Bruce Boudreau Interested In New Jersey, Other Coaching Opportunities
Long-time head coach Bruce Boudreau is ready and waiting to return behind the bench in the NHL, and the New Jersey Devils appear to be on his short list of teams. In an article from Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media, the Devils do not appear enthusiastic about retaining interim head coach Travis Green and will look through the market for an upgrade this offseason.
Since Green took over the reins for New Jersey, the Devils have produced a 6-7-0 record, and still find themselves five points back of the Washington Capitals for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with less than 10 games remaining in the regular season. After last year’s 112-point finish, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was certainly looking for this team to keep pace in the competitive Metropolitan Division.
One of the main factors in Boudreau’s interest in New Jersey is his connection to the Hughes brothers from many years ago. When asked about the two, Boudreau was quoted as saying, “I got to meet Jack and Quinn when they were three or four years old. I’d watch them skate when we’d have ice. Ellen was the skating coach, so they’ve gotten into this culture and they were very serious about it. Jim Hughes was a very serious coach. I’m sure those guys, at an early age, were doing things that kids couldn’t do at twice their age“.
With an established relationship with one of the team’s most important players, Boudreau may be a seamless fit with the Devils organization. However, he will not be handed the position and will have to compete with several other high-profile coaching candidates this summer.
Even though Boudreau currently sits 22nd all-time in wins amongst individuals who have held the position of head coach in the NHL, he has been unable to capture the Stanley Cup after coaching his teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs more often than not. Because of this, New Jersey may opt to employ a candidate with more recent postseason success, such as Craig Berube, the former head coach of the St. Louis Blues.
Devils Notes: Hamilton, Bastian, Siegenthaler, Halonen
Devils interim head coach Travis Green spoke with reporters today, including Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media, to provide an update on a pair of injured players. He indicated that it’s unlikely that Dougie Hamilton will return at all this season. Hamilton had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle a little less than four months ago and is currently on LTIR. Since the Devils primarily sold at the deadline, they could easily have gotten back into cap compliance to activate the veteran if he was able to return.
Meanwhile, the news is a little better for winger Nathan Bastian. Green indicated there is a chance that the 26-year-old could return from an upper-body injury that has caused him to miss a little more than a month. Bastian has a dozen points along with 143 hits in 54 games so far this season.
More from New Jersey:
- Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler took part in practice today as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, mentions team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link). He has missed more than two weeks with this latest ailment, one that came just a few weeks after missing 16 games with a foot issue. Siegenthaler has been limited to just nine points through 49 games so far but as a second-pairing player, New Jersey would certainly like to get him back in the lineup sooner than later.
- Brian Halonen’s daily transactions tour continues. Per the AHL’s transactions log, the forward has been recalled to New Jersey’s roster today after being sent down yesterday. This is his third recall since Wednesday. The 25-year-old made his NHL debut last month, his only appearance at the top level so far. Meanwhile, with Utica, he has fared well with 16 goals and eight assists in just 30 games. He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract.
Fitzgerald: Devils Looking To Get Harder On The Wing
While the season isn’t over yet for the Devils, GM Tom Fitzgerald has already identified an area outside the crease that he’d like to address for 2024-25. In an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription link), Fitzgerald indicated that he’d like his team “get harder on the wing” for next season. New Jersey has been hovering around the top ten for offense this year despite missing several key players due to injuries so it appears their preference would be to add some grit to help complement their skilled forwards. As things stand, New Jersey has around $21MM in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly, giving Fitzgerald ample wiggle room to work with to reshape parts of his roster.
Devils Recall Forward Brian Halonen
The New Jersey Devils have recalled forward Brian Halonen from the Utica Comets of the AHL. The timing of Halonen’s recall could be an indication that Devils forwards Kurtis MacDermid or Curtis Lazar may not be available tonight when the Devils face the Toronto Maple Leafs, however, both players were on the ice with the team for their morning skate today and Lazar is likely to play. Devils’ reporter Amanda Stein also tweeted that Halonen’s callup could be insurance at forward in case a forward can’t go tonight.
Halonen has seen NHL action already this season as the Delano, Minnesota native made his NHL debut on February 25th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 25-year-old registered a single shot in just under 10 minutes of ice time and was able to force a takeaway. He didn’t look out of place on the NHL ice; however, the Devils sheltered his minutes and gave him the bulk of his zone starts in the offensive zone.
Halonen was an undrafted free agent signing out of Michigan Tech and has developed into a reliable scorer at the AHL level in his third season of professional hockey. He’s dressed in 30 games this season for Utica and posted a career-high 16 goals and eight assists.
Devils Reassign Isaac Poulter
The Devils have assigned goaltender Isaac Poulter to AHL Utica, per a team announcement.
Poulter, 22, had spent the entirety of his brief professional career on minor-league deals with Utica before earning an entry-level deal with the Devils last month. New Jersey has now recalled him twice this season on emergency loans to serve as a backup while injuries affected the Devils’ crease, although this most recent summons was to allow new starter Jake Allen some rest during yesterday’s 4-0 win over the Islanders. With Allen set to return to the gameday roster Tuesday against the Maple Leafs, Poulter’s presence is no longer necessary.
The former All-Star starter with WHL Swift Current has still yet to make his NHL debut. After spending most of 2022-23 two levels down with ECHL Adirondack, he’s pushed his way up to a full-time job with Utica this season and leads the team with 28 appearances, posting a strong 2.55 GAA, .911 SV%, 17-8-1 record, and four shutouts.
Signed to a two-year ELC, Poulter won’t be an RFA until 2025. He is waiver-exempt and will remain so until he passes 60 career NHL games or four NHL-contracted seasons, whichever comes first. His ELC carries an $812.5K cap hit and pays him a $70K salary in the minors this season.
New Jersey Devils Recall Isaac Poulter, Send Down Tyler Wotherspoon
Circumstances have changed quickly for goaltender Isaac Poulter over the last week, as the New Jersey Devils have recalled him after being demoted to the ECHL only five days ago. In the same transaction, the team also announces they have returned Tyler Wotherspoon to the Utica Comets of the AHL after recalling him on an emergency loan less than a week ago.
Poulter originally joined the Devils organization by way of an AHL contract after his tenure with the Swift Current Broncos came to an end after the 2021-22 WHL season. Primarily playing for the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL last year, Poulter produced a 10-8-2 record in 22 games, posting a .910 SV% and a 2.93 GAA.
Continuing to improve this season, Poulter has gotten off to a strong start with the Comets, putting up a 17-8-1 record in 28 games, while also managing a .911 SV% and a 2.55 GAA. Poulter played so well for Utica that New Jersey opted to sign him to a two-year, two-way NHL contract on February 15th of this year, taking him to the end of next season.
Unfortunately, even with Poulter’s strong record and four shutouts this season, poor play from Akira Schmid and Erik Kallgren has capped the Comets at 27 wins in 60 games, causing them to sit in last place in a strong North Division. Now, with his second callup of the season to the NHL level, Poulter will have the chance to practice with the Devils before their game today against the New York Islanders.
In Wotherspoon, it will be his second straight recall to New Jersey on an emergency basis in which he was unable to play in any games. Only suiting up for Utica this year, Wotherspoon has scored four goals and 19 points in 54 games.
John Marino Expected To Return Versus Ottawa
- The Devils are expected to welcome defenseman John Marino back to the lineup tonight, relays team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury. Marino has fared better in his second season with New Jersey, putting up 23 points in 65 games so far while logging over 21 minutes a night. Based on the morning skate, they won’t waste any time putting him back into a key role as he’s projected to play on the top pairing versus Ottawa.
Max Willman And Tyler Wotherspoon Recalled
- The frequent shuffling of Max Willman and Tyler Wotherspoon continues. A day after sending them back to AHL Utica, the Devils have recalled both players today, per the AHL’s transactions log. Both recalls are once again on an emergency basis. The reason for New Jersey sending them down between games could have to do with their waiver exemption; once they play in ten games or are on the NHL roster for 30 days, they’d have to clear to return to the Comets. By papering them down here and there, they can delay getting to that point with both players.
Evening Notes: Trouba, Foote, Pelletier
New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba has returned to the practice sheet after missing the last five games with a lower-body injury. It’s Trouba’s first significant absence of the season, after playing in 60 of the team’s 63 games up to the point of his injury. Head coach Peter Laviolette told The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (Twitter Link) that the team wants to take their time with transitioning Trouba back into the lineup, wanting to make sure he’s fully healthy first.
Trouba is managing another strong season, despite seeing a dip in his scoring – netting just three goals and 22 points in 60 games this year and likely to miss the 30-point mark for the first time in three years. His value has instead come on the other side of the puck, with Trouba ranking third on the Rangers in hits-per-game (2.73), behind William Cuylle and Matt Rempe. Laviolette has employed a physical presence in his first year with the Rangers and Trouba has been happy to comply, leaning into the presence that’s made him one of the league’s most divisive players. The Rangers will need to make sure Trouba is fully ready to go before returning because there’s no doubt he’ll jump right back into his heavy-hitting role.
Other notes from around the league:
- New Jersey Devils forward Nolan Foote is facing an undisclosed injury and did not join the team on their three-game road trip last week, per Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com. Foote was assigned to the AHL on a four-game conditioning stint in early March, scoring three goals and four points in four games. He was formally activated off of season-opening injured reserve on March 12th, though he’s yet to make his season debut in the NHL. It’s unclear when fans can expect him to work his way into the Devils lineup.
- The Calgary Flames have sent Jakob Pelletier to the AHL (Twitter Link) after placing him in the press box for their last two games. Pelletier is playing out his formal rookie season in the NHL, with one goal and three points in 13 NHL games on the year. He appeared in 24 games with Calgary last year, netting three goals and seven points. Despite scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the minors – 102 points in 105 games since 2021-22 – Pelletier is still searching for his scoring groove at the top level. He’ll get another chance to hone his craft, now again with the Calgary Wranglers.
John Marino Out With Injury, Tyler Wotherspoon Recalled
- In a similar transaction, Pittsburgh’s opponent tonight, the New Jersey Devils, have recalled defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon by way of an emergency recall. In his second emergency recall in only his last week, Wotherspoon has had an elevated opportunity to play in the NHL due to multiple injuries on New Jersey’s back end. Unfortunately, Wotherspoon has yet to play with the Devils this season, but has registered four goals and 19 points in 54 games for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
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