Nolan Foote’s most recent NHL run with the New Jersey Devils will end at three games, as the team has reassigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Foote registered one goal in that three-game stretch, playing under 10 minutes in each contest.
Foote, 22, is a 2019 first-round pick who was acquired by the Devils in the 2020 trade of Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. At that point, Foote was serving as captain of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and he would make his professional debut the next season with the then-Binghamton Devils. Foote has always been a difference-maker at the AHL level, and this season is no different as he has posted 18 goals and 30 points in 48 games.
His career total is a healthy 79 points in 128 career AHL games, but despite that AHL production NHL success has eluded Foote.
He has just 19 NHL games on his resume, and has scored seven points. A lack of foot speed has hurt Foote’s ability to separate himself in an NHL that is getting quicker and quicker.
Foote’s return to the AHL will certainly help the Comets, who are currently second in the AHL’s North Division and looking to lock up their spot in the Calder Cup playoffs.
But heading back to the AHL after again failing to latch on in the NHL for an extended period has to come as a disappointment for Foote.
As numerous other 2019 draft picks are breaking out and establishing themselves as NHL options, Foote is getting closer to a crucial point in his development. He’ll be waivers-eligible next season, so the Devils will have to make the choice next fall whether to finally include Foote in their NHL plans or risk losing him to another NHL team.
Foote could see the possibility of being exposed to and potentially claimed off of waivers next fall as an opportunity rather than a risk, though, as he could be in line to receive more NHL opportunities in an organization without the type of embarrassment of riches along the wings that the Devils can boast.
Regardless, with this reassignment Foote can’t focus on the possibility of waivers next fall. The priority has to be putting together a strong finish to his regular season and helping Utica go on a long Calder Cup playoff run. Doing those two things would likely improve Foote’s standing within the Devils organizational plans, and perhaps inspire more confidence in the team that he’ll be ready to earn a spot on the 23-man roster next season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Great write up, thanks much for this!
I was wondering in the future if you would add maybe a paragraph or two at the end of every article explaining the transaction in NBA terms. I’m new to hockey and a huge NBA fan, so it would be really great for my knowledge of the game if you introduced every transaction with its NBA equivalent.
cheers!
i agree with this.
Thanks, Victor.
I really think this whole trend of ‘explain in nba terms’ is great for the game!
What did you do at pro hoop rumours when you were new to basketball?
Google searches work pretty well… Seems more appropriate than a writer catering to the possibility of potentially having one or two new readers. Reassign just means putting him down to the B team. Hockey is simple really – you can recall from the B-team or send them down (reassign) to the B-team. The only other thing is waiver exemption which you can read about with a google search.
I just know ball like that
I’ve always known ball…it’s like a second language so I was wondering if the next batch of articles could maybe translate puck to ball so to speak.
Will definitely use Google moving forward-hadn’t even thought of that