Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Devils Rumors

New Jersey Devils Move Jack Hughes To IR, Dougie Hamilton To LTIR

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The New Jersey Devils have moved star forward Jack Hughes to injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on January 5th, and moved star defenseman Dougie Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, per team reporter James Nichols. Hughes will be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy, which isn’t expected to come until after the All-Star break, but Hamilton will now be set to miss at least 24 days of action. The top defender is recovering from a pectoral injury that required surgery earlier in the season.

The Devils have missed both Hughes and Hamilton for prolonged periods this season. Hamilton appeared in the team’s first 20 games before being knocked out of the lineup. He scored admirably in those games, netting 16 points – a mark that still ranks second among Devils defensemen in scoring.

Hughes has managed a bit more ice time, appearing in 32 games and ranking second on the team with 45 points. The 22-year-old centerman is scoring at a 115-point pace across 82 games, which would mark the most points any Devils player has ever recorded. It’s a record Hughes already set last season, with his 99 points in 78 games beating out the 96 points Patrik Elias scored in 2000-01. While injuries have clouded his red-hot season, Hughes is working hard to solidify himself as New Jersey’s next franchise centerman and is already outplaying the eight-year, $64MM contract extension he was signed to midway through the 2021-22 season.

New Jersey Devils Claim Nick DeSimone Off Waivers From Calgary

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The New Jersey Devils have claimed defenseman Nick DeSimone off of waivers from the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old has appeared in 23 games with the Flames this season, netting five points and a -4. He’s also appeared in 10 AHL games, recording eight assists and a +7.

DeSimone is in his eighth professional season since making his AHL debut at the end of the 2016-17 season – signing a two-year contract as an undrafted free agent with the San Jose Sharks. DeSimone served as a locked-in lineup piece for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for five seasons, before moving to the New York Rangers organization in the three-team trade that sent Mattias Janmark and Brett Howden to Vegas. DeSimone signed with the Calgary Flames soon after this move, continuing to serve as a minor league option for a variety of AHL clubs.

The Flames finally rewarded DeSimone’s long tenure in the minors with four NHL games last season. The defender went without a point, adding two penalty minutes and a -4. He’s gotten a chance at a much bigger NHL role this season, finally playing a majority of the year in the top league. He will look to continue carving out an NHL role on a Devils team that’s currently missing top defenseman Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, as well as depth option Brendan Smith. The Devils also granted defenseman Callan Foote a leave of absence on Wednesday, effectively sliding DeSimone into the role of seventh defenseman.

Devils Recall Justin Dowling, Daniil Misyul

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Devils recalled center Justin Dowling and defenseman Daniil Misyul from AHL Utica on Thursday, per a team announcement. They take the roster spots of center Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote, who took indefinite leaves of absence from the team yesterday.

Dowling, 33, is in the 13th season of his professional career, which he’s spent mostly in the minors. An undrafted free agent signing by the Stars in 2014, he remained in the organization for seven years before joining the Canucks as a free agent in 2021. After completing a two-year deal in Vancouver, Dowling inked another two-year, two-way deal with New Jersey to serve as a veteran farmhand in Utica.

The Devils placed him on waivers to begin the season, and he passed through unclaimed. They’ve recalled him once – a one-day emergency summons on Oct. 29 – but he did not play. He has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 30 games with Utica, a slight dip from his near-point-per-game pace with AHL Abbotsford over the past two seasons but solid nonetheless. He’s tied for fifth on the team in scoring and has a -6 rating.

Dowling’s offensive upside in the NHL is limited, boasting six goals and 12 assists through 98 appearances dating back to 2016. He’s adept in the faceoff circle, though, winning 175 of his 350 draws (a 50% success rate) and has been able to shoulder fourth-line minutes without getting caved in possession-wise. He’ll likely be a healthy scratch on most occasions barring two or more injuries to the Devils’ forward core, and will factor in limited minutes when he does play. 22-year-old Dawson Mercer has momentarily shifted to centering a second line between Ondřej Palát and Tyler Toffoli to help New Jersey cope with McLeod’s absence and an injury to star pivot Jack Hughes.

This is the first NHL recall for Misyul, 23, a third-round pick of the team in 2019. He’s in his first season under contract with the Devils, signing an entry-level deal in May 2023 after spending four post-draft seasons suiting up for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. A strong skater with a decent long-term NHL outlook as a bottom-pairing utility player, he’s posted three goals and eight assists, along with 33 PIMs, in 30 games with Utica. While the 6-foot-3 Belarusian won’t factor in much on the scoresheet in his first major-league chance, the Devils hope he can occupy a third-pairing role without much fanfare as they continue to deal with injuries to Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brendan Smith on the back end.

Palat And Miller Likely To Return Thursday

at CDT | by 5 Comments

  • The Devils are set to welcome back a pair of veterans tomorrow as team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that winger Ondrej Palat (lower body) and defenseman Colin Miller (illness) should return to the lineup tomorrow against Carolina. Palat has yet to play in 2024, another tough blow on what has been a quiet season so far as the 32-year-old has just five goals and nine assists in 35 games.  Miller, meanwhile, missed Monday’s game against Vegas and has had a sparing role in the first half of the year, collecting just five points in 25 games.

Devils Grant Michael McLeod, Cal Foote Indefinite Leaves Of Absence

at CDT | by

The Devils granted forward Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote indefinite leaves of absence from the team on Wednesday at the players’ request, per a team announcement.

McLeod and Foote are the third and fourth NHL players to be granted indefinite leaves in the past three days, joining Flames forward Dillon Dubé and Flyers goaltender Carter Hart. The Flames specified Dubé’s leave of absence was for mental health reasons, while the Flyers did not specify the reason for Hart’s leave. Senators forward prospect Alex Formenton, who is under contract in Switzerland with National League club HC Ambrì-Piotta, was also granted a leave of absence today and has returned to Canada, per the club.

All five players were members of the 2018 Canadian national junior team that is actively under investigation by police in London, Ontario, as well as the NHL, for an alleged sexual assault involving members of the team in June of that year. The Globe and Mail’s Robyn Doolittle reported Wednesday that London police have told five unnamed players to surrender to face sexual assault charges in connection to the incident. London police have not yet filed formal charges against the players.

Devils Interested In Extending Tyler Toffoli

at CDT | by 2 Comments

In his press conference this afternoon, the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald, spoke on the upcoming unrestricted free agency of forward Tyler Toffoli and his interest in extending Toffoli beyond this season (X Link). Fitzgerald mentioned that he has had multiple agents with Toffoli’s agent to gauge the interest in Toffoli returning to the Devils for the next several years.

Acquired from the Calgary Flames over the offseason, the trade for Toffoli will likely be one of the bigger win-win trades for both teams. With Yegor Sharangovich producing rather well in Calgary, Toffoli currently sits third on the Devils in points with 20 goals and 33 points in 45 games.

At 31 years of age, it is unlikely that Toffoli will command a long-term contract by any stretch, but with his production over the last couple of seasons, he may command anywhere from $6MM-$7MM on the open market. Having just over $67MM in commitments for next season, New Jersey will have around $20MM in cap space next summer, giving them an adequate amount of space to retain Toffoli under that dollar value. However, with Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer also needing contracts after this season, the Devils may look to spend their money elsewhere.

[SOURCE LINK]

Devils Expected To Sign Tom Fitzgerald To Multi-Year Extension

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The New Jersey Devils are expected to sign general manager Tom Fitzgerald to a multi-year extension and added President of Hockey Operations to his list of roles. Fitzgerald has been with the Devils since the summer of 2015 when he joined the club as an assistant general manager. He served in the role for five years, ultimately taking over for general manager Ray Shero when he was fired from the club in January 2020. Fitzgerald was granted the full general manager title that summer and has since built one of the league’s premiere squads, serving a key role in the blockbuster trade for Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton’s seven-year contract, and the drafting of top defensive prospects Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.

New Jersey is a fantastic team on paper, though injuries have significantly limited their ability to reach their ceiling. In fact, the Devils are currently outside of the playoff picture, currently sitting two points behind the Eastern Conference’s second wild card – though they do have two games in hand. Their season has been marked by heavy limitations to all of their top names – with Hamilton currently out indefinitely, Meier and Jack Hughes both missing 13 games and Nico Hischier missing 11. The team hasn’t been able to match the production that these top-line players bring, as only two Devils currently have 30 or more points through the team’s first 45 games.

But despite the struggles, New Jersey is opting to stick with their top brass, extending both head coach Lindy Ruff and now GM Fitzgerald. They will hope the duo can command the Devils’ roster back to the Stanley Cup hopes they entered the season with, once they’re able to get healthy.

Devils Notes: Hughes, Miller, Nosek, Palát

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Devils star center Jack Hughes has missed seven games with an upper-body injury, and that number will climb for at least a couple of weeks. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Monday that the team doesn’t expect Hughes to return to practice before the All-Star break, let alone game action (via the team’s Amanda Stein).

The news puts his availability for the 2024 edition of the event in question. Hughes had been tabbed to serve as an assistant captain under his brother, Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, for one of the four teams participating in next month’s game. He’ll now miss at least 10 games with his injury, as being out until the All-Star break rules him out of the team’s next three games.

Despite the extended absence, he’s only recently been passed as the team’s leading scorer by winger Jesper Bratt, who’s posted 47 points in 44 games. Hughes’ per-game production still leads the team by far, however – his 15 goals and 45 points in 32 games is good enough for 1.41 per game, a 116-point pace. The 22-year-old leads Devils forwards in ice time this season (20:30 per game) and has been extremely effective at controlling possession, posting a 58% Corsi share at even strength and controlling 59.2% of expected goals when on the ice with Bratt and Tyler Toffoli, per MoneyPuck.

Other notes from Ruff this morning:

  • Defenseman Colin Miller will miss tonight’s game against the Golden Knights with an illness, making him the fourth Devils defender to be held out of the lineup at the moment. The 31-year-old has been a good value pickup for the Devils after coming over from the Stars via trade last summer, posting five points in 25 games while dominating his bottom-pairing minutes in the possession department. His absence means 23-year-old Santeri Hatakka will make his New Jersey debut after the team recalled him last week.
  • It’s not all bad news on the injury front. Injured forwards Tomáš Nosek and Ondřej Palát have begun skating on their own as they work their way back from respective foot and lower-body injuries, per Ruff. They’ve yet to return to practice, but a return is now in sight for the players who haven’t suited up since the calendar flipped to 2024. Palát, who has 14 points in 35 games in his second season in New Jersey, has missed the team’s last nine games. Nosek hasn’t played since late November after undergoing foot surgery.

Devils Place Brendan Smith On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Devils have placed defenseman Brendan Smith on injured reserve with a sprained right knee retroactive to Jan. 15. In a corresponding transaction, the team recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from AHL Utica.

Smith, 34, left Monday’s game against the Bruins early in the first period after a collision with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and did not return. He did not play in yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Canadiens.

New Jersey has a packed schedule in the coming days, with games on Friday (vs. the Blue Jackets), Saturday (vs. the Stars), and Monday (vs. the Golden Knights). Placing Smith on IR rules him out of those three games. The soonest he is eligible to return is on Thursday, Jan. 25, against the Hurricanes, one of his three former teams.

The veteran pot-stirrer has filled in at both defense and forward this season, depending on which position has been more affected by injuries. Smith joins forwards Nolan Foote and Tomáš Nosek, as well as top-four defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, on IR/LTIR, while forwards Jack Hughes and Ondřej Palát remain sidelined with injuries but are on the active roster.

At this stage in his career, Smith’s impact is most felt between the whistles. He’s posted 1-4–5 in 34 games this season after not scoring a goal in 2022-23, logging 47 PIMs while averaging 14:25 per game. He’s avoided liability status in terms of possession metrics, though, with a Corsi share of 50.4% at even strength and an expected +0.4 rating.

In Smith’s absence, 25-year-old Callan Foote made his second appearance of the season against the Canadiens yesterday. The Devils had no healthy extras rostered, necessitating Hatakka’s recall.

The 23-year-old Hatakka arrived in the Devils organization by way of San Jose in the February 2023 Timo Meier trade. A sixth-round pick of the Sharks in 2019, Hatakka has not played in the NHL since April 17, 2022.

He spent most of last season injured, only logging eight games with AHL San Jose in October and November of 2022. Now healthy, he’s picked up a regular role with Utica, where he’s posted 2-7–9 in 28 games with a -4 rating. This is his first recall since joining the Devils, and potentially an important one for his next contract as he’s in the final year of his entry-level deal.

Brendan Smith Out With Sprained Knee

at CDT | by 4 Comments

  • Another team in the Metropolitan Division that has dealt with several injuries this year would be none other than the New Jersey Devils. Earlier today, the team was dealt more unfortunate news, as team reporter Amanda Stein reported that defenseman Brendan Smith is out with a sprained knee. As of now, the timeline for Smith is unclear, but the team will likely utilize recently recalled Callan Foote to serve in Smith’s stead.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top