According to a team announcement, the New Jersey Devils have placed forward Timo Meier on the non-roster list for personal leave/family health matter. New Jersey has recalled defenseman Calen Addison from the AHL’s Utica Comets in a corresponding roster move.
Factoring in the Devils’ announcement from a few days ago, when Meier initially took a personal leave of absence, it appears that he’s dealing with a family health matter. Unlike other designations, such as injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, there’s not a fixed amount of time that Meier has to miss before being eligible to return. Since no specifics have been provided, it is unclear how much time will be missed.
Like PHR’s Ethan Hetu said at the time, “the hockey implications are secondary in this sort of situation, it is important for us here at PHR to at least take a moment to break down the on-ice ripple effect of Meier’s absence.”
For however long Meier is absent from the lineup, and with center Jack Hughes rehabbing a freak hand injury, New Jersey will be without two of their first-line forwards for the time being. Hughes remains the team leader in points-per-game while Meier sits third on the team in scoring with 23 points in 30 games, being the Devils’ leading goal-scorer.
Their first game without the pair didn’t go well, though not because of any lack of offense. New Jersey suffered a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning two nights ago, with Simon Nemec being one of three defensemen to earn a -2 rating.
He’s also the reason the Devils are replacing Meier with a defenseman on the active roster instead of a forward. According to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, Nemec injured himself a yesterday’s practice. There’s no timeline for his return aside from Nichols saying “he’s going to miss time.” It’s not expected to be a day-to-day injury.
Nemec, who’s off to a solid start this season, is leading the Devils in scoring among defensemen with seven goals and 18 points in 31 games. Now, without three of their top six scorers moving forward, New Jersey is likely to struggle to climb back into postseason positioning in the Eastern Conference. They’ve lost nine of their last 14 since Hughes exited the lineup.
If Addison plays, it’ll be his first NHL appearance since the 2023-24 campaign. The once 26-assist blue liner for the Minnesota Wild, Addison, is in his first year with the Devils organization, scoring two goals and nine points in 21 games for the AHL Comets.