Devils Place Luke Hughes On LTIR, Recall Colton White
Jan. 21st: Confirming the reports regarding the shoulder separation, the Devils announced that they’ve placed Hughes on the long-term injured reserve. Due to the upcoming Olympic break, he won’t be eligible to return until New Jersey’s matchup on February 25th against the Buffalo Sabres. Additionally, the Devils shared that they’ve recalled Colton White, who recently cleared waivers, in Hughes’ stead.
Jan. 20th: The New Jersey Devils may have lost one of their best young defensemen for quite some time. According to insider Frank Seravalli, the initial diagnosis on Devils’ defenseman Luke Hughes is that he dislocated his shoulder last night against the Calgary Flames.
New Jersey is believed to be seeking a second opinion on Hughes’ injury, though the team is confident he will miss some time, which team reporter Amanda Stein confirmed after the game. The Devils won’t return to New Jersey until January 27th (they are currently on a Pacific Division road trip), so it could be some time before they publicly reveal the severity of Hughes’ injury.
Although it’s not beneficial to speculate about injuries, it’s difficult to tell from the video exactly what happened. Hughes was racing Flames forward Justin Kirkland for a loose puck, and Hughes immediately dropped his stick and clutched his right shoulder. There was no significant contact on the play.
In terms of a recovery timeline, it largely depends on the severity of the separation. A month ago, Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard suffered a dislocated shoulder against the St. Louis Blues, causing Bedard to miss 12 consecutive games. If Hughes is on pace for a similar recovery, he won’t return after the Olympic break in February.
Regardless, the Devils continue their trend of suffering long-term injuries to their high-level performers. Before going down with an injury, Hughes had scored five goals and 26 points in 48 games, averaging 23:20 of ice time per game. He was New Jersey’s leading scorer among defensemen by a healthy margin, and sat behind Dougie Hamilton in CorsiFor% at even strength.
Outside of what the injury means for Hughes specifically, it certainly won’t help the team in their efforts to climb back into the playoff conversation. Although much of the Eastern Conference has been streaky this season, the Devils have been one of the worst-performing teams since December 1st, largely nixing any idea of this simply being a “bad streak”.
In the team’s defense, few organizations would be able to sustain the number of injuries that New Jersey has suffered over the years. Regardless, their window to make the playoffs this season is quickly closing. For comparison, since December 1st, the New York Rangers, who have already punted on the 2025-26 season, have earned 20 points in the standings, whereas New Jersey has only claimed 19 with an additional game played.
Devils Recall Lenni Hameenaho, Assign Colton White To AHL
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Carolina. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Lenni Hameenaho from AHL Utica. To make room on the roster, defenseman Colton White was assigned to AHL Utica.
Hameenaho was a second-round pick by New Jersey back in 2023, going 58th overall. He spent the last three seasons with Assat in Finland and had a breakout offensive showing last season, picking up 20 goals and 31 assists in 58 games, good for 15th in league scoring.
That showing was good enough for him to earn his entry-level deal with the Devils back in May. This is Hameenaho’s first NHL recall after spending the first three-plus months of the season in the minors with the Comets. Through 33 games, he has nine goals and 12 assists, good enough to lead the team in scoring. With Ondrej Palat uncertain for tonight due to illness, there could be a chance for Hameenaho to suit up and make his NHL debut.
As for White, he passed through waivers unclaimed earlier today. The 28-year-old has been up with New Jersey for the bulk of the season, getting into 23 games where he has four assists in 12:15 per night of playing time. This was his first NHL action since the 2022-23 campaign when he was with Anaheim. With the Devils back to full health on the back end, keeping him as an eighth defender made little sense to he’ll return to Utica where he’ll have a much more prominent role in their lineup.
Juho Lammikko And Colton White Clear Waivers
Saturday: Both Lammikko and White have cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. However, with Ondrej Palat‘s availability for tonight’s game uncertain due to illness, Lammikko may remain on the active roster for the time being and could suit up against Carolina if Palat isn’t able to play.
Friday: The New Jersey Devils are attempting to jettison a few depth options from their roster. The Devils announced that they’ve placed forward Juho Lammikko and defenseman Colton White on waivers.
Lammikko, 29, is in his first year with the Devils after spending the last three years overseas with the NL’s ZSC Lions. He was very productive while in Switzerland, scoring 48 goals and 112 points in 144 games with a +60 rating. He signed a one-year, $800K contract with New Jersey last summer.
Despite making the team’s opening night roster, Lammikko had to wait until late October to debut due to a lower-body injury. Largely in a bottom-six role, Lammikko has appeared in 22 games for the Devils this season, registering two assists and a -4 rating while averaging 10:10 of ice time per game.
Meanwhile, unlike Lammikko, White did not immediately make the Devils’ roster this year. Still, due to multiple injuries sustained by New Jersey’s defensive core, White was recalled in early November and has been with the team ever since.
The 28-year-old defenseman has appeared in 23 games for the Devils this season (his second stint with the club), registering four assists and a +2 rating while averaging 12:15 of ice time. He’s been a quality player on the defensive side of the puck, averaging a 93.1% on-ice SV% at even strength.
New Jersey did not immediately clarify if either player would be demoted to the AHL’s Utica Comets should they clear, though it’s largely expected. Still, the Devils could simply be looking for additional roster flexibility.
Assuming both Lammikko and White clear waivers and are reassigned tomorrow afternoon, New Jersey’s active roster would be reduced to 21 players. It’s more than likely the team will make additional recalls then, particularly to their forward core.
Toronto Maple Leafs Linked To Dougie Hamilton
According to a new report from The Fourth Period, the Toronto Maple Leafs are interested in acquiring Dougie Hamilton from the New Jersey Devils. There is some ambiguity in the reasoning behind the report, though it stands to reason that the Maple Leafs could benefit from a defenseman of Hamilton’s archetype.
To start, the report expands on a report from David Pagnotta last month, articulating that Toronto is scouring the trade market for a puck-moving defenseman. The principal expansion came from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun segment on Insider Trading yesterday, indicating that the Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes would be ideal fits for the 32-year-old blue liner.
Being an ideal fit doesn’t necessarily mean that Toronto is actively engaging in conversations with New Jersey regarding Hamilton, though signs are pointing in that direction. The Maple Leafs have also been connected to Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who plays a similar style to Hamilton. For what it’s worth, in terms of their similarity scores, which are devised by point shares, Hamilton is nearly identical in value to retired defenseman P.K. Subban.
Still, there are a few hangups with Hamilton being traded to the Maple Leafs. For starters, Hamilton has a 10-team trade list (effectively a 21-team no-trade list), and there’s no indication that Toronto is on there. Hamilton’s agent, J.P. Barry, stated last week that they were open to broadening that list for the right opportunity. If he has any desire to play for a playoff-caliber team, the Maple Leafs serve as a better option in that regard for the time being.
Furthermore, the major sticking point is that Hamilton is owed a $9MM salary through the 2027-28 campaign. That’s not something that Toronto will easily be able to absorb. They would likely need the Devils to retain in some fashion, and they may be unwilling to do so since the whole point of moving Hamilton is to clear salary off the roster. Still, there is an argument to be made that retaining some of Hamilton’s salary will be less than what they are paying him now, effectively getting what they want, just not to the degree they had hoped for.
Technically, the Maple Leafs could get there, but they would likely need to place defenseman Chris Tanev on the LTIR, which would open up approximately $3.8MM in room. Additionally, if a forward like Matias Maccelli ($3.425MM) went to New Jersey in the hypothetical swap, Toronto could get close to making it work.
Among the reasons why Toronto would consider acquiring Hamilton, enhancing the power play stands out as the most significant factor. They’ve been much better with a man advantage lately, though little of that production is coming from the blue line.
Through their first 35 games, the Maple Leafs had averaged a 13.3% success rate on the power play, eventually leading the team to fire Marc Savard a few days before Christmas. Since then, in their next 11 contests, they’ve been clicking at a 28% rate. Still, Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, both of whom are the quarterbacks on their respective units, have combined for eight points, all assists. Hamilton is only a few years removed from having 28 power-play points himself.
Regardless, despite his potential value to Toronto, the hurdles of Hamilton’s contract remain.
Hamilton Blocked A Trade To Sharks In Summer
With the Devils believed to be searching for a new team for veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton after scratching him today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the blueliner turned down a trade over the summer. Friedman stated that the Sharks attempted to acquire the 32-year-old over the offseason but Hamilton used his trade protection to scuttle that. San Jose has since added Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy to their back end and given that they’ve been using LTIR all season, it stands to reason that they may not be interested in rekindling those discussions to see if Hamilton’s stance has changed. He has two years left on his contract after this one with a $9MM AAV, a price tag that will be difficult to move for value.
Devils Activate Evgenii Dadonov, Johnathan Kovacevic From Injured Reserve
Ahead of their matinee action this afternoon in Winnipeg, the New Jersey Devils announced that forward Evgenii Dadonov and defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic have been activated off injured reserve.
During what has become a tumultuous time in Newark of late, the news comes as not much of a surprise. Yesterday it was revealed that Kovacevic was nearing a return, and nine-million-dollar man Dougie Hamilton would be bumped out of the lineup, which has become a major story. As expected, Kovacevic will form a second pairing with Jonas Siegenthaler, while Hamilton, a 74-point getter in 2022-23, will watch from the press box as the club looks for a real solution for the 32-year-old.
In Kovacevic, New Jersey gets back a steady righty standing at 6’5”. The defender suffered a knee injury in game three of last year’s first round playoff matchup with Carolina, where the Devils ended up being dispatched in five games. Kovacevic underwent successful knee surgery in May, and finally, is set to return today.
Acquired from Montreal for a fourth round pick, where he figured to be a solid bottom pairing option, Kovacevic was a strong fit in New Jersey prior to the injury. In his first campaign as a Devil, the 28-year-old set career highs in games played (81) and ice time, averaging 19:49 per game, making an impact on the penalty kill as a dependable stay-at-home defender capable of clearing the crease with his imposing size.
Kovacevic earned an extension for five years worth $4MM per season, signed last March. Just a few years ago, the idea of him actually replacing Hamilton in the lineup would seem inconceivable, but after faltering play and issues behind the scenes, the Devils opt for more consistency in a similar frame between Kovacevic and Hamilton. The emergence of skilled youngsters Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec has especially narrowed the path forward for Hamilton, even if the veteran was not struggling so much.
Meanwhile, Dadonov has also been absent for a considerable time, last in the lineup in late November. The 36-year-old has not had a smooth campaign so far, injuring his hand in his Devils debut and missing time, then only getting back in for four games before another injury. Inked to a one year deal last summer worth $1MM, the Russian has not recorded a point in five games so far, with limited ice time, 11:04 a night, the fewest he’s seen since returning to the NHL in 2017-18 as a standout.
Thankfully, the versatile scorer will return in a favorable role, expected to slot in alongside Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier on the second line. Due to the various injuries, Dadonov hasn’t yet had a chance to contribute, but with the team’s season unraveling a bit, and his status as a pending UFA who will turn 37 in March, his future as a Devil seems uncertain.
Dealing with difficulties off the ice, New Jersey will finally have a relatively healthy lineup this afternoon as they’ll look to turn the corner against Winnipeg, a club also desperate to get on track after higher hopes to start the season. Today’s game will be telling to see how the Devils’ group responds after their last three games, outscored 16-2, and a former star now out of the mix.
Zack MacEwen Done For Season
- The New Jersey Devils will be without at least one bottom-six forward for the rest of the year. After being placed on the team’s injured reserve in mid-November, the Devils announced that Zack MacEwen would miss the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing ACL surgery. He’ll finish the season, his first in New Jersey, going scoreless in three games, averaging 6:20 of ice time per game.
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Stefan Noesen To Have Knee Surgery
It has been a tough year on the injury front for the Devils, to put it lightly. Their injured list will grow once again as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Stefan Noesen will undergo knee surgery next week and has been placed on injured reserve.
It hasn’t been a great season for the 32-year-old. Last year, his first campaign back with New Jersey after signing in free agency, he had a career-best 22 goals and 41 points along with 152 hits, also a new benchmark. All in all, a very strong start to a three-year deal that carries a $2.75MM cap charge. That had expectations higher coming into 2025-26.
Instead, Noesen missed the start of the campaign with a groin injury after recovering from surgery when offseason rehab wasn’t able to fix the issue. Upon returning, he hasn’t been anywhere near as effective. Through 38 games, Noesen has recorded just three goals and four assists while he has dropped to the fourth line, resulting in a drop of ice time by more than four minutes per night. While it’s fair to wonder if this knee issue could be a contributing factor to those struggles, it has still been a disappointing showing for Noesen nonetheless.
It’s not all bad news on the injury front, however. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that winger Evgenii Dadonov and defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic skated today and, barring setbacks, are on track to return tomorrow against Winnipeg. Dadonov will slide into Noesen’s spot in the forward group while Kovacevic appears to be displacing veteran Dougie Hamilton based on today’s practice lines.
With both players being on LTIR, New Jersey needs to get back to cap compliance before the team can activate them. Noesen’s injury will likely cause him to miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days, making him eligible to go on LTIR himself. That, coupled with the demotion of Dennis Cholowski after he cleared waivers earlier today, will clear up enough room for their activations.
Devils To Healthy Scratch Dougie Hamilton
With the Devils expecting to activate defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic off LTIR in advance of tomorrow’s game against Winnipeg, New Jersey will need to pull a defenseman out of the lineup to make room for him. It appears that will be veteran Dougie Hamilton based on today’s practice lines.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reached out (Twitter link) to Hamilton’s agent, CAA Sports’ J.P. Barry, for comment. Barry made it clear that he and his client feel this is business-related, not performance-related. The full comment is below:
“Dougie was informed today that he will be not be playing now that Kovacevic is back in the lineup. In our view, this decision is all about business rather than his game right now. Singling him out seems very calculated at this stage.
Dougie has a 10-team trade list and there have been efforts to trade him going back to the draft last year. We have made it clear to the Devils that we will consider teams outside our list and other creative ways to get to a team that is mutually acceptable.”
The 32-year-old has been in trade speculation for a while despite that trade protection. With New Jersey having one of the most expensive defense corps in the NHL and Simon Nemec in line for a new contract next summer, some have expected the Devils to try to move one of their blueliners out. Hamilton has a strong track record offensively but a $9MM cap charge through the 2027-28 season has limited his viable suitors. It also has played a big role in the team having to operate in LTIR all season long, preventing them from banking in-season cap space that could be used to try to improve or shake up their roster.
Unfortunately for Hamilton and the Devils, there is a performance-related case to his being scratched. He has just five goals and five assists in 40 games this season despite logging nearly two minutes per game on the power play and a little under 22 minutes a night overall. This comes on the heels of putting up 40 points in 64 games just last season while he has reached or surpassed the 40-point mark seven other times in his career. There have been a lot of underperformers in New Jersey recently and he has certainly been one of them.
On top of the trade protection, it should be noted that Hamilton also has a no-move clause that effectively serves as a no-waivers clause. As a result, this isn’t a case where New Jersey could put him on waivers and assign him to the minors.
Regardless of the impetus for the decision, the Devils scratching their highest-paid player (tied with Luke Hughes) is certainly going to draw some attention, as will Barry’s statement. Whether this will be enough to kickstart trade discussions remains to be seen. New Jersey’s season has been falling off the rails lately with seven losses in their last nine games (including a 9-0 drubbing earlier this week) and this will only lead to further distractions with calls growing for GM Tom Fitzgerald to try to do something to jumpstart this roster.
Dennis Cholowski Clears Waivers
Saturday: Cholowski has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The team quickly announced that he was sent down to Utica.
Friday: The Devils announced they’ve placed defenseman Dennis Cholowski on waivers with the intent to assign him to AHL Utica. New Jersey will be left with an open roster spot tomorrow after he is reassigned or claimed.
Cholowski’s waiver placement is likely the first in a complicated series of transactions to activate fellow rearguard Johnathan Kovacevic from long-term injured reserve. The Devils need to free up roughly $3MM in cap space to do so, and they’re running out of time after he began skating with the team at practice earlier this week, per Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News.
Removing the 27-year-old Cholowski from the roster gets them $775K closer to their goal. The Devils acquired him from the Islanders at last year’s trade deadline after he’d re-emerged as a press-box option in New York. He played six games for the Devils as an extra body down the stretch and re-signed with the club on a one-year, one-way deal for the league minimum in July.
Cholowski stuck around on New Jersey’s opening night roster, in large part due to Kovacevic’s knee surgery, but hasn’t been relied upon heavily. He’s been a frequent healthy scratch, particularly with Brett Pesce and Simon Nemec recently returning from injuries, and hasn’t suited up in nearly a month. He’s now been scratched in 11 straight and has only played in 15 of the Devils’ 44 games.
When dressed, the puck-mover has been overused in defensive situations, ranking last among Devils defenders with a 42.6 offensive zone start percentage at even strength. As a result, he only has one assist with a -5 rating while posting a 46.1 CF%, also the worst figure among New Jersey rearguards. Far from being known for his physicality, the 6’2″ lefty has only logged 15 blocks and three hits as well.
Now, he hits waivers for the first time in 2025-26 after clearing them multiple times with the Isles over the past few seasons. The 2016 first-round pick last suited up in the AHL in March of last year with Bridgeport. He has 18 goals and 123 points with a -46 rating in 241 career minor-league games.