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Devils Activate, Reassign Nico Daws

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The Devils activated goaltender Nico Daws off-season-opening injured reserve Friday, per a team release, promptly assigning him to the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Daws, 22, did not participate in training camp and was placed on SOIR before the start of the regular season after undergoing offseason hip surgery. The 2020 third-round pick hasn’t suited up in a game since the Comets were eliminated in the second round of last season’s Calder Cup Playoffs by the Toronto Marlies.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Canadian national impressed mightily during his draft year, racking up a 23-8-6 record and .924 SV% in 38 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm in 2019-20. It earned him a placement on Canada’s roster for that year’s World Junior Championship, where he backed up St. Louis Blues prospect Joel Hofer en route to a gold medal.

After spending the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign in Germany with the DEL’s ERC Ingolstadt, the Munich-born netminder stepped into significant NHL action the following season with injuries decimating the Devils crease. Daws split the 2021-22 campaign equally between the Devils and Utica, notching a .893 SV% and 10-11-1 record in his first 25 NHL appearances.

With the free agent signing of Vítek Vaněček and the emergence of Akira Schmid as a slightly more NHL-ready netminder in the Devils system, Daws did not see any NHL ice last season, although he was recalled for injury insurance on a handful of occasions. However, Daws still put together a strong campaign with the Comets, posting a .904 SV% and two shutouts in 33 games. He capped off his campaign with a .920 SV% in the postseason while starting all six of Utica’s Calder Cup Playoff games.

Now healthy, Daws will assume the starter’s role in Utica ahead of Isaac Poulter, a 22-year-old undrafted free agent who spent most of last season in the ECHL. Poulter’s taken the reins with the Comets for the time being because Devils offseason free agent signing Erik Källgren, who’s seen a fair amount of NHL action over the past few seasons with the Maple Leafs, has struggled heavily with a .851 SV% and 4.27 GAA in nine appearances.

Should injuries strike either Vaněček or Schmid, Daws will likely be the first callup. Now in the final season of his entry-level contract, he remains waiver-exempt.

Weekes: Devils Seeking A Stabilizing Defenseman

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With the Devils missing Dougie Hamilton for the foreseeable future, many expect them to make a move to shore up their back end, even with Simon Nemec coming up from AHL Utica for the time being.  ESPN’s Kevin Weekes suggests (Twitter link) that their desired piece is someone who plays a different style than Hamilton.  Instead of another offensively-skilled blueliner, Weekes feels that New Jersey wants a stabilizer on the back end, one who could play a physical game and block shots, surmising that Calgary’s Chris Tanev could be the type of player they’re looking for.  Even with Hamilton on the shelf, they do have some offensive upside from the back end with Luke Hughes and John Marino in the fold so it certainly makes sense for New Jersey to be looking for a different type of complementary player.

New Jersey Devils Re-Assign Samuel Laberge

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Saturday: After making his NHL debut on Thursday where he played just 2:11, Laberge has been returned to Utica.

Wednesday: Just after signing him to a one-year entry-level contract on November 25th, the New Jersey Devils have recalled forward Samuel Laberge from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

Laberge is at Devils practice this morning and could very well make his NHL debut with the club in the coming days, perhaps even in tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Should Laberge get the chance to make his NHL debut, it would be a wonderful moment for a player who has been through so much on his path to such an opportunity.

Laberge’s pro hockey journey began in traditional fashion: after three seasons as a top-six power forward in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Océanic, including a campaign spent as their captain, Laberge signed an AHL deal with the Texas Stars.

A power forward capable of chipping in solid offensive numbers in junior, Laberge became more of a fourth-line grinder at the AHL level, and didn’t see his name on the scoresheet often. As a result, his standing and role in Texas slowly eroded as the team opted to give bigger opportunities to other players. He also suffered an injury that cost him valuable momentum and a full two months of his second campaign with the Stars.

After scoring just seven points in 2018-19, Laberge’s time in Texas ended. He had planned on heading to Manitoba on a professional tryout agreement with the Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Moose. But his plans had to grind to a halt, as his father had been diagnosed with cancer.

Laberge made the decision to pause the chase of his NHL dream and opted to stay closer to home rather than continue in camp with the Moose. Laberge later explained the decision to Devils team reporter Amanda Stein saying, “I wanted to spend the time with my father,” which led Laberge to forgo AHL opportunities. Laberge  “wasn’t sure if [he] still wanted to play hockey,” but opted to remain in the game by playing in the semi-pro LNAH alongside taking on work in construction.

In 2020, Laberge re-joined the ranks of professional hockey, returning to the state of Texas to join the ECHL’s Allen Americans. He began to excel there, finishing with 17 goals and 42 points in 55 combined regular season and postseason games. Laberge then signed with the Devils’ ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder, for the 2021-22 campaign but quickly played his way back into the AHL by scoring 10 points in 12 ECHL games.

Laberge spent most of 2021-22 with the Utica Comets and last season spent the entire year in Utica, avoiding a single reassignment to the ECHL. So far this season, Laberge has scored three points in eight games for the Comets. He’s not a scoring forward like he was in junior, but the six-foot-two grinder can rack up hits, penalty minutes, and plays with a lot of energy.

Should he end up making his NHL debut, Laberge will likely do so in a limited fourth-line role. But just making it to this point, a point where he has an NHL contract in hand and is now on an NHL roster for the first time, is a remarkable achievement for a hard-working player who just a few years ago was playing semi-pro hockey and had one foot outside of the game.

Haula Could Return On Upcoming Road Trip

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  • While the Devils didn’t get center Erik Haula back in their lineup tonight against San Jose, he might not be out much longer. Ryan Novozinsky of The Star-Ledger notes that the veteran will accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip.  The 32-year-old suffered a lower-body injury last week against Buffalo.  Haula is coming off back-to-back 40-plus-point seasons and has produced at a better pace than that this season with a dozen points in 18 games.

Devils Place Dougie Hamilton On IR With Torn Pectoral Muscle, Tomáš Nosek Undergoes Foot Surgery

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The injury news regarding Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is worse than initially feared. The team announced Friday that they’ve placed their star defender on injured reserve after a successful surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, retroactive to November 28, and there is no timetable for his return. Additionally, center Tomáš Nosek has re-aggravated a right foot injury that’s sidelined him for all but six games this season and has undergone successful surgery to repair the issue. He, too, is out indefinitely.

New Jersey also confirmed the call-up of top defense prospect Šimon Nemec from AHL Utica, as reported earlier today. He will make his NHL debut tonight against the Sharks, playing a third-pairing role alongside veteran Colin Miller.

This is a tough blow for the Devils and Hamilton, who played all 82 games last season and finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting after recording 74 points and a +23 rating. This is his first stint on IR since a broken jaw kept him out for 17 games in the middle of the 2021-22 season.

The 30-year-old right-shot defender was off to a strong start, leading Devils defensemen with five goals and 16 points in 20 contests. He missed Thursday’s contest against the Flyers after sustaining the pectoral tear in Tuesday’s game against the Islanders. Hamilton, who was also boasting a career-high Corsi share of 58.3% at even strength, is in the third season of a seven-year, $63MM deal carrying a $9MM cap hit and, for now, a full no-movement clause.

No team is well-positioned to lose their number-one defenseman, and it makes for tough waters to navigate as the Devils look to rebound from a sluggish start to the campaign. Hamilton’s absence does, however, provide increased opportunities for rookie Luke Hughes. The 20-year-old is now tasked with top pairing duties alongside Jonas Siegenthaler, which will certainly help his case for being a Calder Trophy nominee at season’s end. He’s already off to an impressive start offensively, notching three goals and 14 points through 21 games – not very far behind Hamilton’s production.

Hughes’ possession numbers are similarly strong, albeit in slightly easier minutes. He’ll now be given a prime chance to flash what his ceiling can be – first-pair duties and, expectedly, first power-play unit duties will be quite the test for the youngster, whom the Devils selected fourth overall in the 2021 draft.

Meanwhile, Nosek exited the Devils’ lineup earlier in the month and had already been placed on IR. He last played November 18 against the Rangers and skated just 2:55 in that game, his fourth since returning from the initial injury sustained in mid-October. He, like Hamilton, will presumably be out long-term, although it doesn’t change the picture much for the Devils, given how little he’s played.

Devils’ Brendan Smith Suspended Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday that they’ve suspended Devils defenseman Brendan Smith for two games for slashing Flyers forward Travis Konecny in last night’s contest. Konecny was also fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Smith on the same play. Smith will be eligible to return to play on December 7 against the Kraken.

NHL Player Safety described the incident as follows:

With the puck having been cleared to the other end of the ice, Konecny delivers a sharp cross-check to the body of Smith, for which he has been fined. In retaliation, and in complete control of his actions, Smith turns towards Konecny, winds up, and delivers a forceful two-handed strike to Konecny’s arm with his stick. 

Regarding their determination around supplemental discipline, Player Safety issued the following statement:

It is important to note that this is an intentional and forceful slash delivered well away from the puck and solely for the purpose of retribution. This is not a hockey play, nor is this a battle where players are physically engaged and a stick comes up carelessly due to the body contact between the players. Smith is in complete control of his stick at all times, and while we recognize Smith’s assertion that he is cross-checked first in this sequence, players are not excused from illegal acts just because of a prior foul by an opponent. 

Smith has been suspended once before, an eight-game ban during the 2011 preseason while a member of the Red Wings for a hit to the head of then-Blackhawks forward Ben Smith. Given the distance between the two incidents that required supplemental discipline, the previous suspension was not factored into this punishment.

With Smith ineligible to play and star blueliner Dougie Hamilton sidelined with a short-term injury, 2022 second-overall pick Šimon Nemec is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Sharks after being recalled this morning.

The 34-year-old Smith had played in all 21 Devils contests this season, oftentimes suiting up as the fourth-line left wing with injuries affecting the team’s forward group. He plays the veteran utility player role well, providing solid possession numbers while averaging 14:43 per game. He does have just two assists on the season, although the 2007 first-round pick hasn’t been relied upon for offensive production in quite some time.

Smith is in his second season with the Devils after spending the majority of his 13-year, 652-game career with the Red Wings and Rangers. In those 652 games, Smith has 33 goals, 92 assists, 125 points, a -5 rating, and 725 penalty minutes.

New Jersey Devils Expected To Recall Šimon Nemec

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According to NJ.Com’s Ryan Novozinski, 2022 second-overall pick Šimon Nemec is being recalled by the New Jersey Devils.

Nemec has yet to make his debut in the NHL, having spent the entirety of his North American pro career with the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Also according to Novozinski, the Devils have placed defenseman Dougie Hamilton on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

The defensive depth of the Devils has allowed Nemec to develop in the AHL for over a year, a luxury many other teams would have been unable to afford. The 19-year-old right-shot blueliner was solid last season, playing a heavy dose of minutes and scoring 34 points in 65 games.

So far this season, Nemec has resumed his role near the top of the Comets’ defensive depth chart. Exceptional in the transition game, Nemec has gotten off to a fast start for Utica with eight points in just 13 games played. Nemec, who scored 17 points in a 19-game playoff run in the Slovak league during his draft year, has an Olympic Bronze medal and is likely ready for the NHL.

With defenseman Brendan Smith potentially facing supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety, Nemec could very well make his NHL debut in short order.

Morning Notes: Kane, Hartman, Meier

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TSN’s Pierre LeBrun shared on the latest episode of Insider Trading that Patrick Kane could be moved at the trade deadline if Detroit doesn’t hang on to their playoff contention. LeBrun continued by saying that Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, and Wings general manager, Steve Yzerman, discussed all possibilities prior to the future Hall of Famer signing in Motor City, including the chance of Kane needing to find a new home to ensure another playoff berth.

Kane is signed to a one-year contract and clearly hoping to make it an efficient year. The 35-year-old winger has already had 11 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances through his 16-year, winning the Cup three times with the Chicago Blackhawks. But he’s missed much of the postseason over the last six years, only seeing the playoffs in 2019-20, with the Blackhawks, and in 2022-23, with the New York Rangers.

If Detroit isn’t able to maintain their playoff spot, the Insider Trading panel mentioned the Buffalo Sabres as a potential alternative for Kane. The panel shared that Buffalo doesn’t lack any interest in the star winger, enjoying the strong veteran presence that he would bring to a locker room. The Sabres and Red Wings are bound to be close in the playoff race come the end of the year, with the teams currently separated by five points in the standings.

Other notes from around the league:

No Timetable For Dougie Hamilton's Return

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Snapshots: Vilardi, MacEwen, Foudy, Willman

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The Winnipeg Jets have shared that Gabriel Vilardi is not yet ready to return, although he is continuing to progress in his recovery from a knee injury. The forward is expected to be a game-time decision for the Jets’ Thursday night matchup. Vilardi suffered an MCL sprain early on in the season and was expected to miss four to six weeks.

The 24-year-old Vilardi has only managed three appearances with Winnipeg this season, netting one assist and a -1. It’s his first year with the club after joining via trade in June, moving to Winnipeg alongside Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari in the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings. Winnipeg tendered a qualifying offer to Vilardi and was headed towards salary arbitration, before the avoided arbitration with a two-year, $6.9MM contract.

Vilardi had the best season of his young career last year, netting 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games with the Kings. He also added four points in five playoff games. The scoring brings his career totals up to 41 goals and 79 points through 155 games, stretched across the last four seasons. Vilardi was previously drafted 11th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season. He is one of four players from the 2017 draft class’ Top 15 to not yet eclipse 200 career NHL games, alongside Cody Glass, Cal Foote, and Lias Andersson.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Ottawa Senators forward Zack MacEwen has been fined $2,018.23 – the maximum allowed under the CBA – for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty taken in Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers. MacEwen targeted Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk late in the game, receiving a five-minute match penalty for a check to the head in the game. MacEwen has appeared in six Senators games this season, scoring one assist and totaling 25 penalty minutes.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar shared that forward Jean-Luc Foudy is suffering from a lower-body injury. Bednar also shared that the team doesn’t yet know when to expect Foudy back. Foudy has yet to play this season and is currently on the team’s injured reserve. He scored 36 points in 46 AHL games last season. He was also rewarded his first nine NHL games last year, going without a point and recording a -3.
  • The New Jersey Devils have assigned forward Maxwell Willman to the Utica Comets of the AHL. Willman has appeared in four games with the Devils this season, netting one goal. He’s also appeared in seven AHL games, scoring four goals and seven points. The 28-year-old forward has totaled 54 NHL games and seven points across his career, making his debut with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2021-22 season.

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