NHL.

Gritsyuk is starting this season on the fourth line, but that may shift around based on how he plays. I like that Gritsyuk seems to have good chemistry with Paul Cotter so far, but Gritsyuk could really elevate the scoring potential of a middle six line if he got an opportunity there. On the other hand, the fourth line may be the best place for Gritsyuk to get going on his off-wing, where he can fire one-timers off effectively. Once Stefan Noesen returns to the lineup, I think it might be hard to find Gritsyuk a line to play right wing on, though Gritsyuk’s tenacity, intelligence, and skill should allow him to have success anywhere in the lineup.

4. Simon Nemec (RD) — Last Rank: 4 — Age: 21 — 2024-25 Teams: Utica Comets (AHL — 24 games) New Jersey Devils (27 games)

Drafted out of Slovakian professional hockey, Simon Nemec was the beneficiary of European draftee rules that allowed him to immediately play in the AHL after being drafted by the Devils in 2022. After playing with Slovakian professionals from the age of 15, Nemec immediately became a solid AHL defenseman at 18 and earned a call-up in 2023 when Dougie Hamilton tore his pectoral muscle. With a promising rookie season that saw him score three goals and 19 points with some of the best defensive results on a rather poor Devils team, things were looking great for Nemec.

A shoulder injury in Olympic qualifiers last season really hurt Nemec’s ability to continue growing, and it hurt his image among fans and talking heads. Only playing 27 games with the Devils in the regular season last year thanks to the signing of Brett Pesce and the emergence of Johnny Kovacevic, Nemec had a paltry four points and some of the worst defensive results on a much better Devils team than the prior season. Nemec also played quite a bit in the AHL to regain his confidence, showing that he still did not have much to learn from playing in Utica — but he did regain his confidence over time. In the playoffs, the Devils had to turn to Nemec to try to salvage the first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. In Game 4, facing elimination, Nemec played one of the biggest games of his career next to Jonas Siegenthaler, keeping the Devils alive with a game-winning goal in overtime.

With Johnny Kovacevic out until after New Year’s, Nemec will have the opportunity to play regularly for at least half of the season. His goal for this season should be to pick up where he left off in the playoffs, showing he can produce offensively while being responsible in Sheldon Keefe’s defensive system. With a new assistant coach in Brad Shaw to help him, Nemec needs to play at a level even higher than he showed in his rookie season. If Nemec proves to be a quality third-pairing defenseman, that would be fine for this year. But if Nemec shows more, it can open up the door to more roster questions for the Devils. Nemec was drafted to be a franchise defenseman, and he can get back on the path with a good season.

3. Dawson Mercer (RW/C) — Last Rank: 3 — Age: 24 — 2024-25 Team: New Jersey Devils (82 games)

Ready for his fifth season in the National Hockey League after not missing a single game in each of his first four years, Dawson Mercer will look to return his productivity to 2022-23 levels. Since scoring 27 goals and 29 assists in that season, Mercer has 39 goals and 30 assists in 164 regular season games. The decline in goal scoring has not been terrible, finishing 2024-25 just one shy of a third straight 20-goal season. Mercer’s playmaking, however, has not been there.

While his playmaking has been disappointing over the last two seasons, Mercer is still one of the most accomplished and one of the most skilled players in this list, putting him in third place again in his final year on the list. Early lineup projections for the Devils this year place Mercer on Nico Hischier’s right, and this would be great for Mercer getting more scoring opportunities. Last season, when Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer skated together, the Devils outscored opponents 9-4. In all minutes where Meier played with Mercer, the Devils outscored opponents 24-9. With all of the rebounds that Meier creates with his high volume of shots on goal, Mercer is generally a good fit on the same line as one of the most effective netfront scorers on the Devils.

If Mercer stays in a top six wing role this year, there will be no excuses for a repeat of the last two years of offensive production. He does not have to carry his line, he just needs to be the offensive playmaker he showed he was capable of being as a rookie and a second-year player under Lindy Ruff. With his tenacity around the crease and propensity for deflections and batting pucks out of the air, as well, Mercer needs to get back to setting himself on a 30-goal path.

2. Luke Hughes (LD) — Last Rank: 2 — Age: 22 — 2024-25 Team: New Jersey Devils (71 games)

It took long enough, but Luke Hughes did sign with the New Jersey Devils last week. Set to be with the Devils until July 2032, Luke’s next step as a professional needs to be playing as a number one defenseman. I asked if he was capable of that back in July, but the true test will be the games in the coming weeks. For now, it seems that Hughes is slated to start on the first pairing with Brett Pesce. One reason to have hope there: Hughes did a very good job of creating offense when playing with top six teammates last season. By playing on the top pairing, he should play most of his minutes with his brother Jack and Nico Hischier.

I would lean towards saying that Luke was unlucky last season. When Luke was playing with Hischier, the Devils were outscored 15-14 despite outshooting opponents 193-148. When the brothers played together, the Devils fared better, outscoring opponents 17-12 with good underlying metrics to back it up. It was when Luke played with bottom six centers that things went wrong. In those minutes, the Devils were outscored 21-13 while being outshot, carrying a rather poor 5.22 team shooting percentage. I would hope that those numbers improve with the Devils’ well-tweaked bottom six, but it remains clear that the Devils will be most productive by having the Hughes brothers on the ice together.

Of course, as a defenseman, Luke Hughes has some things in his own end that he needs to work on. By being more effective around the net, the Devils can spend less time playing defense and more time rushing up the ice — which is the thing Luke is best at. Still, his tools as a defenseman stand out around the league. In NHL EDGE’s tracking data, Luke was in the 97th percentile or better in:

• Top Speed (23.58 MPH — 97th)
• 22 MPH bursts (16 — 99th)
• 20-22 MPH bursts (109 — 97th)
• 18-20 MPH bursts (496 — 98th)

Had Luke reached the 24.19 MPH mark he set in 2023-24, he would have been tied for second with Jaccob Slavin among defensemen last year, just behind Quinn Hughes’s 24.56 MPH record. In addition to his skating ability, though, I am looking forward to seeing what his shot looks like after undergoing shoulder surgery following his Game 1 injury against the Hurricanes. NHL EDGE’s shot tracking data noted a dip in average and top shot speed for Hughes last year, and getting a few ticks back on his shots would help him be the goal-scoring defenseman he came into the league to be. I don’t think we have to be worried, though. He’s been working hard:

My body feels great, and my shoulders are strong. I’ve been skating five days a week, bag skating, and I just got to acclimate myself to the team and to playing real hockey. I don’t think it should be long. It’s just good to be back to work.

And back to work he’ll go.

1. Jack Hughes (C) — Last Rank: 1 — Age: 24 — 2024-25 Team: New Jersey Devils (62 games)

Jack Hughes has been fixed upon the top spot of the All About the Jersey Top 25 Under 25 since the 2021 list. But today will be the last time he is posted on these lists. So where has he gotten since starting in the second spot in 2019? He has 141 goals and 351 points in 368 regular season games along with six goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games. Since the 2022-23 season, Jack has averaged 40 goals and 58 assists per 82 games played, doing this while largely delaying treatment for some nagging shoulder issues that came to a head when he was sent flying into the end boards by Jack Eichel last year.

Some will ask, “can he stay healthy?” I am not as concerned. All things considered, Hughes only missed 40 games over the last two regular seasons and needed some bad luck to make him miss the 20 games he missed at the end of last season. I think the question should be: will he be even better after getting shoulder surgery? Jack Hughes turned 24 less than two weeks after getting surgery: he isn’t a 38 year old dealing with repetitive, nagging injuries. The numbers themselves show that he recovers well even when he doesn’t go as far with treatment as he could. But with a surgically-repaired shoulder, there shouldn’t be any limits for him this season.

Hockey players are generally “in their prime” between the ages of 24 and 27. Elite players like Jack tend to enter their “prime” early and often leave it later than most. This is just the beginning for Jack. What is the ceiling for a guy who had 99 points at 21 years old? If Jack plays this whole season, you could see him blow past that mark. And as he departs this list and goes firmly into the realm of “veteran” hockey players, there wouldn’t be anything better for him or Devils fans than a 110 or 120-point season.

The Rankings​

As expected, the rankings look quite a bit more uniform this time around. James, the community, and I all matched the ultimate top five.

Of course, we had one final tie between Mercer and Nemec. With James and the community voting Mercer third, he got the advantage to take that spot. And a fun fact? This was the exact same top five as last year. It was close: just over half a point of average vote separated Gritsyuk from Seamus Casey, but Gritsyuk (I’d say rightfully) retained his spot in the top five.

Well, that concludes this year’s Top 25 Under 25. I hope you all enjoyed it, and feel free to share your ballots and your thoughts in the comments.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/n...out-the-jersey-top-five-under-25-the-top-five

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils 2025-26 Season Preview Part 5: The Coaching and Management

Ownership and Management​

Owners: Josh Harris and David Blitzer (Harris-Blitzer Sports & Entertainment)​

Since taking ownership in 2013, HBSE took ownership of a New Jersey Devils team that was falling off a cliff from their dominant playoff seasons. They oversaw the rebuild with the hirings of Ray Shero and Tom Fitzgerald, who worked to overhaul the team’s prospect pool after years of win-now mentality under Lou Lamoriello. Still, HBSE has rarely gotten involved in hockey operations, only visibly stepping in after the collapse of the Taylor Hall-led Devils to make the decision to part ways with Shero and elevate Fitzgerald to the general manager position. It at least indicated that, after a few years of rebuilding and then a playoff appearance, the ownership group was trying to bring the team back to its winning ways.

A couple years ago, John wrote at length about the then 10 years of HBSE ownership. In said article, John mentions the many sports ownership ventures Harris and Blitzer have gotten into. In addition to the 76ers and Devils, Harris now owns the Washington Commanders, while Blitzer has a chunk of the Cleveland Guardians. Both have invested in soccer, as well, while they have even gotten into niche sports of late such as SlamBall. And in the future, they will be owners of the Philadelphia WNBA team.

This may lead fans to wonder how much they really get involved with the Devils, but there are pros and cons to a hands-off approach, and even to being a part of a large group of sports team holdings. First, the Devils do not have to worry about being huge profit-turners, though having the Hughes brothers and a playoff hockey team puts them in a good position in that regard. The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia 76ers are lucrative franchises in their own right, and the Cleveland Guardians’ low-expense approach to AL Central baseball makes them generally turn profits year over year (I would expect them to spend more money if Blitzer takes majority control in 2028, though). The point is: HBSE can focus on team success more than they have to focus on pure revenue and profits, at least in theory.

There is another component there that may make fans sore, though. The Prudential Center, owned by HBSE since their acquisition of the team, has seen some rough years of late. Once among the top NHL arenas, age and overuse has led to the Prudential Center usually being ranked in the middle of the pack among NHL arenas. The food has gotten worse, the overuse (as one of the busiest, if not the most, in the world) has led to worsened ice quality at times, and fans have become bitter about it. The Prudential Center has attempted to shift gears in their concessions contracts over the last couple years, but there is still a long way to go before they return to the level of quality the arena had until about the Covid pandemic.

The Front Office​

Tom Fitzgerald, General Management and President of Hockey Operations​

Even more important than the in-arena fan experience, though, is the work of the general manager. Tom Fitzgerald has been at the helm of the team since Ray Shero and the Devils parted ways in 2020, and he has been with the organization since 2015. Since taking control of the front office in 2020, though, Fitzgerald has overseen:

• The extensions of Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt
• The signings of Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brenden Dillon
• The signing of Ondrej Palat
• The trades for Jonas Siegenthaler, Timo Meier, Jacob Markstrom, Jake Allen, Johnny Kovacevic, and Cody Glass
• The trade for John Marino and his eventual trade to Utah
• The trade for Ryan Graves and the decisions to let Damon Severson and Graves walk in free agency
• The trade of Yegor Sharangovich for Tyler Toffoli
• The signings of Stefan Noesen, Connor Brown, and Evgenii Dadonov
• The hiring and firing of Lindy Ruff
• The hiring of Sheldon Keefe

In the draft, Fitzgerald has had some hits and picks that are trending to be hits:

• Dawson Mercer (2020 18th overall)
• Nico Daws (2020 84th overall)
• Ethan Edwards (2020 120th overall)
• Luke Hughes (2021 4th overall)
• Jakub Malek (2021 100th overall)
• Simon Nemec (2022 2nd overall)
• Seamus Casey (2022 46th overall)
• Daniil Orlov (2022 110th overall)
• Lenni Hameenaho (2023 58th overall)
• Cam Squires (2023 122nd overall)
• Anton Silayev (2024 10th overall)
• Mikhail Yegorov (2024 49th overall)

And some misses:

• Alex Holtz (2020 7th overall)
• Chase Stillman (2021 29th overall)
• (Most of his 2020 draftees after the 4th round)
• (Most other draftees in other years still too fresh to call misses)

Fitzgerald has traded some of his draft picks during previous seasons, as well. He traded 2020 first rounder (20th overall) Shakir Mukhamadullin to San Jose in the Timo Meier deal. He sent 2021 seventh rounder (203rd overall) Zakhar Bardakov to Colorado in the Kurtis MacDermid deal (a throw-in that has proven to be an unwise move). He included Chase Stillman in the Cody Glass trade. He traded 2024 third rounder (91st overall) Herman Traff to Anaheim in the Brian Dumoulin deal last season.

In all, as Tom Fitzgerald approaches the end of his fifth calendar year with the New Jersey Devils, the team has taken more steps forward than steps backwards. Still, Fitzgerald has not been without his frustrating moments. His delayed approach to addressing the goaltending situations in 2022 and 2024 led to a lot of fan discontent, and it can sometimes seem like his patience can wade into the realm of slight negligence. But with two playoff appearances in three seasons following a rebuild, the Devils appear to be on the right track.

Dave MacKinnon and Kate Madigan, Assistant General Managers​

I would not be the first to say that the New Jersey Devils might have a few too many people in their front office (which is far more extensive than even detailed here). But in Dave MacKinnon and Kate Madigan, the Devils have rewarded two hires with internal promotions, putting them in a great spot as professionals. Ray Shero hired Dave MacKinnon in 2016 as the Director of Player Personnel, elevating him to the Assistant General Manager position in 2019-20. After Tom Fitzgerald became General Manager in 2020, MacKinnon also became the General Manager of the Utica Comets in 2021, and he has been interviewed for GM positions around the NHL over the last few summers.

Kate Madigan has an even more impressive journey within the organization. Hired by Shero as an analyst in 2017, Madigan was promoted to being Director of Professional Scouting in 2019 and then to being Director of Hockey Operations in 2020. In 2022, Fitzgerald elevated her to the Assistant General Manager position. As an Assistant General Manager, Madigan has sway in roster construction and amateur scouting, and she has been visibly dedicated to the team over the years.

Martin Brodeur, Executive VP of Hockey Operations​

Aside from his contributions to the “Jersey Jersey” alternate, Martin Brodeur has had a largely under-the-radar tenure as a New Jersey Devils executive. After retiring from the St. Louis Blues organization, he gained experience as an Assistant General Manager before returning to the Devils on the business side of the front office in 2018. However, this did not last forever, as he was named an Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations in 2019, fully returning to hockey operations in 2021. Brodeur has set himself up as a future general manager, having experience on both sides of the front office duties. But for now, it seems Brodeur is happy with managing the goaltending from top-to-bottom in the organization.

Andy Greene and Chuck Fletcher, Advisors to Hockey Operations​

Chuck Fletcher, the Senior Advisor to General Manager Tom Fitzgerald, has been with the Devils before. Prior to being hired as General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018, he was an advisor to Ray Shero for what seemed like days. But after he was fired by the Flyers in 2023, Fitzgerald brought him back for another stint with the Devils organization. The move was not entirely well-received among fans, as Fletcher had a reputation of poor decision making with his previous franchises. Still, Fitzgerald has a long history with Fletcher, so he is a trusted and well-liked voice.

Andy Greene, on the other hand, has no suspicion directed towards him. The former Devils captain retired on a one-day contract with the team in 2022 before returning as an advisor prior to last season after occasionally taking part in Devils practices. Per the Devils’ announcement at the time, Greene now works with player personnel, scouting, and coaching, which is not very far off from what he was doing with the team between 2022 and 2024. He just has a title now, and no Devils fan would be unhappy to see him around.

The Coaching Staff​

Sheldon Keefe, Head Coach​

Sheldon Keefe had a promising first season with the New Jersey Devils last year after parting ways with the Toronto Maple Leafs. When he signed a contract to be the Devils’ head coach, it was lauded as a move to bring structure back to a Devils team that had gotten rather loose and run-and-gun-happy under former head coach Lindy Ruff. For Keefe, however, last year was a step back in the grand scheme of his career’s success. With the Toronto Maple Leafs, Keefe had never seen his team earn under 62% of possible standings points, and the Devils only earned 55.5% of possible points last season. This was disappointing for a team that had a rather hot start, going 24-11-3 through their first 38 games (which came out to 63.2% of possible standings points through that point).

There were some massive improvements under Keefe, though. The Devils again had a top-five defense, only allowing 220 goals against with the second-ranked penalty kill in the league at 82.67% efficiency. With the league’s 20th-ranked offense, though, Keefe has some work to do with their play in that end. When he was in Toronto, stars such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares had no issues producing, driving the Maple Leafs to consistently have one of the league’s best offenses, though Toronto had better depth during his tenure than the Devils did last season.

After an offseason that saw the additions of Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, and Arseny Gritsyuk to the NHL roster, Keefe will have a much better roster that should be able to break into the top-10 offenses once more. Keefe has also been able to continue adding to the coaching staff as the former staff under Ruff continues to trickle away. Last year, Keefe hired Jeremy Colliton to be an assistant coach and the director of the power play. This year, Keefe hired Brad Shaw to replace former defensive assistant Ryan McGill. With now both of his top assistants being his hires, Keefe should not have any issues fully implementing his systems.

Keefe is one of the most fiery coaches in the National Hockey League. A man of prodigiously intense reputation, Keefe was fined last season for his conduct towards Wes McCauley, with whom Keefe has a questionable past, after McCauley did not assign a penalty on the play that led to Jack Hughes’s season-ending injury. But Keefe has gotten into heated arguments with many other officials around the league, and he has been doing so since his time in Toronto. My take on that is that Keefe cares deeply about winning, and he is not afraid to let officials know when their decisions tip the scales.

Brad Shaw, Defensive Assistant Coach​

After the team parted ways with defensive assistant Ryan McGill, Sheldon Keefe set out to find a suitable replacement. Brad Shaw, a long-time assistant in the National Hockey League, fit that bill perfectly. As detailed when he was hired by the Devils, Shaw led the St. Louis Blues defense when they were one of the best in the league from 2011 to 2016 (after being hired in 2006) before transforming the Columbus Blue Jackets defense into a rather stingy one from 2016 to 2021. With the Philadelphia Flyers, Shaw worked with John Tortorella to give Philadelphia fans an over-achieving team in three seasons before Tortorella grew tired of their front office’s direction. Shaw had hoped to take the head coaching job from there, but Daniel Briere passed him over to hire Rick Tocchet.

With the Devils, Shaw will look to take the defense to the next level. Working with Luke Hughes (his second Hughes brother defenseman after coaching the Canucks for one season in 2021-22) and Simon Nemec, Shaw is also responsible for overseeing the growth of the two defensemen Tom Fitzgerald hopes to see lead the franchise over the next decade. Carrying a great track record of success with him, Shaw should excite Devils fans who enjoy a good defensive team.

Jeremy Colliton, Offensive Assistant Coach​

Jeremy Colliton made waves in the NHL when he became the youngest active head coach in the league when he replaced Joel Quenneville behind the bench in Chicago in 2018. Now 40 years old, Colliton is in his second year with the Devils after manning the helm of the Abbotsford Canucks from 2022 to 2024, following his firing from Chicago in 2022. For a young head coach in Chicago, Colliton was not dealt an easy hand with a questionable, aging veteran group that was used to success, and things went south after three mediocre seasons.

As the offensive assistant, Colliton has a lot of work to do to improve the team. The Devils were not their best at five-on-five last season, but they were outstanding on the power play. As noted above, the Devils do have much better depth to play with this season, but Colliton needs to rally his forwards to create more goals and become the dominant team that they know they can be.

Sergei Brylin, Assistant Coach​

Another man who needs no introduction to Devils fans is Sergei Brylin. A career Devil, Brylin has continued that loyalty through his coaching career. He first joined the Albany Devils as a consultant in 2012 before being an assistant for the Devils’ AHL affiliates from 2013 to 2022. Since then, he has been an assistant at the NHL level, finally getting to the bench last year. When Brad Shaw was hired this year, Sheldon Keefe noted that Brylin would take Chris Taylor’s previous role behind the bench, working most with younger players. Players such as Yegor Sharangovich have sung Brylin’s praises in the past, and Brylin will surely be working with Arseny Gritsyuk on his transition to the NHL game this year.

Dave Rogalski, Goaltending Coach​

One of the more notorious members of the coaching staff to Devils fans, Dave Rogalski has been the Devils’ goaltending coach since 2020. In that time frame, the Devils have seen some horrific stretches of goaltending in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons, leading to many fan-led calls for a new goaltending coach. However, last year was the first time Rogalski had a healthy true starter in Jacob Markstrom, while Jake Allen had an excellent season as the backup. With the Devils looking better in net, Rogalski’s continuation in his role became much more palatable as well.

Meghan Duggan, Director of Player Development​

Formerly the captain of the women’s Team USA hockey team, Meghan Duggan has been the Director of Player Development since 2022 after being hired in 2021. For her work with the Devils, Tom Fitzgerald has sung Duggan’s praises to the media. She works with players in Utica and New Jersey, doing video work while organizing development and practice plans for each player. Having an accomplished player and a Team USA leader like Duggan seems like a massive benefit for the players, and she already has a good working relationship with the young defensemen of the future.

Eric Weinrich, Player Development Coach​

Working with Duggan in player development, Eric Weinrich has been with the New Jersey Devils in that department since 2015. Of course, as a 1985 second round draft pick of the Devils, he had played 173 games with the organization before being sent away as part of the Bobby Holik trade. Weinrich did have to step over to Utica as an interim assistant last season due to the firing of Kevin Dineen, but he is back in his role as a player development coach. With players like Shane LaChance, Lenni Hameenaho, Cam Squires, Seamus Casey, and Ethan Edwards likely working out of Utica for most of this season, Weinrich’s cooperation with Duggan in working with them will have implications for the team’s success later this year and for years into the future.

Final Thoughts and Your Thoughts​

With no shortage of recognizable names on the coaching staff and in the front office, the New Jersey Devils have assembled quite a group to guide their players to contention. Assuming the wheels do not fall off the bus this season, though, and assuming the Devils actually have a bit of a playoff run in 2026, I imagine that some of these people might have opportunities to take higher positions elsewhere in the near future. If the Devils run a great offense, Jeremy Colliton could end up taking a head coaching gig elsewhere. The Devils had three in the organization interview for the Penguins’ general manager position a couple years ago. But everyone in the organization, from Tom Fitzgerald and down, will have to do the hard work this year to get those looks again.

With that said, what do you think of the front office and coaching staff this year? It does not look much different from previous years, but feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2...on-preview-part-5-the-coaching-and-management

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Connor McDavid, Winning Now, and Why the Devils Need to Be More Aggressive

If you haven’t been paying attention to the happenings around the league, you might be surprised to know that Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was scheduled to enter the final season of his contract before reaching unrestricted free agency next summer.

You might also be well aware that after months of speculation about his future, he ultimately put pen to paper on a 2-year, $12.5M AAV contract that is simultaneously “team friendly” and “team we damn well better win sometime in the next few years or I’m gone”.

McDavid is an interesting case in that he is clearly the best player in the world. He could have commanded a new deal that far exceeds the one that Kirill Kaprizov signed with the Minnesota Wild and nobody would’ve blinked an eye because he’s Connor McDavid. But this is also a player who has come agonizingly close to winning a Stanley Cup the last two seasons without actually doing it. This is a player who has dealt with the pressures of being the franchise savior for a decade now (one of his nicknames is literally “McJesus”) in a market that is dying for a winner. He knows that he could have taken every last penny from the Oilers, as is his right. But he also knows that in doing so, it makes it tougher to build a team that can win the Stanley Cup, which is the ultimate goal. He’s also smart enough to look at the landscape across from the NHL, and in the next few years, is there a more realistic destination for him to go to to achieve this goal, or is his best chance of winning in Edmonton? For now, it’s the latter, and McDavid being willing to take less may have allowed the Oilers enough space to sign Jake Walman to a 7-year, $7M AAV deal as well.

The purpose of this article isn’t to try to wish cast Connor McDavid onto the Devils roster once his newly signed deal is up. But I do want to talk about how players will position themselves where they think they have the best chance to win, and I do think there are lessons the Devils can learn from the mistakes that Edmonton has made along the way when it comes to their star players.

The Oilers Mistakes Have Led to Them Failing to Maximize Having McDavid and Draisaitl on Their Roster​

Between 2016-2023, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined to win four of the seven available Hart Trophies for league MVP. In addition to that, McDavid has had three other seasons where he finished either 2nd or 3rd for the Hart, while Draisaitl was the runner up this past season. The Oilers have had two of, at worst, the five best players in the world on their roster for the better part of a decade.

What do they have to show for it? Not a whole lot.

In that aforementioned timeframe from 2016-23, they made the conference final once, made it to the second round twice, lost in the first round twice, and missed the playoffs altogether twice. They’ve churned through GMs, coaches, goaltenders, and supporting casts to find the right pieces to put around their two star players.

Plenty of personnel mistakes have been made along the way as the Oilers chased wins at the expense of the long-term. And while it might be debatable whether or not trading another future MVP in Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson was a mistake when the Oilers desperately needed a top pairing RHD, there’s little debate whether or not the Milan Lucic contract was a mistake. Or the Andrej Sekera contract. Or the Mikko Koskinen contract. Or turning Jordan Eberle into Ryan Strome, only to then turn Strome into Ryan Spooner. Or the Griffin Reinhart trade. Heck, those are just mistakes made by Peter Chiarelli and don’t include more modern mistakes like the contracts handed out to Jack Campbell or Darnell Nurse that are still on the Oilers books in some capacity today.

The Oilers are a team that has been on the cusp of a championship for two seasons now, but previous mistakes with bad contracts and trading draft picks for futures led to an offseason where the Oilers lost key role players like Connor Brown and Corey Perry. This is an offseason where they had to trade Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson in cap dump trades just so they could have the space to pay Evan Bouchard and Trent Frederic. This is a team that is going into another season with Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard, and the newly acquired Connor Ingram in net. And none of this is mentioning them being in a position with the salary cap where they lost key RFAs Dylan Holloway and Phillip Broberg to the Blues via offer sheet one year ago.

Yes, the Oilers added Isaac Howard via trade, they added the aforementioned Connor Ingram via trade, and they did sign Andrew Mangiapane as a UFA, but does this sound like a team maximizing their contention window? Especially when you compare that to what Florida did at the deadline last year adding Brad Marchand and Seth Jones? Or what Vegas seemingly does every year adding whoever the big superstar player available? Or what Dallas did acquiring Mikko Rantanen at the deadline? Or even what a Carolina is doing adding Nik Ehlers and making it known they’re continuing to look to add a big piece to go over the top?

Now, even with all that, McDavid clearly looked at the landscape around the league, saw the relatively modest moves that the Oilers have made, and decided that for at least the short-term, the best chance he has of winning a Stanley Cup is by staying Edmonton. And it’s tough not to see why. After all, Draisaitl and Bouchard are still elite-level players, this is a team that has a relatively clean path to a Cup Final that they’ve already reached the last two years, their draft pick situation gets better after 2026 where they can trade more futures, and the cap ceiling continuing to increase may make mistakes like the Nurse deal sting less (it also buys them time to perhaps convince someone to bail them out of said mistake). But just because McDavid decided to stay for now doesn’t mean the Oilers put themselves in the best position to retain his services. The Oilers haven’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to doing whatever it takes to convince McDavid to stay, and they don’t deserve credit just because McDavid was willing to take a short-term deal for now and essentially put the franchise on notice. If anything, it only raises the stakes that they need to show that they’re serious about going all-in and not squandering this gift that they’ve been blessed to have.

What Can the Devils Learn From This?​

A competitor like McDavid isn’t unique in that he wants to win. He hates losing, and he gets pissed off when they lose. There’s a level of expectation from players like him that everybody around him, from management to the coaching staff to the other players on the team are doing everything they can to win. They demand greatness, not just from themselves, but those around them. And if there’s any question, any hesitation, any reason to be concerned that the organization isn’t doing that and isn’t positioned to continue being contenders going forward, its tough to blame the players for considering all of their options. Yes, its one thing if a player like McDavid continually says he wants to be in Edmonton, only to leave. This is why Islanders fans had as much vitriol for John Tavares when he did decide to leave. But on the other hand, if the player is out of contract, they don’t owe the organization anything either at that point.

After he plays out this contract, McDavid will have given the Oilers 13 years to figure out how to build a championship roster around him. Thirteen years! If they still haven’t done that by then with a player who is a no-doubt future first-ballot Hall of Famer, is that on the player, or is that on management? The answer is the latter.

I think all of this is worth keeping in mind when you remember that Nico Hischier is entering his walk year next year. We talked about this a few months ago when I wrote about what Nico’s next deal might wind up looking like and I brought this topic up then. I think its also worth keeping in mind as the years go by and we inch closer to Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt reaching UFA. It’s not a concern for right now, but it won’t be long before we have to start having those conversations about those players when they are approaching UFA. The Devils should be doing more to maximize the team-friendly deals that Hughes and Bratt have both signed.

Nobody is suggesting that Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, or Jack Hughes are Connor McDavid, but one thing they all have in common is their level of competitiveness. None of these players likes losing. What McDavid has over the Devils players though is that his teams have had more success than the Devils have had. I’m not going to pretend to be a mind reader but if McDavid is as annoyed about his situation as we think he might be, it would stand to reason that the Devils players may be just as frustrated that the Devils haven’t elevated to the point where they can beat Carolina in a playoff series, never mind compete for a championship. I don’t say all this to hit the panic button that Hischier or Bratt or the Hughes brothers will leave New Jersey the first chance they get, but by the time Hischier hits UFA, he’ll have been in the league for a decade. By the time Jack hits UFA, he’ll have been in the league for 11 years. If the Devils have failed to build a winner around their best players by then, is it on the players, or is it on management? Again, I say the answer is the latter.

All of this brings us to Tom Fitzgerald and his aggressiveness, or lack thereof at times. I’m not going to say that Fitzgerald, and by extension, Devils ownership, hasn’t put resources into the team. They have identified and committed to their core players, with Luke Hughes being the latest example. They’ve spent big on Dougie Hamilton, Ondrej Palat, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Connor Brown, and Stefan Noesen in UFA. They made the trade for Timo Meier and paid him. They made the trades for two goaltenders in Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen.

But there’s also been mistakes along the way. Their inability to draft and develop a goaltender led them to making those deals for Markstrom and Allen. The Devils had to pay UFA prices for veteran defensemen, in part, because of their inability to draft and develop them. The Palat deal needed to be off the books this summer but its still there. A tightening cap situation and whiffing on notable high draft picks like Alexander Holtz has necessitated the need for them to take a big swing, and while I can’t kill the Devils for not making said move in a summer where hardly any “big swing” type of moves were made, it still goes noted.

It’s not that the Devils haven’t made moves, but they have yet to swing that deal for a difference-making, “this player is going to help us win the Cup” type of move that organizations like Florida, Tampa Bay, Vegas, and Dallas almost seemingly routinely make, futures be damned. Cap space be damned. Draft picks be damned. Prospects be damned. It’s part of the reason why those teams remain on that truly elite level tier and why the Devils are on that next tier.

Maybe that “big swing” move comes next summer if/when Quinn Hughes effectively asks out of Vancouver and the Devils finally unite the Hughes brothers like Thanos collecting the Infinity Stones. Maybe its something else. But I do look at the teams that I just mentioned and it goes noted that they’re destinations for a reason. It’s not just because of the weather or the tax situation. Franchises like Florida and Tampa weren’t really destinations prior to them being perennial Cup contenders. It’s that those franchises have shown time and again that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. They’ll go above and beyond and push the limits. Is that something the Devils have done? Not really. Not to that extent.

The Devils aren’t a “destination franchise” except in very unique circumstances such as whether or not one of the best defensemen in the league might want to join them because his brothers also play for the team. They’re not an Original Six franchise that can sell history and nostalgia, nor are they located in a warm weather, tax-friendly city where players can play golf year-round on their off days. That’s not to say they can’t convince free agents to go to New Jersey. They paid what was then market value to convince guys like Hamilton, Palat, Pesce, Dillon, and others to come to New Jersey. Tom Fitzgerald, and the Devils in general, have done a good job of creating an environment and culture where they can sell the positives that playing in New Jersey has to offer and convince players to sign there. That’s all well and good. But you need as many good-great players as you can get to win in this league, and the Devils could use a few more of them.

Final Thoughts​

At some point, the Devils will need to be more aggressive in their pursuit of taking the next step and competing for a championship. While patience is normally prudent, the Devils have been plenty patient in the last few years when it comes to building the roster. Contract terms are a thing, the Devils best players are in their primes and in place on the NHL roster, and the time is coming where they have to push the rest of their chips in if they’re going to be serious about trying to win a title while they have the players they do have in place. Failure to do so opens up the risk of the Devils alienating their best players as they continue to spin their wheels in the mud and not being able to take that next step as an organization. Failure to do so put the Devils at risk of losing said players when the time comes, and I don’t think the players will be to blame if that were to happen.

There’s no shame in a team bringing in more help to get over the top. Sasha Barkov and Aaron Ekblad ultimately needed the Panthers to get a Matthew Tkachuk to take that final step. Vegas needed to bring in guys like Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone and Jack Eichel to get the Vegas Misfits over the hump. This isn’t necessarily limited to superstar level players either….Tampa didn’t get over the hump until they brought in Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow to be fixtures on their third line and give them a different dynamic.

If Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl need more help around them to take that final step, it shouldn’t be an indictment on them as hockey players. It also shouldn’t be a surprise that the Devils core needs more help as well. And ideally, Devils management will be more aggressive providing the players with said help and not hiding behind excuses like the salary cap or how trading is hard. If they don’t, don’t be surprised if the Devils players sound wishy-washy when they’re getting asked questions about why they haven’t re-signed long-term when that time comes.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/n...and-why-the-devils-need-to-be-more-aggressive

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #1: New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Carolina Hurricanes. Canes blog: Canes Country.

The Time: 7:30 PM ET

The Broadcast: TV — ESPN+. Radio — Devils Hockey Network

The Game Preview: I posted this in the morning.

The Song of the Day: The song for the day hails from my favorite band led by a guy who was born in North Carolina and made music out of New Jersey. I’ll take any excuse to listen to Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication by Parliament, and we can just be thankful that George Clinton grew up in New Jersey, and not North Carolina. I cannot imagine a world without Parliament-Funkadelic. Now give the people what they want, Devils.

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...ad-1-new-jersey-devils-at-carolina-hurricanes

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Noesen Question

Bald and Goated

We made it! Game 1 in the books – I hope you left milk and cookies out for Scott Gomez on Wednesday night!

Jackson covered off on what the lineup will look like to start and it looks like the magic of LTIR is being used to put us right at the cap for opening night. It was a bit of a surprise when surprise on day 1 of camp when we learned about Stefan Noesen’s injured groin. It sounds like this hampered him during the back half of last season, and may have been responsible for his dramatic fall off in play after the New Year. He originally opted for rehab over surgery early in the offseason, but a re-aggravation led to him eventually getting said surgery. There was some stank in Fitz’s tone when talking about it during his training camp press conference, but here we are, one day before the season and he will miss some time.

One think I have been saying all summer on the Uncle Puckers is that we have both too many forwards and not enough at the same time, leading to some of the wings being potentially mis-slotted (It makes sense in my head). Our depth is far better than last season, but Mercer is a question mark with Nico and Timo but could succeed there, Gritsyuk is on the 4th line but can he carry over his pre-season success, and Dadonov is getting first crack with Jack and Bratt and seems like he has the footspeed and hockey IQ to hang with them. Lotta buts and hopes there. The only line that feels right to me is the 3rd line in Palat-Glass-Brown.

Anyway, Back to Stef​

How long will our netfront GOAT be out? Well, we have no idea because the CIA seems to lead injury communication for the Devils and NHL in general. The groin can be an iffy muscle, is important for skating, and if not properly healed it can severely impact a player’s performance (see: Noesen, Stefan). He has been skating but according to Keefe and co. he isn’t close to playing games just yet and this feels like at minimum a month or two and he is starting on the injured/non-roster list (meaning his cap hit counts, but his roster spot doesn’t).

He was a pleasant surprise for 3 months last year, scoring at a 30+ goal pace, largely because of his absolute dominance netfront, particularly on PP1.

However, as noted above, his play fell off a cliff and he was eventually replaced by Mercer on PP1 and had a pretty rough playoff. He went from 16g and 21p in 40 games through Christmas to 6g and 15p in 36 games the second half of the season.. and only 1g 2p in the playoffs.

File this under getting waaaay ahead of myself, but where does Stef slot in once he’s back? Reunion with Nico and Timo? Then where does Mercer go? 3C and Glass down to 4C? Palat salary dumped? What if he and Brown are playing well? Cotter or Gritsyuk become the 13th forward? Does he resume PP1 duties? A lot of questions, and I would think the team has some if->then scenarios built out. Or at least I hope they do.

Potential Scenarios​

First, I would like to note that these things tend to work themselves out, and let’s face it, the Devils haven’t been a beacon of health the past few years. Second, this is a GOOD THING. We actually have some capable organizational depth instead of things called “bastian” and “dowling” clogging the pipes. Fitz got flamed for his “creating competition” remark after last season’s trade deadline, and while I understand the frustration, he was actually correct. Iron sharpens iron, and competing for a starting role elevates everyone involved and the best will play. I can see a similar situation play out if everyone is healthy and having a 3, 4, even 7 man rotation for the 6 wing spots not filled by Timo and Bratt.

1. If I were to venture a guess… Mercer is on a bit of short leash in the top 6 and is currently occupying Noesen’s original spot from last season. I don’t see him coming out of the lineup (as we all know he has yet to miss a game) and the 3C rumors won’t die as much as Mercer continues to say he prefers the wing. I can see him bumping Glass to 4C and Glendening out of the lineup. I also wouldn’t sleep on a scenario where Palat-Glass-Brown is playing great, so Mercer goes straight to the 4C spot between Gritsyuk and Cotter, bumping Glendening to the press box. This Mercer question also applies to PP1, as he is getting first crack on that unit.
2. The leash may be shorter for Palat and he could get moved out after continuing to show he is washed. As Chris mentioned in his Carolina preview, he may have until Noesen’s return to prove he’s still got some juice before tumbling down the lineup. Moving him still seems like a simple solution to solve the salary cap crunch we find ourselves in, giving Fitz more flexibility to accrue cap and add some real impact at the deadline. That being said, he wears and ’A’ and I do believe the team has a far different view of him than the fanbase generally does. He also has some tight trade protection, and don’t discount his kids just starting school and Fitz leaning into the humanity of team building – for better or worse.
3. Dadanov might finally show signs of age and/or not work with Jack and Bratt. Noesen could slot in with Jack and Bratt, or preferably join Nico and Timo and move Mercer to Jack’s wing. There could be some down the lineup ripple effects from this if they give Dadonov one of the lower wing spots. With a bonus heavy contract based on GP and production, this isn’t a crazy option the team takes a hard look at. He also has trade protection for half the season – he is easily movable if it’s not working.
4. We see a three man rotation on the 4th line between Gritsyuk, Cotter, and Noesen. One of the rubs on Cotter has been consistency – he has an incredible toolkit but disappeared for long stretches last season. He’d pull out a preposterous individual effort and look like a top line guy, then just go back to being a plug for 5 games. A couple of days in the press box could help encourage some additional focus. Gritsyuk looked great in pre-season and has developed great chemistry with Cotter, but it is still his first season in the NHL. While he has played in a professional league, the KHL has less games and is a bit more spread out, so some breathers may be in order for him as well.

Final Thoughts​

We have some options but we also have some time. Health is the number 1 priority and most important wildcard here, and some rest up and down the lineup could certainly help keep the group fresh for the playoffs. Generally, I am optimistic we have a good mix here to start the season. Is it perfect? No, but no one in the league is and the East is wide open for the taking.

Let me know what you think! How do you see this playing out?

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-issues-views-and-ge/61576/the-noesen-question

 

[New Jersey Devils]

How to make sure All About The Jersey shows up in your Google search

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Simply click on this link and add All About The Jersey as one of your “Source preferences.” That’s all there is to it!

Back in August, the tech giant debuted a feature called “Preferred Sources.” It’s a way for Google to prominently feature the results from websites you trust, like All About The Jersey:

“With the launch of Preferred Sources in the U.S. and India, you can select your favorite sources and stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to — whether that’s your favorite sports blog or a local news outlet. …

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As some of you might know, AI searches are hurting outlets around the world and in all spaces. We’ve worked hard at All About The Jersey to build a brand you can trust and rely on for New Jersey Devils coverage. Our goal is to serve you, the fans.

If you’re a fan of our work and want to get the best New Jersey Devils coverage possible, this is an excellent win-win to improve your Google searches while helping All About The Jersey out.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...preferred-sources-search-results-instructions

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #2: New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (0-1-0) at the Tampa Bay Lightning (0-1-0)

The Time: 7:00 PM ET

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN 2; Radio — Devils Hockey Network

The Game Preview: Matt took care of the preview today.

The Song of the Day: In my quest to find a good local band from Tampa, Florida, I tried listening to a few, but nobody was as good as Bangarang. A pretty good lift-me-up song? Nooner or Sooner. If you want a little more intensity in it, they seem to have it in their live version.

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...ad-2-new-jersey-devils-at-tampa-bay-lightning

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils Went Down to Florida

All looking up at what Nico did. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The boys continued on the road for game 2, visiting the hometown Lightning. Tampa emerged as a preseason favorite in the Atlantic and serious cup contender with the injuries to the Panthers, and this presented yet another early measuring stick for the Devils.

Our boys answered the bell, pulling out a big victory 5-3 after a disappointing season opening loss to Carolina and getting the young season back on track. We iced some newer look lines with Dadonov out, as Gritsyuk moved up with Brown and Glass and Palat found himself back with Jack and Bratt. Tonight also featured the debut of new play by play man Don LaGeca as well as Zach MacEwan, acquired in a trade for Kurtis MacDermid.

One of our biggest bugaboos for the past 2 seasons has been starting on time and getting an early lead (see: 1-0, them). But not tonight as the Devils put up an absolute masterclass of a 1st period. They had the gas pedal down from the start: they were breaking the puck out cleanly, not taking any.. stuff… from these Florida man meatsticks, and burying their chances. We came in waves, drove the net hard, blocked shots and shut down a potent offense.

The tone was set early as Crozier took a little run at Nico that he brushed off. Timo gave Crozier a little love tap (crosscheck to the back) and we had ourselves a frisky start. At 8:30 of the 1st we broke through, as Nemec intercepted a clearing attempt at center ice, turned it right back up where, after a bit of a broken play right inside the Lightning zone, Nico picked up the puck off a Mercer pick and made a power move to the front pulling Vasilevskiy out of position. Timo swooped in to clean up some trash for our first of the night.

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A few minutes later at 10:17, Luke hit Gritsyuk streaking up the left wing boards uncontested, who made a nice shimmy shake to get some space wide and fed Brown who was driving the center lane to the net. Showing some nice touch, Brown turned his blade up and re-directed the pass top shelf. 2-0, us.

Really not sure what all this is, but I like it.

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I would’ve taken 2-0 to the room, but against Tampa you need to keep pouring it on, and Nico did just that. After he made a strong move for the zone entry, he dropped it to Luke who let go a wrister that Timo deflected behind. Nico’s momentum carried him below the goal line, where he corralled the puck, came back out front, spun and shot, where it deflected off Crozier (karma) and squeaked past Vasy.

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During the 1st, Jonas an Dillon both made play-killing slides on cross slot passes, and Jack got just enough of Guenztel to make his breakaway non-threatening (and put him in a bodybag afterwards for good measure). Just an absolutely perfect period as the boys finished with a shot advantage of 16-2 (2!!!), scoring chance margin of 8-5, and generating 5 times the xG. No notes, chef’s kiss.

Surely, We Are Just Going to Cruise to an Easy W, Right?​

As good as the 1st period was, the 2nd was a different story. Tampa is an elite team and weren’t going to be held down forever. they clawed back into the game potting the first goal against at 7:31 off a broken neutral zone play, a misguided step up by Nemec on Point resulting in a Gourde snipe from the slot. This disappointment in Dan LaGreca’s voice was palpable.

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After some back and forth in a sloppier period all around, Tampa struck a second time to make it a one goal game. The Devils got caught after a long PP shift as some guys were out for 1:20+ and to make it worse, Timo broke his stick. It was basically a shooting gallery until McDonough finally converted on a screened bomb from the point. While the score was tilted in the 2nd, the play was pretty even as we were outshot 8-6, but scoring chances, high danger scoring chances, and xG were all pretty even during the period.

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FINISH THEM​

So, on to the 3rd in what would be a defining period for this squad early int he season. “Funny thing about pressure. Some people focus, some people fold.” – Al Pacino, Devils Advocate. What was it gonna be for our boys? Not going to lie, the doomer in me was apoplectic when Siegs got his tripping call, assuring myself the collapse was coming. But what’s this? A bright shining hero intercepts a lazy D-to-D pass and is off to the races. Jesper Bratt take a bow. I think we should keep an eye on this kid, he may be a thing. (Also, love Don LeGrelca’s call here).

This was a defining moment, my friends:

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Less than two minutes later, a clean outlet pass up to Gritsyuk who executed a picture perfect 2 on 2 with Brown who fooled Vasy with a quick, low, shot – far post. (for all you kids and hockey parents out there, seriously this is a perfect 2 on 2. 2nd player crosses behind, drop pass, 1st player creates space driving the net, 2nd player gets a clean shot).

Gorgeous, that should be it right guys? Right?

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Well not so fast, as Tampa does make things interesting adding a 3rd off a screened wrister with about 4 minutes left from Raddysh. If I were to complain about ANYTHING in this game, is that was two goals where Markstrom completely takes himself off his angle giving up a massive part of the net.

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Additional Notes​

One of the more unheralded stories of the game was blocked shots. 24 in total, and probably a few more, but the boys were selling out tonight and not losing this game.

When I wrote about us needing more 5 on 5 scoring, I didn’t mean don’t score on the power play at all guys. It looks very chaotic right now.

After a shaky debut in Carolina, Gritsyuk showed he belongs. Not just the points, but its his awareness, passing, speed and easy chemistry with both Cotter and Brown.

I liked MacEwan’s game – he skates well and will be a solid fill in on the 4th line. Dare I say I liked these line combos better than the first game.

Dawson Mercer had a strange game – virtually nonexistent except for the defensive blue line where he made several excellent plays, especially on the PK, where he was fantastic.

Luke had another 2 assists, it seems missing camp wasn’t a big deal.

And yes, I misspelled Don’s name on purpose since its Saturday night and we can have a little fun around here, as he works out the names of our guys. He’s got great energy, so far so good (except for the names).

On to Columbus, I’m feeling much better about this team now.

What’d you like tonight? Dislike? Concerns?

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/devils-game-recaps/61727/devils-went-down-to-florida

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Goal Breakdown: Connor Brown Redirects Arseny Gritsyuk’s Feed — Devils Place Dadonov on IR, Recall Halonen

Late-night double-parter.

After playing just one game on the fourth line, Arseny Gritsyuk was bumped up to the third in last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to a fractured hand for Evgenii Dadonov. Moving from right wing to left, fans got a first look of what Gritsyuk would look like on that side. For a player who came in with a reputation for his shot, some may have worried that Gritsyuk would not be able to create as efficiently from the left.

Well, Gritsyuk washed those fears away the matter of minutes. Let’s get into this goal breakdown, which was Gritsyuk’s first NHL point.

The Situation​

Playing with Cody Glass and Connor Brown, Gritsyuk was flying up the left side of the ice for the New Jersey Devils, earning his first multi-point game with a two-assist night. Connor Brown, who last scored 20 goals in the 2020-21 season (before his torn ACL in 2022), finished both plays. While the injury to Dadonov is troubling for multiple reasons, the Devils seemingly do not have to worry about Gritsyuk being able to play a bit higher in the lineup. Is he ready for top six time? I am not sure, but Gritsyuk did not need a ton of minutes to be productive in the KHL, producing most of his 44 points (in 49 games) last season at even strength, and this is a great first step for him.

At the specific moment Brown scored last night, this was the situation:

• The teams were playing at five-on-five with just under 10 minutes to play in the first period.
• The Devils were winning 1-0, outshooting Tampa Bay 5-1 before the goal.
• The Devils on the ice: #81 Arseny Gritsyuk, #12 Cody Glass, #16 Connor Brown, #5 Brenden Dillon, and #17 Simon Nemec (Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce change off for Dillon and Nemec at the beginning of the sequence)
• The Lightning on the ice: #14 Connor Geekie, #37 Yanni Gourde, #22 Oliver Bjorkstrand, #43 Darren Raddysh, and #78 Emil Lilleberg

Tim recapped the game in full last night.

The Video​

The Breakdown​

Taking the puck from Markstrom behind the net, Luke Hughes turns away from Yanni Gourde and hits Arseny Gritsyuk in stride. The Devils did not get any chances to break out of their own zone with this kind of speed against Carolina, and you can see why teams try to nail them down with the forecheck. Tampa Bay is not pressuring them here after going for a change, and it gives Gritsyuk all kinds of time and space to work with. This is what the ice looked like when Gritsyuk was about to get the puck.

You can see Yanni Gourde (37) going towards the boards on the far side from Gritsyuk, sort of skating towards where Connor Brown is working from. But right here, you can also see Oliver Bjorkstrand turning to backcheck up the middle of the ice, but he does not have the speed to make a play. Let’s see that in motion.

I have always been very high on Gritsyuk since he first showed signs of being more when he was with Avangard in the KHL, but translating to the NHL is always a bit of a question mark with the smaller ice surface and faster opponents. Here, Gritsyuk showed his speed off, and it’s enough to put defenders on their heels. Per NHL EDGE, Gritsyuk has already hit a high of 21.73 MPH while skating, which puts him in the 75th percentile of forwards through the first few games of the season.

As Gritsyuk goes to enter the offensive zone, still using that speed while carrying the puck, he finds himself in a two-on-three with Connor Brown, who is also one of the fastest skaters in the league. Brown’s 23.23 MPH top skating speed lands him in the 99th percentile for the league’s first weekend.

Cody Glass, standing at the blueline, is going to wait to be the third forward in. Nearest Gritsyuk is Darren Raddysh, while Emil Lilleberg is turned towards him in the middle of the ice. On the far side is Connor Geekie. Let’s see this half in motion.

Once Gritsyuk and Brown both have their defenders beat about three seconds into this video, it’s all over for them. Now, considering that the Lightning have four skaters in the defensive zone to the Devils’ three (Glass is just coming in from the point below), the quickness with which Gritsyuk took this puck up the ice matters a lot more. Bjorkstrand is resigned to covering the pass back to the point, and Geekie is in no-man’s land a bit to Bjorkstrand’s right, both covering the pass back to Glass.

So, that passing lane is clear as day for Gritsyuk. Raddysh has reached one foot on the dot here, but Brown has completely blown by Lilleberg, whose left skate is still ion the back hash of the faceoff circle. Brown now has the advantage of not just getting to the pass cleanly, but he sets himself up a bit towards Vasilevskiy’s stick side so he just needs to focus on getting the puck up rather than chipping it back in the other direction. Look where Brown is when this pass gets to him:

From here, the puck jumps off Brown’s stick over Vasilevskiy’s pad and glove and beats him up high, just inside the far post. Since Gritsyuk had Raddysh beat by the dot, Vasilevskiy is unable to even think about poking that pass away, and Brown put it in the toughest spot for him to save. Connor Brown could not have drawn that shot up any better, with no time for the goalie to react and no chance for Lilleberg to even hook him out of the goal. With the speed of Brown, Gritsyuk only needed to put it in that spot just beyond the crease for the Devils to go up two.

It’s a good sign for Connor Brown, who has been steadily getting better since his knee injury, as he was capable of putting up upwards of 50 points when he was a bit younger in Ottawa. Between this and his later goal, Sheldon Keefe has to be hoping for a resurgence from him. As for Arseny Gritsyuk, he may just keep showing defenses that they need to defend him with the same respect they give some of the other Devils skaters.

Onto the other news, which is less pleasant.

Evgenii Dadonov To Injured Reserve​

Well, it did not take long for some of the worst fears of Devils fans to come true this year.

#NEWS: We have placed F Evgenii Dadonov (hand) on injured reserve.
We have recalled F Brian Halonen from Utica (AHL). pic.twitter.com/Y7BFpDbOsm

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 12, 2025

As Amanda Stein recently detailed, the Devils had Evgenii Dadonov get an x-ray after he left the game in Carolina with a hand injury. As reported then, Dadonov could not grip his stick after taking a shot to the hand. While that first x-ray was negative, a second round of imaging indicated a fracture. Thus, Zack MacEwen played on the fourth line against Tampa Bay, with Gritsyuk sliding up to the third line and Palat rejoining Hughes and Bratt.

While the Devils did not reveal a timeline for the injury when placing Dadonov on IR, a 2020 NYU study showed that NHL players miss an average of just over 14 games, with considerable variation. At the very least, a month out of the lineup is likely in order for Dadonov, though, and the condensed nature of the NHL schedule this season due to the Olympics may mean that he ends up missing a few games above average.

If Dadonov missed six weeks from the time of his injury, he would have missed 18 games with the chance to return on the six-week mark against the Florida Panthers on November 20. That means that Brian Halonen — the man called up to replace him — will get a big chance to make an impression that lets him stick around in the NHL.

To date, Brian Halonen has only played four games in the NHL, putting four shots on net out of 10 attempts in fourth line minutes. He has not had any luck on a line yet, with a 88.5 PDO through those games. But Halonen has never even been allowed a week in the NHL.

The Devils may still hold him out of the lineup a bit too much while they have Zack MacEwen. MacEwen might be a serviceable hockey player and a better fighter than Halonen, but it would be nice for the Devils to figure out by the end of the month whether Halonen is ready for the league. There are other players, like Shane LaChance, Angus Crookshank, and Thomas Bordeleau, who might be worth taking a look at if Halonen does not show anything in his games (I would like for him to actually get at least five or six, though).

Eventually, Dadonov will return and the lineup will get a little better in the top six (assuming Gritsyuk doesn’t force his way up there by then). But until that happens, Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald have a chance to tinker with the extra skater line of succession. Can Halonen play in the NHL and still score the same goal-scorer goals? Is Shane LaChance ready for the NHL? Does Angus Crookshank have a future as a bottom six center? Can any of these players be relied upon as depth in the playoffs? Those questions can start getting answered, and I hope the Devils don’t limit themselves from trying different things out while they have the freedom to.

Your Thoughts​

What did you think of Arseny Gritsyuk’s first point? How are you feeling about him and Brown on the third line? How did you react to the news on Dadonov? How many games do you think Halonen will get to prove himself? Do you think he will? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...eed-devils-place-dadonov-on-ir-recall-halonen