The absence of Haula and Nosek leaves a dent in New Jersey’s bottom six that’s expected to be filled by Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian. Bastian has been with the Devils for five of his six NHL seasons, briefly joining the Seattle Kraken for 12 games of the 2021-22 season before the Devils claimed him off waivers partway through the year. Lazar is a much more recent addition, joining the Devils via trade ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline. He’s only played six games with the Devils between last season and this season and has yet to record a point. New Jersey could also turn towards summer signee Chris Tierney to fill an empty role. Tierney has yet to make his debut with the Devils.
Devils Rumors
Devils Place Keith Kinkaid On Waivers
Oct. 18: Kinkaid has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Per Elite Prospects’ roster log, Kinkaid will be loaned outside of the organization to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, where he’s expected to assume a starting role.
Oct. 17: The New Jersey Devils placed netminder Keith Kinkaid on waivers today, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Kinkaid, 34, was signed by the Devils this offseason to fill a depth role but sustained an upper-body injury during camp that prevented him from hitting waivers before the season started. Now healthy, the Devils can involve him in a transaction and attempt to send him to the AHL’s Utica Comets.
The Devils needed a second netminder for Utica when 22-year-old Nico Daws had to undergo hip surgery this summer, which will likely keep him out of commission until mid-December. For the time being, Utica will go with a veteran tandem of Kinkaid and former Maple Leaf Erik Källgren in the crease.
Kinkaid’s days of being an everyday NHLer are certainly behind him, but Devils fans will remember his play as a fill-in for the oft-injured Cory Schneider in the late 2010s. Kinkaid’s best campaign came during the 2017-18 season, starting a career-high 38 games and posting a 26-10-3 record and .913 save percentage to help lead the Devils to their first playoff berth since losing to the Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
Since then, however, he’s primarily served as a third-string option for organizations such as the Canadiens, Rangers, Bruins and Avalanche. He hasn’t made double-digit NHL appearances in a single season since his last year with the Devils in 2018-19. In one contest with the Bruins and one with the Avalanche in 2022-23, Kinkaid recorded a lone win and a .950 save percentage in 88 minutes of play, stopping 38 of 40 shots faced.
Akira Schmid Yet To Discuss Contract Extension
- There have reportedly yet to be talks of a contract extension between the New Jersey Devils and goaltender Akira Schmid. This report comes after Elliotte Friedman speculated whether extension talks have started yet, as the Devils have shown a pattern of wanting to extend younger players earlier in the season. Schmid has played in one game this season, allowing three goals and recording an overtime loss.
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Metropolitan Notes: Couturier, Lindgren Brothers, Nosek, Mayfield
Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier has been off to a strong start since returning from back injuries that sidelined him for nearly two years, notching an assist and a team-high +3 rating in two contests while averaging over 20 minutes per game. However, he’s hit a hiccup in his re-acclimation to everyday play. He is “banged up” and missed practice today, although head coach John Tortorella did confirm nothing is wrong with his back.
Couturier is locking down the team’s first line with Joel Farabee on his left flank, and youngsters Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster are rotating in on his right. The Flyers likely won’t be sniffing playoff contention this season, but having the 30-year-old Couturier back in action is a huge boost development-wise for a team looking to usher in, quite literally, a new era of orange this season.
Other injury considerations around the Metro this morning:
- Both of the Lindgren brothers are dealing with injuries, starting with New York Rangers defender Ryan Lindgren. He was a late scratch for their loss to Columbus on Saturday, and head coach Peter Laviolette said he’ll once again be a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Coyotes. The 25-year-old logged 19:50 in their season-opening win against Buffalo last week.
- Washington Capitals backup Charlie Lindgren is also questionable, leaving practice this morning. Head coach Spencer Carbery could not confirm Lindgren’s status for tonight’s game against Calgary after he allowed four goals in the team’s season opener against Pittsburgh last Friday. He played in relief of starter Darcy Kuemper, who returns to the team tonight after welcoming a son last week.
- New Jersey Devils forward Tomas Nosek is officially out of the lineup tonight after being absent from practice yesterday. He’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Devils reporter Amanda Stein, and Curtis Lazar is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Florida. Nosek, who’s logged 12:10 per game in two contests, is still looking for his first point as a Devil.
- New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is day-to-day after blocking a shot late in Saturday’s win against Buffalo, says head coach Lane Lambert. Mayfield did not practice today due to swelling in his leg, and his status for Tuesday’s game against the Coyotes is uncertain. He played 16:47 in that contest, and Samuel Bolduc will make his season debut on the third pairing should Mayfield be unavailable.
Tomáš Nosek Doubtful For Monday's Game With Lower-Body Injury
- New Jersey Devils forward Tomáš Nosek missed practice today with a lower-body injury and is considered doubtful for Monday’s game against Florida, Devils lead reporter Amanda Stein relays. Nosek has dressed in the Devils’ first two games of the season as a winger after playing center for the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights for much of the last four seasons, averaging 12:10 per game. The team’s summer free-agent pickup has yet to record a point but has controlled play well at even strength, posting a Corsi share of 65.5% despite heavy defensive zone usage. Either Curtis Lazar or Chris Tierney will draw into the lineup if Nosek can’t go.
Erik Haula Good To Go For Season Opener
Thatcher Demko was mysteriously pulled from the team’s season opener after just over 48 minutes of play. After the game, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared that Demko was battling the flu before the game and tried to play through it but was pulled after getting sick. Despite the bug, Demko recorded 21 saves on 22 shots – a big piece of the staggering 8-1 win Vancouver would go on to notch. Recent trade acquisition Casey DeSmith relieved Demko and saved all five shots that he faced.
Vancouver hasn’t shared that they’re expecting Demko to miss any more time with this flu. They visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, October 14 to kick off a five-game road trip. The gap between games will likely be plenty for Demko, although his status will be one to monitor over the coming days. While DeSmith was suitable in relief, the Canucks will certainly still want as much of Demko as they can get this season. The 27-year-old goalie played in 64 games during the 2021-22 season, recording a .915 save percentage, but was held to only 32 games and a .901 save percentage last year as he battled with a groin injury.
Other notes from around the league:
- Erik Haula is looking good to go for New Jersey’s home opener against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. He’s been dealing with an undisclosed, “nagging” injury for part of training camp and was recently considered day-to-day.
- Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz has officially been ruled out for the team’s season opener against the St. Louis Blues. Hintz has been dealing with an upper-body injury and was recently announced as a game-time decision for the team’s first tilt. But head coach Pete DeBoer shared that playing Hintz wasn’t worth the risk, as the team has five days off after their Thursday night game against St. Louis.
New Jersey Signs Lindy Ruff To Multi-Year Extension
The New Jersey Devils have announced a multi-year extension for head coach Lindy Ruff. The details of this extension haven’t been revealed yet, although this deal will lock in Ruff for the foreseeable future. Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said, “We’re incredibly fortunate as an organization to have Lindy Ruff behind the bench to guide this group, who’ve made significant strides under his leadership”
Lindy Ruff has been behind the New Jersey bench since 2020-21 when he took over for interim head coach Alain Nasreddine. Ruff failed to lead the Devils to the postseason in his first two years with the team but last season charged the Devils to only their third playoff berth since 2010. The team would go on to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in a five-game series but the spring hockey was an exciting sign of things to come for a Devils team that’s built out their depth in recent years. Looking at the Devils’ opening night roster for this season, only nine players from Ruff’s first year with the club – speaking to how much change the club has seen over the last few seasons.
Ruff is an absolute veteran of the NHL, playing 13 seasons as a player and going on his 30th year of coaching. A majority of his playing and coaching career has been spent with the Buffalo Sabres. He appeared in 608 games with the Sabres – all but 83 of his total career games – recording 285 points and 1128 penalty minutes with the club. When he took the helm behind their bench, Ruff led the Sabres to eight different postseasons through 14 seasons, including making the playoffs in each of his first four years as the club’s head coach. He’s since coached with the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers, before landing with the Devils in 2020.
This extension locks in the leader of what seems to be an up-and-coming Devils roster. Ruff will now look to earn his deal with a strong season ahead.
New Jersey Devils Injury Updates
New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff issued injury updates to three players: expected third-line center Erik Haula, 2019 first-round pick Nolan Foote, and veteran netminder Keith Kinkaid. As relayed by Devils reporter Sam Kasan, Ruff revealed that Haula is “day-to-day while dealing with a “nagging” injury,” while Foote has an upper-body injury and Kinkaid is still dealing with his own injury.
The Devils have had an incredible preseason thus far, and are widely expected to be among the NHL’s best teams this upcoming season. While that has more to do with their superstars playing on their top-two lines, Haula is still a strong third pivot who scored 14 goals and 41 points last season. The Devils will be hoping that he can return in time for opening night so the club can hit the ground running this season, something they failed to do in 2022-23.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/7/23
While teams have considerably whittled down their rosters compared to where they were just a weekend ago, there are still plenty more cuts to be made in the coming days. Here are today’s roster trimmings excluding earlier waiver placements.
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
D Ryan Johnson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Lukas Rousek (to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
D Nick DeSimone (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Calgary, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Calgary, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
G Yaniv Perets (to Norfolk, ECHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
D Marcus Bjork (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Joshua Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Billy Sweezey (to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)
D Alexander Petrovic (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team Twitter)
F Austin Czarnik (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G John Lethemon (to Toledo, ECHL)
D Jared McIsaac (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Wyatt Newpower (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brogan Rafferty (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per ESPN’s John Buccigross)
D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)
D Santeri Hatakka (to Utica, AHL)
G Isaac Poulter (to Utica, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter)
F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)
F Wade Allison (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team Twitter)
F Ryan Carpenter (to San Jose, AHL)
F Oskar Lindblom (to San Jose, AHL)
F Quentin Musty (to Sudbury, OHL)
F Jacob Peterson (to San Jose, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (per team Twitter)
D Ryker Evans (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Shane Wright (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to Hershey, AHL)
G Mitchell Gibson (to Hershey, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to Hershey, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Devils Sign Max Willman To A One-Year Deal
Call it a successful PTO for winger Max Willman. While he finds himself on waivers today, it’s for a good reason. The Devils announced (Twitter link) that he has signed a one-year, two-way contract. New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols relays (via Twitter) that the contract pays $775K in the NHL, $135K in the minors, and has a total guarantee of $150K.
The 28-year-old spent the last four years in Philadelphia’s system, primarily playing at the AHL level. However, he got into 41 games with the Flyers back in 2021-22 where he picked up six points. Last season, however, his time in the NHL was limited to just nine appearances. However, he did chip in with 23 points in 54 games with AHL Lehigh Valley.
Willman became an unrestricted free agent this summer and wasn’t able to land a guaranteed contract, resulting in him being one of many to go the PTO route. He becomes one of the few to be converted to an NHL deal and assuming he clears waivers (a likely outcome since he couldn’t get a full deal in free agency), he’ll be assigned to AHL Utica where he’ll look to play his way into a recall when injuries strike.