Devils Notes: Pesce, Cholowski, Gritsyuk
The New Jersey Devils will be down a usual lineup piece this weekend. Defenseman Brett Pesce will be unavailable due to a lower-body injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Pesce has already missed 25 games this season with extended absences in November and February. He fills a key role in the lineup when healthy, playing upwards of 22 minutes a night when New Jersey is looking for a shutdown piece. Pesce has worked to seven points and a minus-11 in 37 games this season. He ranks second on the Devils in shot blocks (80) and fourth on the defense in takeaways (16). Pesce has been knocked off course by injury in his age-31 season but his two-way reliability will still continue to command major lineup minutes when he’s back to full health.
Other notes out of New Jersey:
- The Devils have responded to Pesce’s injury by recalling depth defenseman Dennis Cholowski from the AHL. Cholowski didn’t begin his season until November, due to injury, but his year started on the NHL roster. He scored one point in 15 games through November and December while filling in during Pesce’s first extended absence of the season. Cholowski was reassigned on December 14th and has spent the entirety of the new calendar year in the AHL. He has racked up five assists in 13 games. Pesce’s injury likely won’t push Cholowski ahead of Simon Nemec and Brendan Dillon on the depth chart but it will give New Jersey one more set of hands as they approach back-to-back games.
- Away from injury news, the Devils have also begun talks of a contract extension with winger Arseny Gritsyuk, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told Devils’ team reporter Amanda Stein. Gristyuk has scored 11 goals and 26 points in 58 games as an NHL rookie this season. He is on pace for 15 goals and 37 points across a full 82-game season, which would be the seventh-highest scoring total from a Devils rookie since 2000. Gritsyuk blossomed in Russia’s KHL over the last three seasons, kicked off with 40 points in 60 games of Omsk Avangard’ 2022-23 campaign, and concluded with 44 points in 49 games with SKA St. Petersburg last year. He has adjusted seamlessly into an NHL top-nine role in the season since. That should be enough to earn Gritsyuk a contract with term as he looks to sign the first deal after his entry-level contract. He is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
Hurricanes Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers, Flyers Claim Luke Glendening
4:36 p.m.: If Deslauriers plays in half of Carolina’s 2026 playoff games and they win two playoff rounds, then the Flyers receive Carolina’s 2027 seventh-rounder. If those conditions aren’t met, the pick doesn’t transfer, per PuckPedia.
12:56 p.m.: The Hurricanes are acquiring winger Nicolas Deslauriers from the Flyers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. A conditional seventh-round pick in 2027 is headed the other way, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. The Flyers have filled Deslauriers’ roster spot by claiming center Luke Glendening off waivers from the Devils, per Friedman.
Deslauriers, now in his 13th NHL season, moves on from the Flyers amid his fourth season in Philly. While he used to have a small bit of goal-scoring upside in his game, the 35-year-old is now a pure enforcer at this stage of his career. He’s only managed 13 shots on goal this season in 25 games, recording one assist and a -3 rating.
The left winger has been in the press box more than he’s been in the lineup this season, checking in no higher than 13th on the Flyers’ forward depth chart. He’s yet to appear in more than three consecutive games. He certainly won’t see any more frequent ice time than that in Carolina, but he’ll slot in as a press-box piece and can step in as an enforcer when needed. The Flyers, who had minimal use for the pending UFA, will happily have a chance at recouping a draft pick.
It doesn’t look like they’ll be giving Deslauriers’ spot to a prospect, though. The 36-year-old will end up giving the Flyers some short-term center depth that they’ve needed in the wake of a right ankle fracture to Rodrigo Abols that’s kept him out since January, forcing natural winger Carl Grundström to slide over to the middle.
Glendening, once viewed as one of the better defensive pivots in the league, is still hanging onto an NHL job in his 13th season. He was a PTO signing by New Jersey late last summer and landed a league-minimum contract. He’s ended up serving as their fourth-line center for most of the year but has averaged a career-low 9:54 of ice time per night through 52 appearances. He’s yet to score a goal this season and has four assists with a -11 rating. Once a top faceoff specialist, he’s down to a more pedestrian 51.7% win rate on the dot this year.
Latest On Conor Garland
Within 24 hours of the trade deadline, Canucks winger Conor Garland is becoming one of the hottest names available. The Islanders made a significant push for him earlier in the week, and while they remain in the hunt to land him, they weren’t able to get a deal done then. That’s opened the door for more suitors to make themselves known. Pierre LeBrun of TSN relays that the Blue Jackets, Capitals, Devils, Sharks, and Bruins are pitching offers in addition to the Isles’ previously reported interest.
Garland isn’t the only Vancouver winger with term available. They’ve made it known that Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk can both be had, and all three players are signed through at least 2030-31. Garland has become the most likely name to move due to a lack of trade protection, though. There’s likely an urgency on Vancouver’s end to shuffle him out before that changes on July 1, too; he’ll have a no-movement clause commencing along with the six-year, $36MM extension he signed last summer that any acquiring team will be taking on in full.
Like every Canuck, this has been a season to forget for Garland. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is normally money in the bank for 15 goals and 45 points, but has only managed a 7-19–26 scoring line in 50 appearances. His 6.8% shooting rate is by far a career low and nearly four full points below his career average, though. Some positive regression is due.
Nonetheless, teams have never been keen on Garland as a finisher. His value comes from his playmaking ability and his high-end speed – plus a good degree of pot-stirring and physicality despite only checking in at 5’10” and 165 lbs.
Columbus has an apt top-nine, even if their team offense is right around league average. There isn’t so much a short-term need for Garland as there is a long-term one. A player with that much contractual security is attractive for a Blue Jackets team that has three of its top six players in terms of points-per-game this season slated for unrestricted free agency this summer. They’re looking to get deals done for all of Charlie Coyle, Boone Jenner, and Mason Marchment, but in the likely event they don’t go three-for-three, they’ll need some sort of insurance policy. That’s where Garland comes in.
Garland would be a similar long-term insurance policy for the Caps to make sure they don’t lose too much firepower if Alex Ovechkin opts to call it a career in the coming months. Of course, the 40-year-old is still Washington’s leading scorer with 24 goals and 50 points in 63 games, but has remained noncommittal about whether he’ll re-sign in Washington (he’s a pending UFA), return home to Russia to close out his career, or retire outright.
New Jersey has been clear about its desire to add an impact top-nine piece. They’re willing to dangle a defenseman to make it happen, but if they’re going to make 2022 #2 overall pick Simon Nemec available to Vancouver, they’ll likely ask for more than just Garland. Earlier today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said any Devils blue-liner outside of Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce is available.
The Sharks have an excess of prospects and draft capital to leverage. For a Canucks team clearly headed toward something more resembling a full teardown than a retool, they could be well-positioned to provide the most attractive package – plus an already-established relationship after San Jose acquired Kiefer Sherwood from Vancouver just a couple of months ago.
That Boston would be interested in Garland, too, is no surprise considering they’ve also had some documented interest in a reunion with DeBrusk. The latter has been more productive and carries a slightly lesser cap hit, but, because of those two factors, might require a slightly richer price than Garland that they aren’t willing to pay.
New Jersey Devils Place Three On Waivers
According to a team announcement, the New Jersey Devils have placed Evgenii Dadonov, Luke Glendening, and Maxim Tsyplakov on waivers. If all three players clear, they would have added flexibility on the trade market by tomorrow afternoon, given they can be freely reassigned to the AHL by the acquiring club.
The placement of all three on waivers is the Devils’ way of trimming some fat off the roster ahead of the deadline. Dadonov and Glendening will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, whereas Tsyplakov is signed through next year at a $2.25MM cap hit.
After some fruitful years with the Dallas Stars, Dadonov joined New Jersey on a one-year, $1MM contract last offseason. There are performance bonuses included in his contract that would bring the salary to $3.25MM, and he has a full no-trade clause through the end of the year. Despite being brought in to add additional firepower to the team’s bottom-six, Dadonov’s 2025-26 campaign has been completely derailed by injuries.
Scoring 35 goals and 78 points in 154 games with the Stars, Dadonov has yet to register his first point with the Devils. He’s had multiple stints on the injured reserve due to hand and wrist injuries, and he has registered only 17 appearances this year.
Meanwhile, Glendening likely has the least value of the trio. Earning a professional tryout agreement in September, Glendening officially joined New Jersey on a one-year, league minimum contract. Isolated to a fourth-line role, the 36-year-old center has tallied four assists in 52 games, averaging 9:54 of ice time. Still, he has immense value in the playoff dot, averaging a 55.6% success rate throughout his career while beginning 73.5% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
Lastly, Tsyplakov has only been a Devil for a little while. He was the only player acquired by New Jersey in last month’s trade, sending Ondřej Palát to the New York Islanders. During his brief tenure in New Jersey, Tsyplakov has yet to register a point in nine contests. Even if he does clear waivers, the Devils may be hard-pressed to find a landing spot for him, even at a lower cost.
Brett Pesce Out Day-To-Day
- New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce did not play in tonight’s shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs due to an injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe announced pregame. The Devils replaced Pesce in their lineup with Johnathan Kovacevic, who did not play in the team’s prior two games. Pesce is New Jersey’s No. 3 defenseman by ice time, playing 20:18 per game, including a team-high 2:29 per game on the penalty kill. Kovacevic was a leading penalty killer for New Jersey last season, but has seen his ice time decline as he missed much of the first half of the year with an injury. Kovacevic is playing 16:43 per game this season, including just over a minute per game on the penalty kill.
Devils Discussing Simon Nemec In Trade Talks
The Devils are clear sellers this winter, trailing the Bruins for the wild-card cutoff by 11 points, but they are looking to wheel and deal with success next season in mind rather than sell off players indiscriminately. As the team seeks help in augmenting their forward group, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that they’ve been listening to calls on defenseman Simon Nemec with “no shortage of teams checking in.”
Nemec being dangled in trade talks is nothing new. The Islanders made a push to land the 22-year-old last summer, and that came after Nemec had expressed frustration over a lack of NHL ice time the previous season.
The 2022 second overall pick has had a monstrous third season in the NHL, though. After bouncing between the Devils and AHL Utica for the past two seasons, he’s locked himself in as New Jersey’s third right-shot option (for now) behind Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton. His 9-12–21 scoring line in 47 games has surpassed his rookie totals from 2023-24 in significantly fewer games and ranks ninth on the team on a per-game basis. He’s averaging 19:42 per night while seeing time on their second power play unit.
Nemec’s possession impacts remain an understandable area of concern, though. For someone touted by prospect evaluators as an “all-around” defenseman ahead of his draft day, the Devils want better quality control out of him than a 46.3% expected goals share at 5-on-5 that is the worst on the team (min. 200 minutes).
In a more normal situation, Nemec would be clear-cut trade bait for a team with relatively short-term playoff aspirations like New Jersey. He’s blocked by Pesce and Hamilton and is a high-value but flawed developing player. The Devils have been looking to move Hamilton since last offseason, to no avail, though there was renewed interest last month. Even if they did move him, his lower trade value is unlikely to net the impact forward they’re dangling Nemec for.
Devils Sign Matyas Melovsky To Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract
The New Jersey Devils have signed forward prospect Matyas Melovsky to a two-year, entry-level contract. Melovsky is playing through his first pro season with the AHL’s Utica Comets on a minor-league contract. He has three goals, 13 points, and a minus-eight in 35 games.
Melovsky, 21, was a sixth-round pick to the Devils in the 2024 NHL Draft. He earned his selection on the heels of a standout year with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Czechia’s international U20 team. Melovsky recorded 42 assists and 60 points in 53 QMJHL games that season – but caught the most attention during the 2024 World Junior Championship. Playing on a line with Buffalo’s Jiri Kulich and Seattle’s Eduard Sale, Melovsky racked up 10 assists and 11 points in seven tournament games, good for second on the team in scoring behind Kulich’s 12 points. That mark helped push Czechia to a Bronze medal finish and earned Melovsky a must-buy status late into the draft.
The bump-and-grind forward followed his draft selection with 26 goals and 83 points in 57 games with Baie-Comeau last season. It was a stellar encore, even without a return to the World Juniors after Melovsky aged out of eligibility. With three point-per-game seasons in the QMJHL and a sizable, 6-foot-1 and 190-pound frame, Melovsky had stamped his right for a pro role. He has slotted into Utica’s top-nine this season. He has found his scoring touch recently, after a quiet start to the year, racking up seven points in his last 14 games. The Devils will acknowledge that hot streak by signing Melovsky to the first NHL contract of his career, set to begin in the 2026-27 season. That deal will give the bulky forward a chance to compete for NHL minutes as soon as his second pro season.
Devils Activate Luke Hughes, Assign Colton White To AHL
The Devils will welcome back a key part of their back end today against St. Louis. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Luke Hughes off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, blueliner Colton White has been sent back to AHL Utica.
After two very promising seasons to start his career, 2025-26 hasn’t gone quite as well for Hughes this season. The 22-year-old had a long contract standoff, resulting in a deal only getting done a few days before the start of the season, resulting in him missing the majority of training camp.
Meanwhile, his production hasn’t taken a meaningful step forward despite a jump in ice time to more than 23 minutes per game. Hughes had 47 points in 82 games in his rookie season and 44 in 71 outings in 2024-25 but has been limited to five goals and 21 assists so far this season in 49 appearances. He missed nearly six weeks with a shoulder injury but only wound up missing 10 games overall thanks to the Olympic break.
Notably, when New Jersey had a fully healthy back end earlier this season, trade speculation around Dougie Hamilton picked up. Those talks faded when Hughes went down but once again, the Devils now have their top seven blueliners healthy and available which could ultimately kickstart those trade talks before Friday’s deadline. For now, it’s unclear who will be the scratch as team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) there are players dealing with an illness and a decision on who’s out will be made closer to warmups.
As for White, he was recalled when practices resumed during the Olympic break but had served as a healthy scratch since then, keeping his games played total with the Devils this season at 23, where he has four assists in a little over 12 minutes per night of ice time. The 28-year-old has also suited up 10 times with Utica and is still looking for his first AHL point of the season.
Mammoth Interested In Dougie Hamilton
Add the Mammoth to the list of teams that have kicked the tires on Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, says David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Whether the feeling is reciprocal remains to be seen. Hamilton has a full no-movement clause accompanied by a 10-team trade list. That extensive trade protection already nixed a deal that would have sent Hamilton to the Sharks last summer. Nonetheless, Pagnotta adds that while “his agent is trying to help facilitate a move” and that he’s “open to exploring options outside of his preferred list,” his market isn’t particularly fervent. The Maple Leafs had some interest, but their recent slide has likely taken them out of the buying conversation, especially in terms of taking on a player with a steep cap hit like Hamilton’s $9MM. San Jose still has some degree of interest, according to Pagnotta, but it’s unclear whether Hamilton has changed his tune on a move there.
While Hamilton’s initial cost is pricey, he only has two years left on his deal and will be a UFA in 2028. The cost of entrance will take many playoff hopefuls out of the picture, especially if the Devils aren’t keen on retaining salary, but that type of structure works for a team like Utah that has loads of present cap space, some money coming off the books this summer, and no big-ticket RFAs to negotiate with until after Hamilton’s contract expires.
Talks apparently slowed regarding Hamilton last month after fellow righty Luke Hughes exited New Jersey’s lineup with a shoulder dislocation. With the Devils well out of the playoff picture and Hughes close to returning, though, they should be more willing to re-engage in conversations. Hughes’ absence has opened the door for Hamilton to get reps as New Jersey’s top power-play quarterback once again, though, and he’s delivered a 2-5–7 scoring line in his last 10 as a result. The Devils are hoping that’s boosted his stock to some degree, although his 22 points in 54 games this season are still on track for his worst offensive showing in over 10 years.
That’s understandably a sign of concern for a defender on the wrong side of 30 whose offensive acumen was always his selling point. It’s also a testament to just how consistent a producer he’d been up to this point, though. From 2014 to 2025, Hamilton averaged 16 goals and 52 points per 82 games and finished top 10 in Norris Trophy voting four times. It’s now been three years since he received any award consideration, and his output has been on a somewhat consistent decline since a left pectoral muscle tear limited him to just 20 games in the 2023-24 campaign.
Still, for a playoff hopeful in Utah that’s being held back by a relative lack of depth scoring and a bottom-two power play, Hamilton’s fit would be natural as an established, successful PP1 option. Any concerns about his defense should be quelled by a system under head coach Andre Tourigny that’s consistently held possession control since the franchise’s inception last season, controlling 53.7% of shot attempts and 53.6% of scoring chances at 5-on-5 this year.
It could also come with a relatively low acquisition cost, depending on how desperate the Devils are to clear the bulk of Hamilton’s money. They likely would have been willing to take less for him earlier in the season when they were still in the playoff conversation and were looking to boost their cap flexibility to make additions. The latter is still likely a long-term priority, but is no longer a pressing short-term concern with them on a five-game losing streak and 13 points out of the playoff picture.
Devils Reassign Dennis Cholowski
Feb. 24: Not surprisingly, New Jersey shared today that Cholowski has been re-assigned to AHL Utica. The former first round defenseman was able to practice with the team during the break, but will not add to his 15 game season total with New Jersey at this time. The Devils host Buffalo tomorrow in their first game post-Olympics.
Feb. 18: The Devils made Hameenaho’s and White’s recalls official today. They also summoned defenseman Dennis Cholowski and goaltender Jakub Malek from AHL Utica to serve as extra practice players while they await the return of their Olympians.
Feb. 13: The Devils will recall forward Lenni Hameenaho and defenseman Colton White back to the NHL roster after the Olympic break, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. As things stand, they won’t need to make any corresponding moves.
Hameenaho, 21, appeared in the first nine games of his NHL career in the weeks leading up to the break. The early returns were strong for the 2023 second-round pick. He notched two goals and four points with a +1 rating. The right-winger played his natural position, usually on a line with Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass. That trio controlled a dominant 75% of expected goals at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck. It’s easy to see why New Jersey wants to squeeze as much momentum as they can out of that group when league play reconvenes later this month.
Hameenaho’s adjustment to the NHL game is a great sign that a rough campaign for the club’s AHL affiliate in Utica hasn’t steered him too far off his development path. The 6’1″ Finn has a 9-13–22 scoring line and a -13 rating through 34 minor-league games, a figure that improbably leads the team in scoring.
He made his offensive ceiling evident with a pair of spectacular post-draft campaigns in his home country for Ässät. In 2024-25, he erupted for 20 goals and 51 points in 58 Liiga games to lead under-20 players in scoring.
Now, as one of New Jersey’s brightest prospects, he appears set to finish out the season in a top-nine role. While playoffs are essentially out of the question, a strong finish should position him well to crack the opening night roster next fall.
White, 28, has spent most of his pro career in the minors but has been a pleasant surprise as a call-up option when needed this season. Injuries have forced the lefty in 23 appearances, in which he’s recorded four assists and a +2 rating. They’re his first games at the top level since suiting up a career-high 46 times for the Ducks in 2022-23.
A stay-at-home specialist, White is averaging just 12:15 of ice time per game but has been a no-fuss option in bottom-pairing minutes. He’s controlled 47.7% of shot attempts and 53.9% of expected goals at even strength, so he’s done a good job of helping the Devils control quality scoring chances against lesser competition.