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Latest On Brett Pesce

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Last night, Ryan Novozinsky of njdotcom asked Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe for an update on defenseman Brett Pesce. As shared by Novozinsky, while the key defenseman is progressing, he is still not close to a return, and remains considered week-to-week. 

Impressively, New Jersey has battled through the adversity of losing Pesce, along with Jack Hughes and others, remaining atop the Metropolitan, especially thanks to a 9-1-1 home record. 21-year-old Simon Nemec has stepped up of late, being trusted with high minutes from Keefe, and starting to break through from his second-overall selection billing. However, Pesce’s absence is a major hole, and if the Devils are to hold off the Hurricanes along with the many other formidable teams in the division, they will need their steady leader back, placing their elite young defenders Hughes and Nemec back into more favorable roles. 

Evgenii Dadonov To Miss Some Time

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It has been a tough season for Devils winger Evgenii Dadonov.  He missed 17 games due to a hand injury sustained in his debut with the team last month, returning to the lineup last week.  Now, he’s out of the lineup again as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today (video link) that the veteran will be out “for a period of time” due to another injury.  At this time, they are still doing testing so the timeline for his potential return is not yet known.

The 36-year-old is in his first season with the Devils after signing a one-year deal with them over the summer.  He ultimately accepted a bonus-laden pact, one that carries a $1MM base salary plus an additional $2.25MM in performance bonuses.  Some are tied to playoff performance and success but more than half are geared toward regular season outings, maxing out at 50.  Another extended absence could put the ability to hit that mark out of reach.

The undisclosed injury occurred in Monday’s victory over Detroit and it appeared to worsen on Tuesday, leading to further testing and this announcement that he’ll be out for at least a bit.  When healthy, Dadonov has been quiet offensively, being held off the scoresheet in his five outings while averaging a little over 11 minutes per night of playing time.

Juho Lammikko took Dadonov’s spot in the lineup tonight against St. Louis.  With blueliners Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic on LTIR, New Jersey has several million in flexibility at the moment per PuckPedia, so a recall from AHL Utica is likely coming in the near future.  Meanwhile, Dadonov joins those two along with center Jack Hughes and winger Zack MacEwen in New Jersey’s infirmary.

New Jersey Devils Reassign Shane Lachance

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The New Jersey Devils announced today that forward Shane Lachance has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. The move came in tandem with the team activating center Cody Glass off of injured reserve.

Today’s move ends what was the first NHL call-up of Lachance’s young professional career. The 22-year-old, who is the son of former NHLer Scott Lachance (who serves as the Devils’ director of amateur scouting), is currently in his first full season of professional hockey. Lachance signed his entry-level deal in April and got a two-game cameo late in the AHL season with the Comets on an ATO.

While Lachance has gotten off to a bit of a slow start at the AHL level in terms of scoring (he has registered just one point through 11 games), his game has always been about more than just scoring, something that was the case for him both at Boston University and with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.

Lachance stands 6’5″ 218 pounds, and his ability to impact a game away from the puck has helped him earn the pro opportunities he’s gotten. What’s also helped him has been his résumé as a leader. Lachance captained Youngstown to a Clark Cup championship in 2022-23, and captained Boston University to the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey national championship game last season.

During this most recent call-up, Lachance ended up skating in one NHL game, the team’s Nov. 15 win against the Washington Capitals. While he only played in 10 shifts for a little over seven minutes of ice time, he did receive a financial benefit for remaining on the NHL roster for three additional games as a healthy scratch. The terms of Lachance’s entry-level contract stipulate that he receive a $80K salary while in the AHL, and a league-minimum $775K salary in the NHL. So while Lachance did have to watch from the press box as a healthy scratch for three games, the fact that he was able to spend 10 days on the Devils’ NHL roster will provide him with a brief, but substantial pay bump.

For Lachance to stick in the NHL on a more permanent basis moving forward, it’s likely he’ll need to prove he can produce at some level with the Comets. Utica has struggled to score as a whole so far this season. They are the AHL’s lowest-scoring team with just 26 goals in 15 games. The Grand Rapids Griffins, who are in the middle of the pack in scoring in the AHL, have scored 56 times this season, while playing one fewer game than Utica.

At the moment, Utica’s offensive situation appears dire, which adds another challenge for Lachance as a player trying to adjust his game to the professional ranks. But even though the team as a whole has struggled mightily to generate offense, Lachance will likely need to find a way to improve his production if he wants to position himself best for a future call-up opportunity.

Devils To Activate Cody Glass From Injured Reserve

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The Devils announced that center Cody Glass will be in the lineup against the Red Wings tonight. He’ll need to be activated from injured reserve before then. Since New Jersey has had an open roster spot since reassigning Ethan Edwards to AHL Utica on Friday, no corresponding transaction is required.

It’s been just nine days since the Devils gave Glass a week-to-week designation due to an upper-body injury. His return comes far earlier than expected. The 26-year-old last played on Nov. 12 and missed four games in the 12 days he was out. Once again, upper-body issues have significantly limited the former No. 6 overall pick’s availability this season. After skating in New Jersey’s first six games of 2025-26, he’s only played in four of their last 15 games.

When Glass has been healthy this season, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe has deployed him as their third-line center with a mix of Connor Brown, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Ondřej Palát on his wings. The seven-year veteran is still looking for his first assist of the campaign, but scored three times in 10 games, good for a career-high 15.8 shooting percentage on 19 shots on goal. No Devils player has been more efficient this season with his shot attempts, converting 73.1% of them into SOGs.

Glass’ two-way play has quietly been good as well. He continues to be below average in the faceoff dot (48.4%), but the Devils have controlled 54.8% of shot attempts when he’s on the ice at even strength. Only Gristyuk, Jesper Bratt, and Jack Hughes have fared better. The Devils have also outshot opponents 48-24 when the trio of Brown, Glass, and Gritsyuk is on the ice at 5-on-5.

Gritsyuk has been elevated into a top-six role with Hughes’ hand injury keeping him out of the lineup, so it stands to reason Glass won’t have him on his wing. Instead, he’s expected to be flanked by Brown and Evgenii Dadonov in his return to the lineup, according to the team’s line rushes at morning skate (via Amanda Stein of NHL.com).

Glass’ return leaves the Devils with just one regular forward, Hughes, on the injured list. That’s the healthiest the group has been since opening night, expertly navigating a tough stretch of injury luck to remain near the top of the Metropolitan Division with a 13-7-1 record.

Devils And Flyers Seeking Depth Centers

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Considering that we’re basically just at the one-quarter mark of the season, the trade market hasn’t really materialized aside from a handful of smaller moves.  But that doesn’t stop teams from setting their respective wish lists and determining what areas they’d like to add to their rosters.

As is often the case, help down the middle is an area that a lot of teams will be targeting.  Among them are a pair of Metropolitan Division teams.  Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports that while acquiring a top replacement for Jack Hughes is unlikely, they’d like to add a depth center to the mix.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Flyers are also looking for an extra depth middleman.

New Jersey had been looking to add a center last season.  However, when Hughes suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, they pivoted from looking to make a big addition to more of a depth one in Cody Glass.  Speculatively, that’s the type of depth addition they’d likely want to make, one that would add to the roster without costing too much to acquire.

The other element in play is the player’s actual cost.  The Devils are deep into LTIR with Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce currently on there while Hughes is eligible given that he’s out for the better part of two months.  But eventually, when they’re all healthy, New Jersey is going to be right against the Upper Limit of the salary cap so if they go add someone to help at center, it ideally would be a lower-cost addition that’s easier to fit on their books.

As for the Flyers, they haven’t really replaced Jett Luchanko after he was assigned back to junior last month.  Rodrigo Abols has been filling a role as a fourth-line center but the 29-year-old only has 36 career NHL games under his belt.  In a perfect world, a more proven and impactful option would be a good way for them to go.

On the other hand, Philadelphia enters play today seventh in the Metropolitan Division and the expectation heading into the season was that they’d be a non-playoff team and a likely seller.  Not enough has happened yet to change those expectations so taking a big swing on the trade front might not the prudent move.  Instead, a smaller addition now that doesn’t cost a lot but could still help would make sense for GM Daniel Briere.  Unlike the Devils, cap space isn’t a concern for the Flyers so they could have a bigger pool of players to potentially target.

The good news for these teams is that depth centers are a little easier to come by and the odd one finds their way onto the waiver wire as John Beecher did earlier this week.  The bad news is that with the number of teams seeking center help, New Jersey and Philadelphia will likely be battling several suitors even for the types of depth upgrades it appears that they’re looking to make.

Devils Reassign Ethan Edwards

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Friday: Edwards has been sent back to Utica, per a team announcement.  He didn’t see any game action with New Jersey while on recall.

Monday: The Devils announced they’ve recalled defenseman Ethan Edwards from AHL Utica. New Jersey placed center Cody Glass on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 12, in the corresponding move.

After an impressive training camp, the 23-year-old Edwards lands his first recall in his first professional season. The 5’10” lefty was a fourth-round pick in 2020 from the Spruce Grove Saints of the junior ’A’ AJHL before jumping south of the border, first with USHL Sioux City before embarking on a four-year run at the University of Michigan. Edwards was a consistent force on the Wolverines’ blue line, checking in as a top-four puck-mover who played more physically than one would expect from his slight frame. He was named to the Big 10’s Second All-Star Team following his senior season, in which he notched a career-best 5-16–21 scoring line in 36 games, before signing his entry-level deal with Jersey last March.

Although the two-year contract didn’t take effect until this season, he still finished out the 2024-25 season with Utica on a tryout basis. In his first 10 professional games, Edwards notched three assists and a +3 rating. He entered this year as the No. 9 prospect in the system, according to Elite Prospects, and made a legitimate push for a roster spot with two points and four scoring chances in four preseason games. He ended up being a very late cut, though, and started the year in Utica as expected.

Through 13 games in the AHL, Edwards hasn’t exploded offensively but is still chugging along with one goal, four assists, and a -1 rating. The Devils need an additional offensive-minded option with Dougie Hamilton still sidelined with an undisclosed injury, though, and Edwards fits that bill. With Hamilton, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce all out, their top-four group is still strong thanks to a breakout Simon Nemec, but they’re riding a patchwork third-pairing of fringe NHLers Dennis Cholowski and Colton White. As White is pointless with a -1 rating through four games and is averaging under 12 minutes per night, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a game or two in the press box for Edwards to make his NHL debut, at least until Hamilton’s able to return (which should be soon).

The Devils previously announced Glass was week-to-week with an upper-body injury, so he’ll be out significantly longer than when he’s first eligible to come off IR on Wednesday. The 26-year-old pivot had only played four games since missing seven with another upper-body issue before exiting the lineup again last week. Through 10 appearances this season, he’s got three goals on 19 shots while averaging 11:59 of ice time per game.

Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown To Resume Skating

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Despite recent injuries affecting the New Jersey Devils, there is light at the end of the tunnel. According to team reporter Amanda Stein, the Devils are expected to welcome back defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Connor Brown to practice on Monday.

Hamilton, who’s tied as the highest-paid defenseman on New Jersey’s roster, hasn’t played since November 6th due to an undisclosed injury. The injury to Hamilton has left the Devils’ blue line relatively devastated, as they’re also without Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic on the right side. Despite missing the last few games, Hamilton is third on the team in scoring among defensemen with three goals and seven points in 14 games.

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Devils’ Cody Glass Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

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The New Jersey Devils ’ center core continues to be depleted. A few hours after sharing that Jack Hughes would miss the next two months after hand surgery, the Devils announced that Cody Glass is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

It truly couldn’t be worse news for New Jersey. Staying mostly healthy to start the year, the Devils have gotten off to an expectedly solid start, sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with a 12-4-1 start through their first 17 games.

Unfortunately, without Hughes and Glass for the foreseeable future, New Jersey will again be tested up front, as they have been so often in recent years. Although few teams would be upset with Nico Hischier as their first-line middleman, the Devils are now incredibly thin behind him.

According to the line rushes this morning, the Devils have shifted Dawson Mercer to the second-line center, with Luke Glendening and Juho Lammikko as the remaining options in the bottom-six. Last season, when New Jersey’s depth was tested after Hughes went down for the season around the trade deadline, the Devils stumbled into the postseason. The Carolina Hurricanes quickly dispatched them.

This isn’t the first time that Glass has dealt with injuries this season. He missed a few games with an upper-body injury in late October and returned for four games before the subsequent injury. Throughout his first 10 games this season, Glass has scored three goals with a 48.4% success rate in the faceoff dot while averaging 11:59 of ice time.

Devils’ Jack Hughes Out Two Months With Non-Hockey Hand Injury

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Saturday: The Devils provided an update on Hughes, announcing that he has undergone surgery.  He will be reevaluated in six weeks and the expected recovery timeline is eight weeks.  With New Jersey having just $12.5K in available cap space per PuckPedia, Hughes is almost certainly heading for LTIR which would open up $3.82MM in available spending room.

Friday: In an odd report, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the New Jersey Devils will be without center Jack Hughes for at least one game after accidentally cutting his hand at a team dinner. The Devils confirmed the report and added that Hughes is still being evaluated.

Once again, Hughes was off to a sensational start to the season, only to have it paused due to injury. He began the 2025-26 campaign with 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games, leading New Jersey in scoring while tying for 22nd in the league with Brad Marchand, Sidney Crosby, Kyle Connor, Troy Terry, Nick Suzuki, Jason Robertson, and Leon Draisaitl.

Hopefully, for the Devils’ sake, Hughes will only miss a few games at most. Last season, around the trade deadline, New Jersey went 9-10-1 to finish the season and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Devils were 33-23-6 before Hughes was injured.

His injury history is becoming a little much to overlook. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign, Hughes has played in 268 regular-season contests for the Devils, which is only 77.7% of potential contests. Still, he’s been one of, if not the team’s best player over that stretch, scoring 133 goals and 319 points while averaging 20:25 of ice time per game.

Luckily, the team has an in-house replacement for Hughes on the first line in captain Nico Hischier. In the same stretch that Hughes has suffered multiple injuries, Hischier has remained remarkably consistent, scoring 117 goals and 288 points in 314 games, with a +41 rating and a 54.5% faceoff rate, while averaging 19:41 of ice time per game.

Depending on how long Hughes is out for, it could jumpstart New Jersey’s aggressiveness in acquiring some forward depth. The team already had a hole down the middle behind Hughes and Hischer, and the injury news could prompt some movement from the Devils.

Devils Place Connor Brown On IR, Recall Shane Lachance

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With today’s news that the New Jersey Devils will be without Jack Hughes for at least one game due to a freak accident at a team dinner, the Devils needed another body for their upcoming game against the Washington Capitals. To that end, New Jersey announced they’ve placed Connor Brown on the injured reserve (retroactive to October 30th) and has recalled Shane Lachance from the AHL’s Utica Comets.

The move is status quo for Brown. He didn’t join the team for their five-game road trip due to an upper-body injury, so a placement on the IR won’t alter his recovery timeline at all.

New Jersey has not provided any updates on Brown’s return, but we should receive more clarity once the team returns home. Brown has already missed the Devils’ last six games, so he’ll miss a minimum of 10.

Brown signed for a relatively cheap four-year, $12MM this past summer in an attempt to add some goal-scoring punch to the team’s middle-six. He did just that to start the season, scoring five goals in 11 games before going down with the injury.

Meanwhile, Lachance will have the opportunity to play in his NHL debut during the recall. The 22-year-old forward was signed as a collegiate free agent last season out of Boston University, where he was the team’s captain. Lachance scored 12 goals and 30 points in 40 games throughout his last year with the Terriers. Still, he’s had a disappointing transition to professional hockey, tallying only one assist in 11 games for AHL Utica so far this campaign.

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