News Devils Team Notes

[New Jersey Devils]

The Devils Will Need To Make Cap Space Very Soon

The New Jersey Devils welcomed back an entire top six line in last night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Timo Meier returned from his personal leave, Arseny Gritsyuk returned from his undisclosed injury, and of course, Jack Hughes made his long-awaited return from his freak accident at a Chicago restaurant. Hughes even scored the first goal of the game, which was such a welcome sight, particularly since the team has been starved for goals in his absence. Unfortunately the returning trio could not help the Devils power through their current offensive malaise, as they fell 3-1 to the Sabres anyway.

As disappointing as last night’s result was, that’s not the point of this piece. Rather, today we’re going to talk about the salary cap ramifications of the Devils getting closer to full health. The NHL is a salary cap league after all, and since every dollar counts, it’s important to understand just what Tom Fitzgerald and his front office are facing once everyone is back on the ice.

The Usual Caveat​

Before we go any further, I do feel compelled to state that yes, I am fully aware that full health at any point is not a guarantee. Just because Hughes, Meier, and Gritsyuk returned last night, and Brett Pesce joined them earlier last week, does not mean injuries just magically turn off like it’s a video game. It’s possible that, for example, Nico Hischier or Jesper Bratt or Luke Hughes suffers a long-term injury before the full roster is back. If that happens, all of a sudden cap space is no longer an issue.

But for now, let’s assume (I know, big assumption) that New Jersey will be fully healthy for at least a little while sometime this season. In that case, a move to make cap space will be mandatory. So we’ll explore those options today.

The Current Cap Situation​

Let’s start with what New Jersey’s cap sheet actually looks like. According to the indispensable PuckPedia, as of Sunday night, the Devils have $12,500 in cap space. Yes, really. The Devils are about as close to the cap ceiling as one could possibly be without going over it. They are currently rolling with an active roster of 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Meanwhile the following players are currently on Injured Reserve (an asterisk next to their name indicates a player on Long Term Injured Reserve):

• Evgenii Dadonov* ($1m cap hit)
• Zack MacEwen ($775K)
• Johnny Kovacevic* ($4m)
• Simon Nemec ($918,333)

Add that all up and you get a little over $6.5m worth of cap hits. Now, you might look at those figures and assume the Devils will need to clear that much space. But keep in mind that once some of these players return, their replacements will either be sent down or waived. We’re talking players like Angus Crookshank, Juho Lammikko, Colton White, and Dennis Cholowski. All of those players are making the league minimum of $775K, except for Lammikko who’s slightly above that at $800K. So that means that those cap hits will be off the books when it’s time to welcome back some of the regulars.

Kovacevic Is The Key​

As the Devils welcome back most of their big guns, there is really only one more major salary remaining on IR: Johnny Kovacevic. As we can see in the previous section, Kovacevic’s cap hit alone is more than the other three players on IR combined. We don’t yet know when he is expected back, other than the purposely vague timeline of “sometime in 2026” (although Kovacevic was spotted skating yesterday, which is a sign he’s getting close). But when he does come back, something has to give.

New Jersey can ice a cap-compliant roster right now, but Kovacevic changes everything. According to PuckPedia, the Devils would be just north of $5m over the cap if everyone was healthy. Sending down a Crookshank or a Cholowski wouldn’t get the team under the cap, to say nothing of the huge logjam that would be created on the blue line. And it’s against NHL rules to keep a healthy player on IR, meaning the Devils can’t just stash Kovacevic there indefinitely. Kovacevic himself wouldn’t stand for that anyway, nor should he.

The bottom line is, a move needs to be made in order to get New Jersey under the cap once Kovacevic is back. Again, injuries might occur between then and now, I understand that. But injuries are unpredictable, so it’s not a good idea to bank on them happening. And it’s not like we should be wishing for injuries in the first place. So what can New Jersey do to create cap room? There are a few options.

Ondrej Palat & Dougie Hamilton​

Let’s start with the obvious ones. Palat and Hamilton have been popular cap dump targets among Devils fans for a while now. When the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes was reaching its climax, they were the two names that kept popping up as players Fitzgerald was looking to send away to make room for the eldest Hughes brother.

After New Jersey lost the battle for Hughes, reporters went looking for answers on whether Palat or Hamilton was approached about waiving their no-trade clauses. Based on the reporting, it seems as though Hamilton was, but Palat wasn’t. Then again, Palat could just be lying, which is fine I suppose. But assuming he’s telling the truth, then it appears Hamilton was the one Fitzgerald was trying to move to make cap space. In a way that does make sense considering New Jersey has too many right-handed defensemen when fully healthy. But it’s still odd to me that Fitzgerald wouldn’t even consider moving Palat.

In any case, these two veterans have been in the news a lot lately. Speculation around them being traded spiked over the summer, and now it’s happening again. Fitzgerald’s obsession with giving any player who signs a contract with him some form of no-move clause is really coming back to bite him here if the goal is to trade Hamilton or Palat. But it’s not impossible, and maybe we see one of them head out of town soon. And if they do, all of a sudden the Devils have all the cap space they need.

Stefan Noesen​

Here’s an under-the-radar cap dump candidate. Noesen is signed through 2026-27, with a cap hit of $2.75m. That’s not a huge number obviously, but it’s not nothing. And while he does provide value I think it’s safe to say he’s one of the more replaceable trade candidates on the roster.

Noesen has a 10-team no-trade clause this season (it turns into a seven-team no-trade clause next year), so it would be much easier to move him than Palat or Hamilton. I’m sure of the 22 teams that he cannot block a trade to, one of them would want him. What could New Jersey get back in return? Probably a late round pick in a draft two to three years away. But the return isn’t the point of trading Noesen. The point would be to clear his salary and, presumably, replace him with a forward that’s making league-minimum or close to it. Doing so would net the Devils about $2m in cap space.

Jonas Siegenthaler​

Siegenthaler has had an up-and-down tenure with the Devils. After coming over at the trade deadline during the Covid-shortened 2021 season, Siegenthaler put together an elite defensive season in 2021-22. He was good for stretches and mediocre for stretches in 2022-23, straight up bad in 2023-24, back to elite defensively in 2024-25, and he’s back to struggling again this season.

So with all that being the case, perhaps Fitzgerald is sick of riding the Siegenthaler roller coaster and looks to ship him out. Siegenthaler has a cap hit of $3.4m, and he’s signed through 2027-28. Much like Noesen, Siegenthaler has a 10-team no-trade list, meaning there are 22 potential suitors to choose from. I have to imagine Siegenthaler has value to a lot of clubs around the league, so if Fitzgerald really wanted to, I think he could easily find a new home for him. Heck, New Jersey might even be able to get something halfway decent for him, like a third or fourth round pick.

The one hang-up here is that Kovacevic really seemed to bring out the best in Siegenthaler last year. Those two combined to form one of the league’s premier shutdown pairs, and although they provided next to no offense, their defensive games were so good that they were extremely valuable players regardless of the lack of offense. So do you really want to send Siegenthaler away when you could potentially reunite an elite defensive pair once Kovacevic returns? It’s a question Fitzgerald might have to answer soon.

Dawson Mercer & Cody Glass​

Now we’re getting into cutting off your nose to spite your face territory in my opinion. The only other players on the roster that are at least halfway realistic to trade in order to make cap space are Mercer and Glass. Neither of them have any sort of no-move protection, and both of them make enough money ($4m cap hit for Mercer, $2.5m cap hit for Glass) that sending them elsewhere could provide reasonable cap relief. Especially Mercer, whose cap hit matches Kovacevic’s on the dot.

But are the Devils really in a position to move either of these players? The offense is so desperate for goals that it feels impossible to move players who have some semblance of offensive skill. Mercer has really cooled off since his hot start, but he remains valuable offensively. Glass is more of a defensive forward, but he’s shown a goal-scoring touch this season, especially when playing with Connor Brown. New Jersey could theoretically move these players easily to create cap space, but I feel like it would do more harm than good to ship them out.

Final Thoughts And Your Take​

Unfortunately, these are pretty much the only options as far as creating cap space goes. Every other player on the roster is either too valuable to trade, or has extensive no-move protection. Fitzgerald made quite a mess for himself, and now he’s suffering the consequences for it.

Johnny Kovacevic will be back soon, and assuming no more major injuries happen before he returns, a move literally has to be made in order for the Devils to be cap-compliant. Palat and Hamilton are the obvious choices, Noesen and Siegenthaler are the dark horses, and Mercer and Glass are the desperation moves. No option is easy, and all of them have their pros and cons. But as the team gets healthier, something must be done. Soon.

What do you make of the Devils’ current cap situation? What do you think ultimately happens as far as cap moves? Who is your top preference to move out? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-devils-will-need-to-make-cap-space-very-soon

 

[New Jersey Devils]

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Squires Scores First Goal of the Season as Malek and the Comets Win in Shootout

The Comets have been playing better as of late, but still have a long way to go to crawl out of the basement.

Comets Win​

The Comets won 3-2 in a shootout victory over the Wilkes-Barre Penguins on Saturday thanks to a 31 save effort by goaltender Jakub Malek. Wingers Cam Squires and Josh Filmon both scored their first AHL goals of the season for the Comets. Defenseman Seamus Casey picked up his 11th assist and winger Lenni Hameenaho earned first star honors with the shootout victory goal.

JAKUB MALEK IS YOUR SHOOTOUT HERO pic.twitter.com/5Fqdf2USAz

— Utica Comets (@UticaComets) December 21, 2025

Jakub Malek has been excellent in net since his recall from Adirondack.

The win came after a 4-2 loss to the Penguins Friday night. Nico Daws earned the loss in that one, stopping 20 of 23. Both Comets goals would be scored on special teams by Kyle Criscuolo and assisted by Lenni Hameenaho, one short-handed and the other on the power play with another secondary assist by defender Seamus Casey. After a ten game adjustment to the league, Lenni Hameenaho has been the Comets best player recently with 11 points in his last 15 games, putting him one point behind Xavier Parent and Seamus Casey for the team lead of 12. Kris Criscuolo has also been playing well ever since he moved up to the top center position and seems to have found some chemistry with Hameenaho. Forward Cam Squires has also had a terrific turnaround after starting the season with Adirondack and has found his game recently, even suiting up on the top line at times. Hopefully, that will all continue in the new year.

Around the Pool​

The pool is mostly frozen for the holidays with many leagues not returning until January, and not much happening of note in the others. So, I’ll just take this time to wish all our dear readers a blessed, healthy, and joyous celebration and a wonderful New Year.

Your Take​

Post your comments below.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/p...eason-as-malek-and-the-comets-win-in-shootout

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Late Goal, Inept Offense Doom Devils In 2-1 Loss To Islanders

The lack of offense from this team is completely unacceptable.

The New Jersey Devils lost 2-1 to the New York Islanders on Long Island tonight. The game was tied 1-1 until about a minute left in the third period, until Adam Pelech scored a backbreaking goal off a broken play to snatch at least a point away from the Devils. It was a devastating goal to allow, one that could come back to haunt New Jersey by the end of the season.

Tonight marked the fifth straight game in which the Devils scored two goals or fewer. Prior to this stretch, the offense was performing well, with exactly four goals scored in three consecutive games. Though honestly, calling that “performing well” feels generous. I don’t think anyone would say that four goals is a notable offensive output, but for this team, a team that has scored more than four goals just three whole times this season, it feels like a bonanza. Offensive funks are the norm for the Devils this season, and they’re right in the thick of one of their malaises right now.

But back to this game. If you can believe it, tonight’s contest actually started off pretty well. Brett Pesce scored his first goal of the season late in the first period to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. The forecheck, led by Timo Meier and Nico Hischier, really made that goal happen, and Pesce made sure their efforts were rewarded. That goal was part of a great opening 20 minutes, where the Devils outshot the Islanders 15-7 and registered a 5-on-5 Expected Goals For% of about 64%.

The second period was a different story. We’ll delve into some numbers later on, but second period have not been kind to the Devils lately. It sunk them in their last game against the Sabres, and while it wasn’t the entire difference tonight, it certainly played a big part. The Islanders outshot the Devils 14-6 in the middle frame, and New Jersey was caved in to the tune of a 5-on-5 xGF% of around 18%. For as poor as they were playing though, Jacob Markstrom was keeping them in this game. He looked dialed in from the word “Go” tonight, with big saves on rush chances, cycle chances, and broken plays. New York deserved to find the equalizer with how thoroughly they were dominating New Jersey in the second period, but Markstrom was having none of it.

Which is what made it so shocking when Markstrom served up the tying goal on a silver platter:

Oh no, Jacob Markstrom pic.twitter.com/fvwip6t1qB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 24, 2025

I don’t think there’s any other explanation here other than Markstrom having a gigantic brain cramp. That, coupled with a hilariously lucky bounce for Simon Holmstrom, added up to a 1-1 game. It was an egregiously bad play, which reminded me of this gem from Mackenzie Blackwood. Markstrom was playing such a good game up to that point, but his gaffe cost the Devils the lead.

The third period was much better for New Jersey, though I would argue they didn’t truly get going until about halfway through the frame. That’s when the Hischier line put together a great shift, highlighted by a Dawson Mercer backhand chance right in front. It was followed up by the Luke Glendening (yes, really) generating two quality looks, one off the rush, and one off a nice pass from Luke Hughes to the front of the net. The Devils carried play until the Islanders broke the puck out of their zone with about 90 seconds left in regulation. That’s when Holmstrom missed on a one-time chance and the puck took a perfect carom to an activating Pelech, who picked the corner on a slapper to give the Isles their first lead of the night. New Jersey got a few halfway decent looks with the net pulled in the final minute, but no true big time chances, and they left UBS Arena emptyhanded.

Exactly one year ago today, the vibes were about as high as they could possibly be around this team. On a Monday afternoon at The Rock, the Devils absolutely demolished the New York Rangers, 5-0. That win was part of a larger run in which New Jersey’s defense was absolutely smothering teams, not even allowing 20 shots on goal for a long string of games. They were 23-11-3 after that win and riding high into the Christmas break. Fast forward one year later, and the vibes are quite low. To be fair to the Devils, they will enter the holiday pause with a record of 20-16-1, which is far from an awful record. Just one good week can theoretically get them right back near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and with the talent this team has at its disposal, one good week seems well within their capabilities.

The problem is, despite all the talent this now mostly-healthy team has, they still can’t get out of their own way. The offense has been a huge problem all season long, and I really don’t think you can just pin the struggles on getting goalie’d every night. Yes, David Rittich was quite good this evening, but New Jersey also didn’t test him anywhere close to as much as they should have. And when they did test him, they once again could not finish chances to save their lives. Jack Hughes and Connor Brown each had breakaways tonight, and neither scored. Jesper Bratt – he of the one goal in his last 23 games – had a golden opportunity when he absolutely toasted Matthew Schaefer and hooked around Rittich in the second period. But Bratt couldn’t pull the trigger on a shot, letting another prime opportunity go to waste. Everyone else was just as inept as them when it came to actually burying a shot as well. And that doesn’t even count the myriad times New Jersey couldn’t even hit the net on their shot (looking at you, Luke Hughes).

I’ll try to be optimistic for a second: I do believe there is more finishing talent on this team than the results would indicate. My guess is that the Devils are genuinely experiencing some really nasty negative variance when it comes to their shooting luck, and it should even out soon. That being said, we are now up to roughly a full calendar year since this team looked anything approaching dangerous offensively. Last season, it really did seem like the offense died after Christmas, and through the first half of this season, a lot of the personnel has changed, but the results haven’t.

I don’t know what needs to be done, but I do know that something, anything needs to be done. The New Jersey Devils lost again tonight, and for the millionth time this season, it was their pathetic offense that was mostly to blame.

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

The Game Highlights: Courtesy of NHL.com

Rounding Into Form​

For a while this season, it feels like the offense (and defense) were actually doing fine, but the goaltending was costing New Jersey games. This mostly stemmed from Jacob Markstrom taking a huge step back, whether that be from injury or age-related decline.

But credit where it’s due: Markstrom has been much better lately. He obviously had that inexcusable mistake on the tying goal, but the netminder was actually minding his net, he was rock solid. Markstrom made 23 saves on 25 shots (which was really 23 saves on 24 shots if you exclude the Holmstrom debacle), and according to Natural Stat Trick, he saved 1.93 Goals Above Expected.

We need to see it over a larger sample size of course, but it does appear as if Markstrom is returning to being a top-end goalie once more. If he can keep this up, the offense should find more finishing luck soon, and the Devils could maybe, just maybe, go on another run.

Fourth Line Woes​

I mentioned Luke Glendening registering a pair of quality chances earlier on, and he deserves credit for that. The problem is, that’s about all Glendening deserves credit for tonight, as his line was buried in the run of play once again.

The fourth line of Glendening, Paul Cotter, and Stefan Noesen played 6:10 together at 5-on-5. In that time, they were out-attempted 12-3, outshot 3-5, and registered a terrible xGF% of 43%. It’s just another in a long line of horrific performances from New Jersey’s fourth line this season.

It all starts with Glendening on that fourth line. I’m sorry, perhaps he’s a great guy, but Glendening cannot be a regular skater anymore. It was a nice story with him winning a job on a PTO in camp, but since the regular season has started he has been one of the absolute worst skaters in the entire league. According to Hockey Stat Cards, among players with 20 games played, Glendening has the 15th-worst average Game Score (-0.30) in the NHL, and the third-worst among forwards. If you’re not a believer in advanced analytics, how does three points (all assists) in 36 games sound to you? Because that is Glendening’s stat line this season.

Considering Glendening brings absolutely nothing to the table except for maybe a little penalty killing utility, and considering he also seems to be dragging everyone else around him down like an anchor tied to a paper crane, I think it’s past time to cut him loose. Who do you replace him with? It doesn’t matter, because it could not possibly get any worse than him.

Maddening Middle Frames​

We also touched on how second periods have not been the Devils’ friend recently, and tonight was no exception. I already gave you the final numbers during the second period for this evening’s contest, and during the MSG broadcast, they showed a graphic that displayed how bad it’s been lately. In their win over Utah last Friday night, the Devils were outshot a startling 18-6 (though miraculously they outscored the Mammoth 1-0). In their most recent contest against the Sabres on Sunday, they were outshot 12-6 and outscored 2-0. And tonight they were outshot 14-6 and outscored 1-0, to go along with the abysmal underlying numbers.

New Jersey was actually a very strong second period team last season, but they’ve taken a complete nosedive in middle frames lately. I don’t know what needs to change, but something needs to happen to make this team play better after the first 20 minutes.

Metropolitan Struggles Continue​

With their regulation loss tonight, the Devils fell to 3-5-1 against the Metropolitan Division this season. New Jersey has played nine games against division opponents thus far. They have lost their last four games against Metro opponents, with their last win coming all the way back on November 15 against the Capitals.

To make matters worse, two of the Devils’ three wins against Metro rivals have come post-regulation (one against the Penguins, one against the Capitals). Meaning in their nine division games so far, they have allowed their opponents to collect at least a point in eight of them. The only exception was their 3-2 win over Columbus on October 13, which is fitting considering the Blue Jackets are the only Metropolitan Division team with a worse intra-division record than New Jersey. The Devils have allowed opponents to collect 14 of a possible 18 points against them. That .778 points percentage translates to an 82-game pace of approximately 128 points. Basically, New Jersey is making every Metro opponent look like the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

If the Devils are going to make the postseason, this needs to change. Now. Being mediocre against your own division is bad enough, but the Devils aren’t even mediocre against the Metro thus far. They’re much, much worse. Their next crack at actually winning a game against a division opponent comes immediately out of the break, and I strongly suggest New Jersey takes advantage of that opportunity.

Next Time Out​

On the other side of the Christmas break, the Devils are back in action on Saturday when they host the Washington Capitals. Puck drop from the Prudential Center is scheduled for 7:00pm.

Your Take​

What did you make of tonight’s game? How concerned are you with the offense? Are you encouraged with what you’ve seen out of the goaltending lately? What do you think needs to change for this team to start winning games consistently again? As always, thanks for reading.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-offense-doom-devils-in-2-1-loss-to-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #37: New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-15-1) at the New York Islanders (19-13-4)

The Time: 7:00 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN 2, Radio – Devils Hockey Radio

The Game Preview: I had the preview today.

The Song of the Day: Continuing the theme from last gamethread, here’s Christopher Lee’s Christmas metal song, “Jingle Hell.” Give them hell, 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-37-new-jersey-devils-at-new-york-islanders

 

[New Jersey Devils]

I Don’t Want to See Devils Players At The Olympics

Over the next week or so, expect the various nations participating in the 2026 Olympic games to announce their rosters for the men’s hockey tournament.

It’s tough to click around wherever you consume your hockey media, whether its YouTube, The Athletic, Twitter, ESPN, NHL.com, or wherever it is and not see projected rosters from various content creators. And I get all that. It’s fairly easy content to create, it stirs up debate, which results in engagement, which is the endgame when it comes to content creation. We all want eyeballs on our content. And the fact of the matter is that there are many hockey fans who are indeed excited about the upcoming Olympic games, the first of which will feature active NHL players since 2014.

I am not one of those fans.

I might be in the minority with this opinion, but I don’t really care about Olympic hockey (or international hockey such as the Worlds or any other IIHF-sanctioned event). I’m a Devils fan, first and foremost. I root for the laundry at the end of the day, and I care about the players wearing said laundry. I root for the red, white, and black that the Devils wear instead of the red, white, and blue. I’m unapologetic about it as that’s simply how I feel. I don’t and never have had that same sense of attachment to Team USA hockey, even though I’m an American, as I do the Devils, who I have invested decades of fandom into.

Perhaps I’d feel differently if in my formative years, the Devils best players were American, but they weren’t as Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Martin Brodeur were fixtures on the Canadian national teams. It’s not that the Devils didn’t have American representation on the international scene, as Brian Gionta, Brian Rafalski, and Zach Parise would go on to represent the US. But at the end of the day, I view the Olympics as an exhibition and cheering for national pride. I don’t root against the US team, but I also don’t have that same passion for the American national team as I do for the Devils. I don’t think that makes me un-American so much as that’s just how I view my sports fandom. I don’t care if the Americans win a gold medal. I do care if the Devils win the Stanley Cup. One means far more to me than the other, and its as simple as that. Chris and the other writers on this site may feel differently. You may feel differently. That’s fine. We’re all entitled to our opinion.

I say all of that to say that I’m dreading the upcoming Olympic break and I wish as many Devils players as possible would simply stay home, rest up, and not participate.

I’m not naive. I know how much the Olympics means to the players themselves. NHL players haven’t been to the Olympics since 2014, so this is the first time most NHL players will get the opportunity to play in the Olympics. I understand that that trumps what I want as a fan.

My dread doesn’t change the fact that the Devils will be well-represented at the Olympics. Jack Hughes will make Team USA. Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markstrom will likely represent Team Sweden. Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler have already been named to the Swiss team. Ondrej Palat (Czechia) and Simon Nemec (Slovakia) will probably make their respective teams, and its possible players like Brett Pesce are on the short-list of “be ready” call ups just in case something happens. It is what it is. I don’t think the players should be vilified for wanting to represent their country or play in this tournament when this is something a lot of them have dreamed about doing ever since they put on skates for the first time.

It doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to be holding my breath every time our players take the ice in what I feel are meaningless games. Just like I did one year ago at Four Nations, where fortunately, the Devils who participated in that made it through the games relatively unscathed.

The difference is that this time, the games will be on a rink that is too small and in an arena that may or may not be finished. The clownshow that has been the buildup to these Olympic games would be reason enough for me to want to pull the plug on this, and I hope that the higher-ups at the NHL and/or the NHLPA give this serious consideration if there is even so much as a hint that this might not be a good idea or would compromise player safety.

I’m not expecting it.

Hockey is a physical game and that injury risk will always be there, and as we’ve already seen with the Devils this season, there’s a lot of randomness to this. But I certainly remember John Tavares’s season coming to an end due to a torn MCL at the Sochi games. I remember Dominik Hasek’s groin injury in Turin in 2006 ultimately costing a really good Ottawa Senators team a chance at a Stanley Cup that season. I’m also old enough to remember examples in other sports of players playing for the national team only to suffer a season-ending injury that derails the hopes of their pro team. You think the New York Mets were thrilled going 75-87 in part because Edwin Diaz hurt his knee celebrating a win during the World Baseball Classic, ending his season before it even began. I get players can get hurt in any game, in any setting, in any sanctioned league, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it while sitting on my couch watching the games, waiving a miniature American flag and saying ‘go team’ for a team I’m not all that invested in in the first place.

I’m not trying to carry water for the billionaires who own NHL teams, but they’re the ones signing the checks for their players to play in the NHL. The NHL teams are the ones assuming the risks and getting none of the rewards for letting the players play, which is part of the reason why the players haven’t been to the last few Olympics. Given my sports allegiance is to the Devils and not Team USA, I’m going to empathize with the NHL teams on this particular topic.

Now, maybe this is all much ado about nothing. Maybe the Devils players who do go are ultimately fine once they get back and we’ll forget all about this as the Devils prepare for the stretch run.

I just know that I don’t need to see Jack Hughes take another hard hit into the boards in a game where he’s not even wearing a Devils sweater. I don’t need to see Nico Hischier take an extra whack on the hands after a faceoff. I don’t need to see Pesce or Siegenthaler lay out to block a shot. Call it babying the players (who are well aware of the physical risks when they suit up for a game) if you are so inclined. I don’t really care.

I will be annoyed if a Devils player suffers a major injury in this tournament. Which is why I’d ultimately rather skip the process entirely. Unfortunately, I’m not going to get what I want here, which leaves me with preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...nt-want-to-see-devils-players-at-the-olympics

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Should the New Jersey Devils Coaches be Worried About Their Job Security?

The New Jersey Devils just aren’t good enough right now.

Maybe that’s stating the obvious with the team falling out of a playoff spot and looking listless even over the last two games where they had a number of players return to the lineup. Yet at the same time it has to be said. With the amount of talented players on this team, being middling right now isn’t going to cut it. This was a team that had high expectations for themselves. A team that many pundits saw battling Carolina for the top of the division by season’s end. Yet right now, the Devils have to be more concerned about an early season’s end than battling Carolina for the division crown.

Which leads me to ask, should the New Jersey Devils coaches be concerned about their spots? Yes, players and responsible for playing and the general manager (who should probably also be worried about his job) is responsible for putting the team together. But the coaches are responsible for getting the most out of the personnel they have available to them, and you could argue that right now, they’re not doing that. Injuries have adversely impacted this team this season, but I’d argue that there were games with fill in players where the team looked better than in games where they were at full health.

Sheldone Keefe has a reputation as a successful head coach, but he’s not getting the results in Jersey that he did in Toronto. You could argue that he doesn’t have the same firepower he had in Toronto, but the current defense he’s working with should arguably be better than that during his tenure with the Leafs. Keefe should be held to the fire though mainly for his ridiculous lineup decisions. I get his lineup was more limited and he had to play certain players because of how many guys were out injured. Yet there were still concerning decisions being made, as I previously aired my grievances with. If Keefe consolidates all of his firepower into one line, while still playing Ondrej Palat on the second line, while there are players performing better in the Bottom 6 receiving fewer minutes, then I do not know if he is the correct coach to be leading this team.

The assistants I feel like I generally know less about, partly because they never seem to be focused on in most forms of Devils media. From what I know and have seen, I was never really a fan of the Jeremy Colliton hiring; he did well with AHL teams, but his time with Chicago prior to them officially rebuilding wasn’t great. Meanwhile Brad Shaw’s bio on the team website says he has “an extensive coaching resume” yet there’s very little listed statistically which always had me a bit concerned. Sergei Brylin maybe has a bit more leeway due to him being a great Devil for so many years coupled with AHL coaching success, but he might even be in danger if the Devils continue to simply tread water. The other part of why I feel like I know less of the assistants is that none of them mention specifically which parts of the team that each coach works with. Sure, the organization knows, but I think this is really bad for transparency because all the assistants get lumped together when maybe only one or two of them need to be replaced with a stronger coach.

Speaking of needing to be replaced, myself and others have written about Dave Rogalski before. The one assistant whose role is clearly define, he oversees goaltending, which has been the most inconsistent position for the Devils for quite some time now. He’s now in his sixth season with the team and is the longest tenured coach in the organization. And all I have left to say is how? This is a coach that has seen zero goaltenders develop or get better while he’s been here. We’ve seen a number of goalies leave and perform better outside of New Jersey; heck, Mackenzie Blackwood looks great for Colorado right now, but he even looked better getting shelled on a bad San Jose Sharks team in 2023-24 than he did the previous two seasons that he was stuck with Rogalski! Maybe literally any other goalie coach should be tried, and maybe it would help Jacob Markstrom to at least be league average again. I see no risk in making this change…which honestly should have probably been made a couple of seasons ago.

While the players bear part of the blame for the lack of results so far this season, it doesn’t mean the people who are supposed to be responsible for getting them ready are absolved. Coaches are also responsible for deploying players, which again has been problematic at times. If Tom Fitzgerald is worried about his job, or if he doesn’t want to have to worry, maybe it’s time to bring in at least one new coach (hint: maybe start with goaltending) to get better results. The New Jersey Devils are a franchise who in the past fired a coach while the team was doing well to make sure they got the results they needed. Fitz needs to remember the team’s history and identity if he wants to get everything back on the right path.

Because if he doesn’t, maybe it’s him and the coaches that all go out the door.

What are your thoughts on the job security of the Devils’ coaches; how would you rate the coaching staff overall? Who should be replaced in your eyes and why is it Rogalski? Is it Tom Fitzgerald who you believe should be more worried about his job? Are there any coaches available that you would prefer over who the Devils currently have? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-coaches-be-worried-about-their-job-security

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/24/25: Snakebitten Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

A back-breaking, late third-period goal for the Islanders and another rough offensive night for the Devils led to a 2-1 New Jersey loss. This isn’t fun. [Devils NHL]

“Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier aren’t scoring enough goals, and it’s causing the New Jersey Devils’ offense to sputter.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

“Whether snake bitten in the case of Hischier and Bratt or simply underperforming offensively in the case of Hamilton, New Jersey will need an offensive shakeup from their top guys one way or the other.” A look at what the Devils need this holiday season: [New Jersey Hockey Now]

“While Dougie hasn’t been nearly as bad as the perception around him has been — I still believe he is one of the better defensemen on the roster — he certainly isn’t playing up to the caliber of play he was in prior seasons.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links​

Flower returns?

Probably not surprising but hearing that some teams have checked in on Marc-Andre Fleury to see if there’s any chance at all he would consider playing again. Again not surprised teams with goalie needs would want to check on it.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 23, 2025

Regarding Marc-Andre Fleury talk:
– As @PierreVLeBrun said, teams have kicked the tires.
– I’ve heard he’s open to the right opportunity for a comeback.
– Obviously, @EdmontonOilers are the team to watch here, especially after the Jarry trade, an ex-teammate of MAF’s in PIT. pic.twitter.com/Ks8bB7gC8Y

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) December 23, 2025

“The numbers are almost too low to be believed. Auston Matthews, the NHL’s leading goal scorer since he entered the league in 2016, isn’t scoring anymore. Thirty-five games into the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain sits tied for 29th in goals per game and 97th in points per game, with only 14 goals, nine assists and 23 points in 30 games.” What’s wrong with Auston Matthews? [The Athletic ($)]

“Is Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby a top-five all-time NHL legend alongside Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe?” [The Hockey News]

“It’s beginning to look a lot like hockey at loanDepot park. The dasher boards, glass, benches and penalty boxes are all up in preparation for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at the home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins.” [NHL.com]

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...s-in-the-details-12-24-25-snakebitten-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2026 IIHF World Juniors Championships: Days 1-2 Open Post and Gamesthread

Good morning and Happy Boxing Day, Devils fans and hockey fans alike. One of the best hockey tournaments is getting underway once more, and it starts with some solid matchups. It is the World Juniors Championships once more, and it will run from today, December 26, to Monday, January 5. Today, we have some group stage action, which will run through New Year’s Eve.

December 26​

Group A Matchup #1: Sweden vs. Slovakia
The Time: 1:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #1: Denmark vs. Finland
The Time: 3:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/4, NHL Network, Fubo

Group A Matchup #2: USA vs. Germany
The Time: 6:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #2: Canada vs. Czechia
The Time: 8:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN2, NHL Network, Fubo

December 27​

Group A Matchup #1: Slovakia vs. Germany
The Time: 2:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #1: Canada vs. Latvia
The Time: 3:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/4, NHL Network, Fubo

Group A Matchup #2: USA vs. Switzerland
The Time: 6:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN3, NHL Network, Fubo

Group B Matchup #2: Denmark vs. Czechia
The Time: 8:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN1/3, NHL Network, Fubo

The Rosters​

Please see the following hyperlinks for each roster for qualified teams. Please note that not all teams have posted their rosters on their official sites. Teams have been ordered by their 2025 finish.

Team USA — 2025 Gold

Team Finland — 2025 Silver

Team Czechia — 2025 Bronze

Team Sweden — 2025 HM

Team Canada

Team Switzerland

Team Slovakia

Team Latvia

Team Germany

Team Denmark

Best of luck to all the young hockey players trying to show their best game on the big stage.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think of these first two days of World Juniors hockey? Will you be watching? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and feel free to treat this post like a gamethread when the times come.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/i...mpionships-days-1-2-open-post-and-gamesthread

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/26/25: Alarms Bells Edition

Let’s see your Devils Christmas haul! Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

A bright spot in a disappointing season so far:

I mean, this is just bonkers. The #NJDevils have a legitimate stud in Arseny Gritsyuk. pic.twitter.com/e8PiK1sZ2b

— JP Gambatese (@jp_gambatese) December 25, 2025

“It’s been nearly a full calendar year with middling to bad five-on-five offensive results for the Devils, and that should raise alarm bells about where this team is headed.” [Devils on the Rush]

Hockey Links​

“The needs of NHL teams will surely evolve in the lead-up to the March 6 trade deadline, and which teams are buyers and sellers probably will as well. However, with the league’s holiday roster freeze now in place, it’s a good time to try to find some early fits. With that in mind, and with an eye on our latest NHL trade big board, let’s play matchmaker.” [The Athletic ($)]

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year … the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship has arrived. The best players under 20, who are not in the NHL, will play in the annual holiday tournament beginning Friday through Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s a chance for draft-eligible players such as Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Juho Piiparinen to make an impression against their international peers, and for drafted prospects to show their development. The U.S. is looking to three-peat on home soil, Canada is looking to get back on track, Denmark wants to avoid relegation, and many other teams have medal hopes.” [ESPN]

A look at 10 of the top draft prospects at the World Juniors: [Daily Faceoff]

“The NHL resumes play following its holiday break with 13 games on Saturday. That begins a busy six-week stretch in the hockey world leading up to Feb. 6-24 break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Here are 10 things to watch for between now and then.” [NHL.com]

“Members of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association are on the verge of staging a strike in the ECHL if the union and the league cannot come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The PHPA announced Monday that its ECHL membership has served a strike notice that would be effective Friday, when play is scheduled to resume following the holiday break. Players voted Friday to authorize their bargaining committee to call for a strike, executive director Brian Ramsay said Monday.” [Associated Press]

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-in-the-details-12-26-25-alarms-bells-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #38: New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-1) vs. Washington Capitals (19-13-5)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN2, Radio — Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: Jackson wrote an extensive preview this morning.

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

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...d-38-new-jersey-devils-vs-washington-capitals

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #38: New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-1) vs. Washington Capitals (19-13-5)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSGSN2, Devils Radio Network

Last Devils Game​

In their final game before the Christmas break on Tuesday, the Devils lost to the Islanders 2-1 on Long Island. Brett Pesce had New Jersey’s lone goal, Jacob Markstrom was excellent except for one major gaffe, and the Devils allowed a goal around the 59-minute mark to allow their division rival to sneak away with a regulation win.

Last Capitals Game​

Washington was also in action on Tuesday, and they got boat-raced by the New York Rangers, 7-3.

Last Devils-Capitals Game​

Back on November 15, the New Jersey Devils played their first game after Jack Hughes’ freak injury in Chicago. It was a 3-2 shootout victory against the Capitals, in which Simon Nemec scored the winner in the skills competition to give New Jersey the extra point.

Reevaluating The Standings​

Now that the Christmas break is over, it seems like a good time to take stock of where the Devils rank in both the division and conference standings.

Entering tonight’s game, New Jersey is sixth in the Metropolitan with 41 points, ahead of only the Pittsburgh Penguins (39) and Columbus Blue Jackets (36). Things are slightly better when going by points percentage, as that pushes the Devils ahead of the New York Rangers, who have one more point in two more games played. As far as the Eastern Conference standings go, the Devils are one point out of a playoff spot, though the team holding the second wild card slot right now, the Florida Panthers, has played one fewer game than New Jersey.

What’s frustrating is that for all of the Devils’ struggles, they are tied for the third-most wins in the conference (20), behind only the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, who have 22 victories each. Granted, they are tied with five other teams, but it does go to show that things could be worse. The problem lies in the loser point. New Jersey only has one loser point thus far, tied for the fewest in the East with Boston. Tonight’s opponent, Washington, has one fewer win than New Jersey (in the same amount of games played), but two more loser points, so they enter tonight’s contest with two more points than the Devils. The Rangers, Senators, and Islanders are all teams that are ahead of New Jersey in the standings despite having fewer wins, all thanks to having more loser points (4, 5, and 7 respectively).

“Losing better” feels like such an odd thing to want your team to do, but that’s how Gary Bettman has set up his league. So here I am begging for the Devils to lose more games past 60 minutes. Or they could just, you know, actually win games too. That would help.

Metro Malaise​

Speaking of the standings, the Devils are out of a playoff spot at the moment thanks in large part to their struggles against their own division. Entering tonight’s game, New Jersey is a pathetic 3-5-1 against Metropolitan Division teams. They have lost their last four in-division contests, with their last win actually being the last time they met the Capitals on November 15. When you go almost a month-and-a-half between division wins, you have a serious problem on your hands.

As if this weren’t enough, of the Devils’ three wins against the Metro, only one of them has come in regulation: October 13 against the Blue Jackets. The Devils have allowed opponents to collect 14 of a possible 18 points against them, which is a mind-bending .778 points percentage.

I don’t think I need to tell you that this is a serious, serious problem. New Jersey is going to have a massive problem making the playoffs if they continue allowing Metro teams to rack up points at will against them. I heavily advise the Devils to walk away with a regulation win tonight. Four-point swings are big any time of the year, but especially now with the playoff race so bunched up.

Big Guns Misfiring​

Jesper Bratt has one goal and 15 points in his last 23 games.

Nico Hischier has one goal and seven points over his last 13 games.

Dougie Hamilton has not scored in his last 23 games, and has only tallied three assists in that time.

Dawson Mercer has not scored in his last 12 games, and has only tallied four assists in that time.

Timo Meier and Luke Hughes have been a little better, but not by much. Jack Hughes just returned from a long-term injury (and has a goal in his two games since rejoining the lineup), so I won’t get on him too much. But even with the marginal successes of those players, this team’s stars are not carrying their weight at all. There are advanced stats that we could look at that paint a rosier picture, and more importantly, that tell us these poor scoring numbers should regress to the mean (in a positive way!) soon. But the damage has already been done, New Jersey has lost a lot of ground in the standings because they are inexplicably incapable of scoring goals.

And it’s not like this is just a random cold spell either. In the category of “Stats that are hard to believe and should terrify Devils fans”, New Jersey is dead last in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals since last Christmas.

Dead. Last. In the entire league. For a full calendar year.

That is completely unacceptable, and it now has folks starting to point fingers at the coaching staff. I won’t get into that here, but the fact that it’s even gotten to this point should be enormously concerning to everyone involved. The Devils’ shooting luck should (emphasis on should) get better soon. But we’ve been saying that for a full calendar year now. It’s put up or shut up time.

Goalies Heating Up​

If there’s one positive that has come out of New Jersey’s recent struggles, it’s been the play of their goaltenders. Jacob Markstrom was terrific against the Islanders (save for his huge mistake handling a puck that gifted New York a goal). He was also stellar against Utah last week, and pretty good in his game before that against Vancouver. Meanwhile Jake Allen was fine against the Sabres, otherworldly against the Golden Knights, and incredible against the Ducks. Since the disaster against Tampa Bay on December 11, these two have really put the team on their backs.

This is fantastic to see, especially for Markstrom, who was struggling so mightily that it made me start to wonder if New Jersey could buy him out over the summer. As for Allen, he’s been pretty terrific all season long, and he’s kept that up through the Christmas break. There is still a lot of season left to go, but if the two veteran netminders can keep up this quality, or something close to it, that would go a long way toward getting New Jersey back to the playoffs, even if the offense continues to scuffle.

State Of The Union​

If Devils fans need a pick-me-up, the Washington Capitals are proof that sometimes other teams have it as bad as New Jersey too. The Caps come into tonight’s contest having lost their last three games, and six of their last seven. They had a nice six-game winning streak from November 24-December 3, but since then it’s been bleak. This skid has dropped them down into the wild card, where they are only two points up on a playoff spot.

So what’s been the issue for Washington lately? Mainly keeping the puck out of their own net. Aside from their 4-0 win over Toronto on December 18, the Capitals have allowed a total of 27 goals over their last six games. Their main dog in net, Logan Thompson, has been elite since the start of last season, but has hit a rough patch since this downturn commenced. In his five games played since December 11 (when Washington’s streak of six losses in seven games began), Thompson has posted an .891 save percentage. The team in front of him hasn’t exactly helped him out, allowing just north of 31 shots against per game, but it’s not like that’s a completely unreasonable figure. The bottom line is, Thompson just hasn’t been very good lately.

His tandem-mate, Charlie Lindgren, hasn’t been good all season long, and especially since December 11. He’s only played two games since then, but he’s put up a save percentage of .864, which is just dismal. His overall season save percentage is .888, so it’s been a real struggle for him thus far.

We keep saying it, but the Devils have a real opportunity to snap out of their scoring funk here. Thompson is usually quite strong, but he’s scuffling, and Lindgren has been terrible this season. Whoever starts tonight, New Jersey will be facing a goalie that is currently going through it. They really need to take advantage.

As far as their skaters go, it is of course the old guard leading the way. Tom Wilson paces the team in scoring with 34 points (17 goals) in 37 games. Alex Ovechkin is right behind him with 31 points (14 goals) in 37 contests. Rounding out the top three is John Carlson, who is up to 29 points (eight goals) in 33 games.

When it comes to who to watch for tonight, get ready to see a lot of Washington’s fourth-leading scorer, Jakob Chychrun. He leads the team in average time on ice, playing 23:14 per game. Somehow, Chychrun is up to 14 goals this season, as he’s riding an unsustainable 11.1 shooting percentage. New Jersey better hope his stick cools off starting tonight, or else he could wreak havoc from the blue line.

Projected Lineup​

Here is how Washington lined up against the Rangers in their last game on Tuesday:

Lineys#CapsRangers | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/vON87HRS0e

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 23, 2025

Expect much the same tonight.

Your Take​

What do you make of tonight’s game? Will this evening finally be the night we see some actual finishing talent on display for the Devils? Do you expect the goaltending to stay hot? Who on the Capitals will you be keeping an eye on the most? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...w-38-new-jersey-devils-vs-washington-capitals

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/29/25: Clearing Space Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

The Devils managed to come back and push to a third-period lead against the Capitals on Saturday, but Washington tied things up and took the contest with an overtime winner. Capitals won, 4-3. [Devils NHL]

“To be frank, the core players are simply too talented to be sporting the dismal offensive output that they have been producing over the past season and a half. It’s not their faults, though – they’ve still been producing goals and points at their typical levels. I also don’t think it’s a coaching issue. To me, the blame falls squarely on the Devils’ front office.” [Infernal Access]

“The Devils have needed to clear cap space since the summer, but Fitzgerald hasn’t been able to do it. Now, the clock is ticking to get something done with Kovacevic’s return getting closer.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

“Given the absurd underlying statistics and the fact that (Jesper Bratt is) doing all of the little things right, it’s only a matter of time before he gains that finishing touch back and his linemates start to capitalize on his chances. I know that results-based analysis is the convenient route, and is all the more relevant with the team as a whole struggling to find the back of the net, but the truth is that Bratt is playing some of the best hockey in his career.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links​

Linus Ullmark will be away from the Senators:

pic.twitter.com/MZtDFxZTD2

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 28, 2025

“The West is stacked. When you really think about it, there’s an embarrassment of riches stuffed into one conference. And then you start to wonder: Wait, who is the best player in the East? And where would that player even rank league-wide?” [The Athletic ($)]

An update on the situation in the ECHL:

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association and the @ECHL announced today that a tentative deal has been reached on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The tentative agreement remains subject to ratification by the PHPA’s ECHL membership and approval by the ECHL Board of… pic.twitter.com/AJ73O1Ot0H

— PHPA (@thephpa) December 28, 2025

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...n-the-details-12-29-25-clearing-space-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

The Top 10 New Jersey Devils Stories of 2025

2025 is just about over. While every single one of us has very different lives, we all presumably share one thing in common: A love for New Jersey Devils hockey. This team may annoy the bajeebers out of us sometimes, but this is the franchise we’ve chosen to support, and so we ride with the Devils through the good times and bad.

The calendar year of 2025 was an interesting one for New Jersey. It might not have been quite as eventful as some other years, but there was still plenty of intrigue surrounding Jersey’s team. As such, I felt it might be fun to count down the top 10 stories of 2025 involving the New Jersey Devils. Keep in mind, there is absolutely no scientific method here. This list is based purely on my own personal “eye test”, with factors such as on-ice impact, influence on the franchise, and amount of attention and speculation dedicated to it taken into account. I am sure you will disagree with either the ranking of some storylines, or the inclusion/omission of others.

With all that out of the way, let’s take a look at what I consider to be the top 10 New Jersey Devils stories of 2025.

10. Resolution of the Hockey Canada Case​

Back in July, the trial involving members of the 2018 Hockey Canada World Junior Championship Team reached it’s conclusion, with former Devils Michael McLeod and Cal Foote acquitted of the sexual assault charges they were facing. This does not necessarily mean they didn’t do what they were accused of, just that the judge overseeing the trial decided that there was not enough evidence to produce a guilty verdict. As a result of their acquittal, many wondered if the Devils would try to reunite with McLeod (not so much Foote). The answer we got was a pretty resounding no, as McLeod continues to receive seemingly no attention from New Jersey to this day.

9. A Return To The Playoffs​

In Sheldon Keefe’s first year at the helm, he guided the Devils back to the postseason. Their stay in the second season didn’t last long, as they suffered a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. That, along with the fact that the regular season was an absolute slog after the Christmas break, made for as frustrating a playoff campaign as one could ask for. Still, a season after missing the playoffs altogether, it was nice to see New Jersey get back to the tournament, even if poor offense and injuries conspired to make their run a short one. The Devils will now look to make the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2008-09 and 2009-10.

8. The Year Of The No-Move Clause​

As a result of the roster’s anemic offense, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has been trying desperately to inject some offensive talent into the lineup via the trade market. At least that’s what his allies in the media are telling us; who knows if that’s actually true. But standing in his way is the fact that Fitzgerald is completely handcuffed by all the no-move clauses he’s given out over the years. It has gotten to the point where Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com wrote about how Fitzgerald and the Devils have given out the most NMC’s in the league. The two biggest names that have been rumored to be on the trade block are Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat. The problem is, both have extensive no-move protection, so trading them is close to impossible. I won’t go down the list of players who have some form of no-move clause on the roster, because it would be quicker to name the players who don’t. But just know that Fitzgerald’s bizarre obsession with handing out NMC’s put this organization in a serious bind in 2025.

7. The Development of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec​

Luke Hughes’ and Simon Nemec’s development have been a major story for this team in 2025. Hughes hasn’t made the leap New Jersey was counting on yet (spoiler alert: more on that later), but he’s certainly been better than what we’ve seen out of Nemec this calendar year. Nemec struggled mightily all regular season last year, including the 2025 portion of the season. But he turned it on big time in the playoffs against Carolina, and we all hoped that what we saw was the real Nemec and that his poor regular season was just the result of a preseason injury he never recovered from, plus the growing pains of learning a new system. Then in the 2025 part of the 25-26 campaign, Nemec continued to absolutely flounder defensively, raising serious concerns about his long-term ceiling. His offense has been decent at least, and in fact his point totals are excellent thanks to riding a shooting percentage binge. But he’s still not anywhere close to what the Devils were surely hoping he’d be at this point. Like Hughes, there’s still time for Nemec to develop into a quality defensemen. But Tom Fitzgerald, Sheldon Keefe, and the rest of the organization surely have to be concerned with the development (or lack thereof) they’ve seen from Hughes and Nemec in 2025.

6. The Quinn Hughes Sweepstakes​

It seems odd that the long-term future of a player on another team would be a major storyline, but Quinn Hughes is no ordinary player. The older brother of the Devils’ Jack and Luke, Quinn was rumored to be unhappy with Vancouver Canucks management in recent times. This, coupled with Canucks executive Jim Rutherford’s shockingly blunt comments about Quinn’s desire to play with his brothers over the summer, led many to believe a trade to New Jersey was inevitable. We know what happened from there. Quinn was traded to the Minnesota Wild, disappointing Jack, Luke, and Devils fans everywhere. The Quinn Hughes saga reached one inflection point in 2025, but there will surely be at least one more to come in the year ahead.

5. Luke Hughes’ Long Term Future​

It was a long, long staring contest. But in the end, Tom Fitzgerald got Luke Hughes’ signature on a long-term contract. Seven years to be exact, which means a huge piece of the Devils’ rising core is locked up long term. If we’re being honest, it’s been a disappointing year for Hughes on the ice. Once Brett Pesce went down, he struggled mightily, and he hasn’t taken the developmental leap the Devils were hoping he’d take. Heck, forget hoping, they were sort of banking on him taking the next step and becoming a true number-one defenseman. Nevertheless, Hughes’ development is not over, and at the very least, New Jersey has certainty with a player they hope is the future leader of their blueline (assuming Hughes’ older brother doesn’t join the party himself).

4. Injuries, Injuries, Injuries​

I won’t run down a comprehensive list of all the serious injuries New Jersey has faced over the last calendar year. That list would be WAY too long, and besides, you all know the story by now. The hilarious number of injuries has no doubt been one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Devils in 2025. Star players, depth players, goalies…nobody has been safe from the injury bug this year. And while the league as a whole is experiencing a bit of an injury uptick this season, the Devils are still one of the unluckiest squads in the NHL when it comes to this stuff. We can only hope for better health for this team in 2026.

3. The Nonexistent Offense​

In the 2025 part of the 24-25 regular season, New Jersey scuffled thanks in large part to a bottom six that just could not generate any semblance of offense. Erik Haula, Tomas Tatar, Nate Bastian, Justin Dowling, Curtis Lazar…all depth contributors that did not, well, contribute in 2025, and each one of them was jettisoned in the summer. In their place came players such as Cody Glass, Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, Arseni Gritsyuk, and Luke Glendening. This group has been better, but still not good enough. Couple that with a top six that has gone through their fare share of scoring woes, and you have an offense that rates in the lower half of the league this season, as well as an offense that has posted the fewest 5-on-5 goals in the NHL since last Christmas. We can point to many issues surrounding this team, but the anemic offense has to be at or near the top of the list.

2. Jack Hughes’ Injuries​

We mentioned general injuries already, but this one deserves special mention. Another year, another significant injury for Jack Hughes. Actually scratch that; significant injuries, plural, for Jack Hughes. In March, Jack Eichel sent Hughes careening into the end boards shoulder-first, ending Hughes’ season in devastating fashion. Upon returning at the start of the 2025-26 regular season, Hughes was off to a fine start, before he suffered a freak injury at a Chicago steakhouse that cost him roughly another month of action. I feel so bad for this guy, he just cannot stay healthy. I’ve resisted calling Hughes injury prone, and to be fair these two injuries (the Chicago incident especially) are not wounds that occur because a player is injury prone. Could Hughes have survived the Eichel debacle with his shoulder intact if he has some more muscle on him? Maybe. But maybe not. All that said, while I’ve resisted labelling Hughes as injury prone, the fact remains that Hughes has suffered significant injuries in four of the last five seasons. And 2025 was no different. It goes without saying, but the Devils need Hughes to overcome his injury struggles and become a durable player as he reaches his prime.

1. Tom Fitzgerald’s Job Security And Future With The Devils​

And finally, the job security and long term future of general manager Tom Fitzgerald is, in my opinion, the biggest storyline of 2025. It’s something that affects every aspect of the organization and just about all the stories we’ve talked about today. The ridiculous amount of no-move clauses, the lack of development from the Devils’ young defensemen, Luke Hughes’ long-term contract, missing out on Quinn Hughes, the pathetic offense…it all comes back to Tom Fitzgerald and the job he’s done. Reports are that he’s safe at the moment, but I honestly believe he would be more likely than not to be fired if New Jersey misses the postseason this year. And if that happens, an entire organizational upheaval could take place. Granted, you could argue this would be a bigger story in 2026, but even if Fitzgerald’s job security wasn’t a big factor earlier in the year, the heat around him in the latter half of 2025 has gotten so great that it has had a significant impact on everything this franchise does and how this franchise is perceived. Tom Fitzgerald either remaining as general manager or getting his pink slip is the top Devils story of 2025 in my eyes, primarily for how impactful either scenario will be.

Happy New Year​

And there you have it. As mentioned, I seriously doubt any of you will be pleased with all of this list. But that’s part of the fun of this whole exercise, debating what belongs and what doesn’t, and I encourage all of you to give us your top stories in the comments section.

We’ve reached the end of another year, which is usually a good time to reflect on the year that was. As I think back on 2025, I think of the highs and lows this team has provided me. I think of what could have gone differently. But most of all (and I apologize for getting all sappy), I think of how grateful I am to be a part of this community. I’ve been writing for this site since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, so I’m finishing up my third calendar year as a contributor. And I was a reader long, long before that. Despite how frustrating hockey can be sometimes, All About The Jersey remains a place I always love coming back to, whether to read a story, write a story, or peruse the comments sections to see what everyone else thinks about any given Devils topic. Thank you all for making this a wonderful space to share a love for New Jersey Devils hockey.

I hope you had a great 2025. Here’s to an equally great 2026. Let’s go Devils.

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d.../the-top-10-new-jersey-devils-stories-of-2025

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Game Preview #39: New Jersey Devils @ Toronto Maple Leafs

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (17-15-6)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: MSG, Devils Radio Network

Last Devils Game​

The Devils returned to action after the Christmas break on Saturday when they hosted the Washington Capitals. Jesper Bratt shook out of a deep scoring slump by potting two goals, but it wasn’t enough as New Jersey fell 4-3 in overtime.

Last Maple Leafs Game​

Toronto last hit the ice on Sunday when they battled the Red Wings in Detroit. The Leafs blew a third period lead and eventually fell 3-2 in overtime.

Last Devils-Maple Leafs Game​

Remember the Devils’ eight-game winning streak? The Maple Leafs were one of New Jersey’s victims during that stretch, as the Devils took a 5-2 decision in Toronto on October 21. Jack Hughes was the big story in that game, registering a hat trick to keep the Devils rolling.

Bratt Breaks Out​

Saturday’s game must have felt like finding water in the desert for Jesper Bratt. After scoring one (1) goal over his previous 23 games, Bratt lit the lamp twice against the Capitals. His first came off a one-timer on the power play, and his second came on a seeing-eye shot from the point that slipped through a few bodies and in. They were not dazzling displays of skill and sharpshooting from Bratt, but beggars can’t be choosers.

As I look back on that 23-game stretch of goal-scoring ineptitude, I do think that while Bratt wasn’t playing his best, he was far from playing his worst. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, Bratt was a playdriving machine in that span (November 8 to December 23):

Corsi For%: 57.71

Scoring Chances For%: 56.82

High Danger Corsi For%: 54.25

Expected Goals For%: 58.55

Those are fantastic numbers. But it didn’t feel like he was playing as well as those stats would indicate, and I think a large part of that had to do with the fact that during that span, he got outscored 11-to-18 at 5-on-5. When you’re rocking a Goals For% around 38%, it’s hard to look good.

One two-goal game does not change everything. Bratt doesn’t have to score tonight, but he does need to put together a good stretch of games here where he’s finding the back of the net with some frequency. Or I suppose if he’s not scoring but he’s walking away with two or three assists per game or something, that works too. Either way, Saturday must have felt amazing for Bratt, and we can only hope it’s the start of a scoring bender.

It’s Come To This​

To be fair, it’s not just Bratt that has been struggling to score. Since the eight-game winning streak ended, the entire team has been either suffering from impossibly bad shooting luck, or they are totally incompetent when it comes to beating goaltenders. Or both. The Devils are near the bottom of the league when it comes to goal-scoring, which is completely unacceptable for a team with this much talent.

The problem has gotten so bad that head coach Sheldon Keefe has resorted to treating his players like they’re a PeeWee squad:

Based on the way things are setting up at #NJDevils practice this morning it's going to be a skills based practice, with different stations set up all over the ice, from shooting, passing, etc.

Couple of shooter-tutors set up in the nets too, of which there are six on the ice.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) December 28, 2025

Yes, the Devils have been so utterly helpless at scoring goals this season that Keefe feels the need to use shooter-tutors to help his team get better at it. I’m sorry, but if you’re a Devils player, that has to be incredibly motivating. You are a National Hockey League player, which means by definition you are one of the most elite hockey players on planet Earth…and your coach is basically telling you that you are so bad at your job that you need a youth hockey tool to get better? If this team has any pride, they would take that as a major wake-up call and find their offensive game in short order. I do believe that New Jersey has run into some horrible shooting luck that does not reflect their true skill or effort level. But they’ve also been a terrible shooting team for most of the season. Both can be true at once. It’s past time for this team to start beating goaltenders with regularity.

Weakness vs. Weakness​

One interesting matchup I’ll be keeping a close eye on tonight is the Maple Leafs’ power play vs. the Devils’ penalty kill. Toronto enters with a power play conversion rate of 15.5%, a lowly 27th-best in the NHL. On the other side, New Jersey’s penalty kill has labored along at 76.0% efficiency, also 27th-best in the NHL.

If we take a look at the Natural Stat Trick numbers, we see that Toronto has averaged 4:27 per game on the man-advantage, which is the seventh-lowest rate in the league (New Jersey, by the way, is at 4:10 per game, second-lowest in the NHL ahead of only the Edmonton Oilers). So the Leafs struggle to even get to their power play in the first place. Once there, Toronto does a decent job at getting shots off, as they’re 12th in the league in CF/60 and SF/60 on the power play. Meanwhile their 8.57 xGF/60 is basically average, coming in at 17th-best in the league. So even though they don’t get much power play time, their process does not scream “One of the worst power plays in the league” based on the fancy stats.

So what’s the culprit for their power play struggles? How about a 9.93 shooting percentage, third-worst in the NHL. If you thought the Devils had bad shooters on their team, the Maple Leafs would like a word.

So while Toronto struggles with the man-advantage on the surface, their power play is more dangerous than it appears. Granted, it’s still not near the top of the league in any way, it’s merely average. But average is a lot better than the conversion rate would indicate. The Devils and their abysmal penalty kill better hope the Leafs’ shooting struggles last at least one more game.

The Matthews Panic Is Real​

Auston Matthews has been one of the very best players in the world for some time now. He’s been a truly elite goal-scorer, an incredible play-driver, and thanks in large part to former Maple Leafs coach and current Devils bench boss Sheldon Keefe, he also turned himself into a defensive ace, with Selke Trophy votes (including a third-place finish in 2023-24) in the last six seasons to show for it. I don’t think I need to remind Devils fans how good Matthews is, considering he’s scored an astonishing 21 goals in 22 games against New Jersey in his career. He has absolutely destroyed the Devils since he came into the league, which is par for the course for one of the top players in the world.

But something appears to be wrong with Matthews this season. He enters tonight’s game with a mere 15 goals and 27 points in 33 games, far, far below his lofty standards. Under the hood, his 5-on-5 playdriving numbers are all well below his usual production as well. And perhaps most shocking of all, he did not register a point in his first game against New Jersey this year, which should have set off massive alarm bells in Toronto. It’s gotten so bad that professional outlets are starting to do deep dives on what the problem might be. The theories range from him playing injured to Leafs coach Craig Berube’s systems being bad to Matthews really missing Mitch Marner.

Whatever the reason, Matthews has not been Matthews this season. There’s still plenty of time for him to right the ship, both in this season and over the course of the rest of his career. But for the Devils’ sake, they better hope he doesn’t find his game tonight.

The Rest Of The Leafs​

As far as the entire Maple Leafs team goes, this has certainly been a down year for them. They’ve lost more games than they’ve won, which they really have never done in the Auston Matthews era. Losing a player as good as Marner seems to have really hurt this team, even if it was truly time for him to go. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Maple Leafs are one of the worst playdriving teams in the NHL at 5-on-5:

CF%: 45.67 (30th in the league)

SCF%: 46.96 (27th)

HDCF%: 50.14 (18th)

xGF%: 48.64 (23rd)

So aside from HDCF%, Toronto is near the bottom of the league in every other category. It’s pretty alarming to see the Leafs this bad at controlling play. No wonder Leafs fans are calling for Craig Berube’s head.

As far as raw point production goes, William Nylander leads the way with 14 goals and 41 points in 33 games. Former captain John Tavares is still chugging along at the ripe old age of 35, with 15 goals and 35 points in 38 games. The top three is rounded out by Matthew Knies, who has 10 goals and 34 points in 35 contests. Toronto’s top point-scorer among defenseman is Morgan Reilly, who is up to five goals and 25 points through 37 games. No surprises in that group aside from maybe Knies, as Nylander, Tavares, and Reilly (along with Matthews) have made up the core of the Maple Leafs for a long time now.

Projected Lineup​

Here’s how the Maple Leafs lined up in their last game:

Tonight’s Lineup@Molson_Canadian | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ICUNjlFhBt

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 29, 2025

You may notice one very notable absence there: William Nylander. He is considered day-to-day at last check, so his status bears monitoring as we get closer to gametime. If he can’t go, that’s a huge break for New Jersey.

Your Take​

What do you make of tonight’s game? Do you expect Bratt to find the back of the net again? What about the rest of the offense, do you think we finally see a goal explosion for the first time in a while? Despite his struggles, how concerned are you about Auston Matthews wrecking the game tonight? As always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...view-39-new-jersey-devils-toronto-maple-leafs

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #39: New Jersey Devils at Toronto Maple Leafs

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-16-2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (17-15-6)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: TV — MSG, Radio — Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: Jackson wrote a preview this morning.

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

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...d-39-new-jersey-devils-at-toronto-maple-leafs

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Why I’m Cautiously Optimistic For The Second Half of the Devils Season

There has been a lot of negativity when it comes to the discourse around the New Jersey Devils throughout 2025. And justifiably so.

For the second year in a row, the Devils got off to a good start only to give it back. They’re 39-38-6 in the last calendar year. The Devils, who were in a playoff spot on Thanksgiving, currently sit on the outside looking in. The team is capped out, and while they have draft picks available to trade, they’re in a tough spot where they need to subtract money to add money. Some of those players with bloated contracts have looked like shells of their former selves, and other GMs aren’t going to be looking to do the Devils any favors unless it is worth their while. The blame has been laid at GM Tom Fitzgerald’s feet, and there are fair questions as to whether or not head coach Sheldon Keefe is capable of getting more out of this roster.

The vibes, as they say, are bad.

So why am I cautiously optimistic about this team going forward when they’ve given me little reason to believe?

The short answer might very well be that I am a big dumb idiot for still believing in this group. But with the calendar shifting to 2026 tomorrow, at the bare minimum, I refuse to doom-watch this team thinking everything that can possibly go wrong will. Aside from the fact that that’s not good for my mental health, it’s also exhausting to be the fan who consistently says “see, I knew they sucked” all along. I’m still invested in this group, and I’m going to be until they give me a reason not to be. Despite things being bad at the moment, I don’t think we’re quite there yet.

I came up with a few reasons that I’ll be telling myself when it comes to why the Devils could turn things around in 2026. Will they? Who the heck knows? The Devils might keep pulling the proverbial football away like Lucy from Peanuts, but I’m still going to try to kick it. This is why they play the games. We all get to see what happens. We get to see what this group is made of, and we’ll probably get a clear answer whether or not some of these players should continue being on the roster going forward.

The Goaltending/ Defensive Efforts Have Actually Been Better of Late​

We are dealing with very small sample sizes here. But with that said, Jacob Markstrom is at a .932 save percentage over his last three starts while Jake Allen is at .936 over his last four starts.

The fact that the Devils have been getting better goaltending really just hammers home how frustrating this stretch of futility has been. It’s really hard to win games in this league when you’re only scoring one or two goals in any given night, and you can’t ask the goaltenders to be perfect to make up for an anemic offense. I’m not saying the Devils should be throwing a parade because Markstrom didn’t look completely washed for a few games in a row or because Allen had a few good starts, but its better than the alternative and you gotta start somewhere when trying to take a step forward.

Prior to the Christmas break, the Devils had given up ten goals in their last six games, with one of those being an empty netter. Their record was 3-3.

Getting Brett Pesce back and helping stabilize that pairing with Luke Hughes likely has had some impact on that defensive turnaround, but generally speaking, the goaltending and the defense has been doing their part and giving the team a chance to win. It’s time for the offense to do their part.

Special Teams Should Be Better With Brett Pesce and Jack Hughes Back In The Lineup​

The Devils penalty kill has typically been one of the strengths of the team the last few years, but they took several steps back when Pesce got injured.

The penalty kill in games that Pesce has played is killing penalties at a 90.0% clip, only allowing 4 goals in 40 opportunities. A lot of that comes from the stretch earlier in the season where the Devils killed off 21 consecutive penalties, but it’s all still part of the resume at the end of the day. The Devils have also killed off 7 of 9 penalties in games since Pesce returned.

To give you an idea of how much the penalty killed dropped off in Pesce’s absence, the Devils killed off 40 of 60 penalties, converting at a 66.6% rate, without him in the lineup. The majority of that damage came in the final few games before Pesce returned, with the Devils killing off 5 of 12 penalties over four games. It doesn’t take an expert to say that that’s not good.

As for the power play, the Devils converted at a 25% rate prior to Jack Hughes’s injury (11-for-44) and are 1-for-3 since his return, good for 25.5%. Without Jack, the Devils converted at a 17% clip (8-for-47).

At the moment of this writing, the Devils penalty kill sits 27th in the league at 75.8%. The power play has done better at 20.7%, good for 12th in the league. I’m not trying to suggest that Brett Pesce is solely responsible for any success the penalty kill has, nor am I trying to suggest that Jack Hughes is solely responsible for any success the power play has. Sometimes, the Devils penalty kill gives up goals when Pesce is on the ice. Sometimes, the Devils power play scores when Jack is off the ice or not directly involved with the run of play.

That said, both of those players play significant roles on those respective units. Pesce, who is the Devils best defensive defenseman, leads all Devils players in time on ice per game on the kill at 2:53. Hughes, who is the Devils best offensive threat, is 3rd amongst Devils forwards at 2:54 in time on ice per game. Those respective units flow through those players. They’re a big part of the reason why those units have success, and when they’re not in the lineup, their absence is felt. There’s no getting around that.

Shooting Luck (Or Lack Thereof) Should Turn Around to Some Extent​

In the Devils final 11 games prior to the Christmas break, they shot a hair over 6%.

As a point of reference, the league average is roughly 10.3%.

Shooting 6% over any prolonged stretch is bad, but it’s also to the point where “this can’t go on forever”. Only Chicago has scored fewer 5v5 goals since December 3rd, and while Chicago might be getting comically bad luck with a .946 PDO in that stretch, the Devils aren’t doing much better at .986.

I would agree with the line of thinking that this team could use another finisher or two in their top six. I would also agree that they’re probably just an average team when it comes to finishing. Tom Fitzgerald needed to add another scoring forward in the offseason, but the lack of cap space that he had a hand in creating prevented him from doing so. But it should be also noted that they just got their best finisher back in the lineup with Jack Hughes and that alone should make some impact.

I’d like to see the Devils figure out a way to create more offensively. I know Jesper Bratt has been a whipping boy of late due to his scoring struggles, as he’s a ‘pass first, ask questions later’ player. It was nice to see him score a couple goals the other night against Washington, but I need more from him. I’d also like to see Arseny Gritsyuk play with better players who can find him in a position to get his shot off. Gritsyuk needs to be a guy who is getting his shot off since he’s one of the few players on the roster capable of being a goaltender clean.

But I’d also like to see the Devils do more to change their puck luck. The Devils don’t play for rebounds, as they have ONE goal off the rebound at 5v5 this season according to MoneyPuck. Worst in the league. They don’t do enough when it comes to getting bodies to the front of the net and either tipping or redirecting shots. They’re also 32nd in the league at goals for above expected at 5v5 despite being 11th in the league at getting shots on net, which really hammers home how much they’ve struggled finishing.

Stop with the overpassing and setting up the “perfect shot” that NEVER GOES IN and start throwing the puck on net from all angles and maybe good things will happen. Diversify your approach so you’re not so one-dimensional and easy to defend. Doing so should create shooting lanes that haven’t been there earlier in the season.

The Devils Are As Healthy As They Have Been In Awhile​

Let’s turn the clock back to Opening Night, when the Devils iced this lineup.

Now lets look at the lineup they’ve iced in their most recent game.

Aside from swapping out Evgenii Dadonov for Stefan Noesen and some line tweaks, it’s basically the same lineup.

Now, that lineup didn’t win on Opening Night in Carolina, but it is the same lineup that rattled off eight wins in a row shortly thereafter and beat some of the better teams in the NHL in the process.

None of this means that the Devils will continue to remain healthy going forward or replicate that early season success. Some injuries have had a far greater impact than others, as we’ve already discussed with Hughes and Pesce. There’s a lot of luck and randomness to all of this, and if the so-called Hockey Gods decide it’s just not your year, it’s not your year.

But they’re….(knock on wood)….relatively healthy at the moment. And generally speaking, having good players in your lineup is better than having replacement level players.

The Schedule Is Easing Up​

I will preface this portion of the article by saying that generally speaking, I despise playing “the schedule game”.

The reason for that is this is professional sports. The term “Any Given Sunday” exists for a reason, because any team can theoretically beat any other team on any given day. Add on top of that how tight the league has been in general this year and one could say that its actually misleading to suggest the schedule is easy given the circumstances.

I don’t think anyone can dispute that the first half of the Devils schedule is far more difficult than the second half. And with that said, it should be pointed out that they don’t face a team like Colorado, Anaheim, or Vegas again unless the Devils were to somehow reach the Stanley Cup Final….something we would all sign up for. The Devils don’t face Tampa Bay again this season unless they meet in the playoffs.

That’s not to say the Devils don’t have difficult games on what is supposedly one of the easiest schedules remaining in the league. The Devils still have Carolina three times and they have yet to solve their Carolina issue. There’s tough games here and there such as Dallas and Florida and Minnesota. They just lost in overtime to Washington, a team ahead of them in the standings, the other night. And if you want to be cynical, one could say every game is a tough game when you might be as average as this Devils team appears to be. I get all that. But there isn’t a stretch in the second half where they have 5-6 tough games all in a row where you wonder if they’re going to win a game at all within that two week stretch.

The Devils still need to get their own house in order and take care of their own business, but at least it’s not as rough as it looked early on.

Final Thoughts​

I don’t think the Devils are championship contenders as presently constructed. But that doesn’t mean I want to see them pack it in either. This is a team that should be a comfortable playoff team, and it’s about time they start acting like one and showing it on the ice.

The bad news is that injuries and inconsistencies have chipped away at the point lead they accumulated in the early weeks of the season and put the Devils right on that playoff bubble. The good news is that they still have half the season to go, they’re getting healthier, and the schedule isn’t as brutal as it was in the first half of the season. It wouldn’t take much of a winning streak to be right back in the mix for the playoffs, but they need to do it.

You’re only as good as your record though, and the stats are only good until the next time there’s an 0-4 and that dynamic changes. The Devils may have key pieces back, but they still don’t look like a team that is about to turn the corner and go on a winning streak. Rather, they look like a team that is hanging on and trying to survive on any given night they play hockey. Until THAT changes, its tough to see the Devils fortunes changing as well. And because of that, my cautious optimism might be closer to actually being wishful thinking.

(Stats referenced in this article do not include the December 30th, 2025 game vs. Toronto, a game where I’m certain the Devils won’t play as poorly as they have all season and make this entire article seem ridiculous in retrospect)

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...stic-for-the-second-half-of-the-devils-season

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Devils in the Details – 12/31/25: Circling the Drain Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links​

Another pathetic showing as the season continues to circle the drain. The Leafs were missing Auston Matthews and William Nylander in Tuesday night’s game but took a 4-0 win over the Devils. [Devils NHL]

“While a lack of secondary scoring has certainly factored into New Jersey’s woes, they haven’t gotten enough from their big guns either. Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer have gone through extreme dryspells that have completely cratered the team’s offense.” [Infernal Access ($)]

“Dougie Hamilton and Ondřej Palát are two prime candidates to move for cap space due to their pricey cap hits, but are there other options, like trading Jonas Siegenthaler? General manager Tom Fitzgerald could pull that off, but it’s a bit more complicated.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Hockey Links​

A trade:

TRADE ALERT

We've received a 2026 2nd-RD pick, a 2027 3rd-RD pick and F Danton Heinen from the @penguins in exchange for F Yegor Chinakhov.

https://t.co/H7AI7HoUZ5

CBJ x @OHHeartofitAll pic.twitter.com/Hw3R5WN8za

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 29, 2025

Olympic rosters will be here soon:

With Olympic rosters due tomorrow, USA Hockey & Team Canada will call players in the morning.

Expect similar American roster to Four Nations; hearing small tweaks. Macklin Celebrini made Canada then we’ll see on Connor Bedard, who was just on the outside throughout the process.

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) December 30, 2025

Hurricanes are losing Pyotr Kochetkov:

Oh no.

Rod Brind'Amour shares pre-game that Pyotr Kochetkov is having surgery to fix the lower-body injury he's been dealing with this season and is "probably out for the year." pic.twitter.com/Pd0pqG45hz

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) December 29, 2025

Some history:

Another page in the history books for Matthew Schaefer! pic.twitter.com/yfgVMIPBLn

— NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2025

“The 2025 calendar year is coming to a close, and there’s plenty to reflect on. Over the past year in hockey, we saw a rivalry renewed on the international stage, a repeat champ crowned, record-setting contracts signed, a new CBA stamped, and blockbuster trades that shook things up in a big way. But the hockey world is forever moving forward, and as we approach a new year, we’re looking at what 2026 may bring. Here are nine storylines we’re eying in the year ahead.” [Sportsnet]

“The Buffalo Sabres’ surprising nine-game win streak has been achieved by a revitalized defense, timely offense and veteran player performances.” [The Hockey News]

ECHL news:

The PHPA's ECHL membership has ratified a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement with the @ECHL. The new agreement will run through the 2029-30 season.

“This agreement reflects the unity, resolve, professionalism and discipline of our members throughout this process,”… pic.twitter.com/V5zLBk5DVB

— PHPA (@thephpa) December 30, 2025

pic.twitter.com/eFHD8WeJpa

— ECHL (@ECHL) December 30, 2025

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

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...e-details-12-31-25-circling-the-drain-edition

 

[New Jersey Devils]

2025-26 Gamethread #40: New Jersey Devils at Columbus Blue Jackets

The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (20-17-2) at the Columbus Blue Jackets (17-15-6)

The Time: 7:00pm ET

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN, Radio — Devils Radio Network

The Game Preview: I wrote the preview this morning.

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

LGD!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...40-new-jersey-devils-at-columbus-blue-jackets

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Management and Ownership Should be Held Accountable for the Middling New Jersey Devils

Last week, I questioned if the coaching staff of the New Jersey Devils should feel secure about their jobs. In that article, I also briefly mentioned how it is General Manager Tom Fitzgerald’s job to do something as well; after all, heading coaching hires (and to some extent, the assistants) are his decision. The Devils are still struggling even after numerous players have gotten healthy and returned while completing a month of play where they went just 5-9-1 in 15 games, getting a lowly 11 points of a possible 30. Worse still is the fact that they lost games to many teams who are middling in the standings as much as they are; swinging those games could’ve cured the team’s ills and this article wouldn’t even be a thought right now.

Yet sadly, here we are; 11 points out of 30 is simply unacceptable for a team that had plans and expectations to be dueling with Carolina for the division crown. Instead, the team enters an idle day today outside of the playoff picture in a very crowded pack in terms of points. The East is a bit crazy this season, as right now there’s only 11 points between the best teams and the last place Blue Jackets. Heck, the Devils are only two points out of a playoff spot and seven off of Carolina for top of the division. Yet in a month where they could have accrued points and solidified their standing in the Metro’s playoff spots, they struggled to put together anything worth watching on most nights, resulting in an uphill climb as 2026 begins.

Sure, there’s blame to be had by players and coaches, but the GM assembles the roster that they have to work with, and ownership has stayed committed to the current GM. While early season play had myself and others excited about the team’s depth, those good feelings have subsided, and in the case of some players, they’ve evaporated. Multiple injuries to Evgenii Dadonov have limited him to five games and zero points; for someone who was seen as a guy who could slot into the first, second or third line as needed, losing him meant guys moving into slots they shouldn’t be moving into and combinations that worked in preseason or certain sets of games having to be divided.

Fitz is responsible for signing Ondrej Palat seasons ago, a contract that many were worried would age like milk from the moment it was announced. Well, that deal has aged more like rotten fish submerged in said milk, and yet Fitz allows Coach Sheldon Keefe to keep using Palat and his eight points in 40 games in the Top 6. Fitz also brought in Luke Glendening, who did play well enough to earn a contract off of his PTO, but Glendening has been underwhelming to put it lightly. He could’ve been waived at this point with no one batting an eye. Don’t get me started on Juho Lammikko, a player who has been worse than Glendening yet was signed to a standard contract this summer to come back to the NHL after years away. The Stefan Noesen deal is also starting to look questionable; while Noesen was a strong contributor last season, he only has seven points in 34 games this year an has been relegated to the fourth line on most nights.

I will give Fitz some credit though. Connor Brown is having a pretty good season for the team with 17 points in 33 games. He’s also contributed most of that in a limited role and only one of his points came from special teams play, with it being a shorthanded goal. I will also credit him for getting Arseny Gritsyuk to come over; while Gritsis having some growing pains adjusting to the NHL, he also has 17 points albeit in 36 games. These are two moves that were made to compliment the Devils’ core players and these two have actually been helping the team. Unfortunately, there’s more misses than hits overall.

Maybe ownership is waiting to see how this season plays out to determine if Fitz stays or goes. I think a playoff miss could be the end of Fitz as Devils GM. Let me be clear: I do not want the team to go down that path. I want them to figure out what they can do to be a fast, effective, dangerous team again. However if this team really isn’t as good on the ice as they appeared to be on paper, than like I said last week changes need to be made. A new GM would probably mean a new coaching staff to meet that GM’s vision, so again maybe everyone should be worried.

That is, if ownership is paying attention, which I why I made mention of them in the title as well. Devils fans have observed that team management has tended to be a bit…hands off at times. I’m sure the Devils aren’t the only team in that boat, but it’s more noticeable when things are not going according to plan. Team owners also typically don’t care if their team is struggling until it affects one thing: their wallet. Tickets to games for most professional sports teams are already pricy and while the Devils aren’t the worst, it’s still a decent chunk of change, especially if you want to sit in the lower seats. Those lower seats are the ones that get seen on TV, and if they’re not being purchased, not only does it reflect poorly on ownership, but it also starts hitting their wallet. I’m not sitting here saying boycott Devils games until ownership wakes up, but I am saying that people are not going to continue to pay these prices for a middling or worse team: the wallet effect will happen organically if the on ice product continues to be below standard.

I know the Devils are struggling right now while also statistically being one of the unluckier teams in the league at this point in time. Maybe some of the negatives will course correct naturally as shooting percentages even out and bounces go the Devils way. Yet that still should not let Fitz and, by extent, management off the hook for some of the decisions that he’s made. Even decisions made in seemingly good faith that did not pan out have to start being weighed against him. Good intentions don’t win championships and if the Devils’ contention window with this core is open like everyone says, then middling results from the team halfway through the season should be enough for some changes to be made. Right now things remain status quo, but if the team doesn’t turn things around, something needs to be done soon.

Because if it isn’t and ownership loses any possible playoff revenue, then maybe management and coaching see a lot of people being let go come this offseason.

What are your thoughts on management and ownership needing to be held accountable for the Devils current play; do you put this more on one of the other? Are you still a fan of Tom Fitzgerald or do you think it’s time for a new voice and vision for the team? Is it going to take fans not showing up and the team continuing to play poorly for changes to be made? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...ccountable-for-the-middling-new-jersey-devils

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Ball Drop in Columbus: Massive 3-2 Win Over the Jackets

First and foremost, Happy New Year to you all, we truly appreciate all of you maniacs that choose to spend your time here, day in and day out, through good times and bad, in our corner of the Devils universe. I truly wish all of you a healthy and happy 2026.

Since it is It’s New Years Eve, so I am going to keep this somewhat brief.

I had an entire obituary written after the 2nd period. In my head I traded the entire team, sent management to the gulag, relocated them to Houston. Debated McKenna or Stenberg, or does Lawrence make sense? Debated why I made the Devils like 60-65% of my personality. Cursed my dad who let me stay up late in 1988 to watch Johnny Mac send me on this journey.

Just more of the same listless nonsense that has plagued this team. It is difficult to write these recaps focusing on the micro when we still have several looming issues on the macro level.

But you know what?? None of that matters, we got the W in Columbus, 3-2 of the strength of a 2 point night from Luke (including the game winner) and another strong night from Jake Allen.

1st period​

This was quite possibly the most period that ever perioded. Practically nothing good happened, and spoiler alert we went to the room down 1-0. The best opportunity was Jack missing an early breakaway after our old buddy Severson had an unforutante fumble. Just kidding on the unfortunate part, how’s Columbus, Damon?

Obviously right after that happened they were going to score, and sure enough they did. Marchment cleaned up a loose rebound after – get this – a failed clear. Luke throws it up the boards to no one, point shot, rebound and here we are. The Devils have now given up the first goal in 24 of 41 games which is almost 60% if you don’t feel like doing the math. This one all started in the offensive zone, after Jack’s breakaway, Luke half halfheartedly tried to feather a pass to Jack up top and it wound up coming back the other way. Between the failed clear and soft pass in dangerous area, Luke really has to clean it up.

“It’s playing hard, winning puck battles, board battles. Being intentional with the puck. Making hard plays. All these little details that will lead to goals because you’re playing the right way” – Sal

While an outrageous string of cliches, they are cliches for a reason. Luke has to be stronger on that at both ends, and frankly it’s something that plagues this entire team. The wing/forward also needs to pop out and present himself as an outlet for Luke, but there was Dawson just… staring at him. They just aren’t hard on the puck, they don’t take that extra step, they don’t play through the body. They puck watch. We got to the room down 1-0 after a good kill, but nothing felt good about it: generated less than half an expected goal, shots and chances were dead even, and aside from Jack’s breakaway nothing felt like it could’ve come close to going in.

2nd period​

Pretty much what I said above but worse. Just no life from this group, Coyle gets on the board to make it 2-0 on broken play, Jack this time showing no fight as he gets easily stripped. The most embarrassing part of this period was a full blown segment on Olivier, narrated by Sal and Dano. Gross.

5 periods, no goals.

3rd period​

BUT THEN THEY COME ALL THE WAY BACK AND REDEEM THEMSELVES.

Maybe this is a turning point, and there is reason to be optimistic?

They FINALLY got on the board on a simple, effective power play set up: Face off win, Jack taps to Luke who walks the line and sends a cheeky shot pass that Nico redirects with Noesen in front. Not gonna lie if that was against us, I would be ready with a pitchfork for the goalie, but since it was ours: great goal, high skill, good job guys. Do we cheer? I don’t know what to do with my hands.

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Those are the types of dumb goals that open the floodgates and oh boy did the floodgates open, less than a minute later Grits unleashed a snipe from the top of the circle after a nice zone exit from Timo. And yes Don, that was Gritsyuk, not Hughes. What a shooter this kid is, more please, maybe give him some time with the guys who are really good passers:

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And a minute later, we get another one??? What is this??! Some good dirty board work from Palat (see above quote from Sal) and a seeing eye pass makes it way from Brown to Luke who snipes one short side.

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WOW.

Glass got into a little skirmish later. Gotta say this kid looks like a bit of a soft boy, plays with baby rabbits and such, but he’s big and has a little edge to him. I was also impressed with the PK on Dillon’s cross check, Nico got a partial breakaway and just some really firm, solid clears.

Allen held it DOWN at the end.

Devils WIN! Devils WIN! put a pitchfork in this one!

Scattered Thoughts​

I hope you appreciate the multiple meanings on my headline. Really gave myself a chuckle.

Nice to see some of the snakebitten and whipping boys get on the board in Nico and Luke.

I thought Jake Allen played a solid game, and really made some great saves at the end to lock it down. Don’t look now but goalies haven’t been a problem: Since 12/1 Marky has a .900 and Allen has a .912 and over the last 7 games Marky has a .930 and Allen has a .931. Maybe score some goals, eh?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

LGD

Source: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/d...-in-columbus-massive-3-2-win-over-the-jackets