Devils Place Jonas Siegenthaler On IR, Recall Two From AHL
The Devils announced that defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler was placed on injured reserve today, likely retroactive to his last appearance on January 6, with a foot fracture. Forward Shane Bowers and defensemen Cal Foote were recalled from AHL Utica in corresponding moves.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said last weekend that Siegenthaler, 26, would likely miss significant time. As such, he’s expected to remain on IR longer than the minimum seven-day stay. The team’s secondary shutdown defender behind John Marino has six goals, 37 assists, 43 points, and a +15 rating in 196 contests with the Devils since coming over to New Jersey from the Capitals in an April 2021 trade.
Now in the first season of a five-year, $17MM extension signed shortly after he became eligible for one in July 2022, Siegenthaler has spent this season riding shotgun with Dougie Hamilton or Simon Nemec on the Devils’ top pairing. Hamilton has been out since late November with a left pectoral muscle tear and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Nemec has effectively shouldered heavy minutes in his first NHL stint since being selected second overall in the 2022 draft.
Before his injury, Siegenthaler had one goal, seven assists and a -1 rating while averaging 19:54 of ice time through 38 games.
Bowers and Foote come up to alleviate the pains of a Devils roster currently without Hamilton and Siegenthaler on defense and Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Tomáš Nosek, and Ondřej Palát at forward all due to injuries. The two recalls get the Devils to the minimum 18 skaters on the active roster, meaning they’ll both draw in for their season debuts against the Lightning on Thursday.
New Jersey acquired the signing rights for the 24-year-old Bowers, who was originally the Senators’ 28th overall pick in the 2017 draft, from the Bruins in exchange for the rights to minor-league defenseman Reilly Walsh in a June 2023 trade, the third time Bowers has been traded in his young professional career. The Devils promptly inked Bowers to a one-year, two-way deal, which carries a $775K cap hit and sees him earn $125K in the minors this year, where he has six goals and just one assist in 29 games with Utica. The Nova Scotian has one NHL game to his name, taking three shifts as a member of the Avalanche against the Predators in November 2022 before exiting with injury.
Foote was also a first-round pick, selected 14 spots ahead of Bowers by the Lightning in 2017. Dealt to the Predators last season in the Tanner Jeannot trade, he became a UFA last July after not receiving a qualifying offer. The Devils snapped him up in August, joining him in the organization with his brother, Nolan Foote, on a one-year, two-way deal with an $800K cap hit. The 25-year-old didn’t make the team out of camp, but this is not his first recall of the season. He was rostered for eight games in late October and early November, although he was a healthy scratch for all of them. He’s logged nine points and a -14 rating in 24 games with Utica.
Given their pedestrian minor-league performance, Bowers and Foote will likely see limited usage during their time on the NHL roster. Foote’s recall gives the Devils four right-shot defensemen, meaning one of Foote, Marino, Nemec, or Colin Miller will need to shift to their off-side for Thursday’s game and beyond.
Tomas Nosek Transferred To LTIR
- Undergoing foot surgery on December 1st, forward for the New Jersey Devils, Tomas Nosek was expected to be out for a significant amount of time. Today, it was announced that the Devils have transferred Nosek to their long-term injured reserve (X Link). However, he is able to be activated as soon as he is ready to go, having satisfied the LTIR requirements back in December.
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Jonas Siegenthaler Likely Out Longer-Term With Broken Foot
Devils blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler sustained a broken foot in last night’s 6-4 loss to the Canucks and will be out for a “bit,” head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters postgame (including the team’s Amanda Stein). Siegenthaler sustained the injury while blocking a shot early in the second period but stayed on the ice trying to defend as the team couldn’t exit the zone, eventually resulting in a Vancouver goal against (video link, viewer discretion advised).
With number-one defenseman Dougie Hamilton already on the shelf as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle that may sideline him through the end of the regular season, the Devils are now without both halves of their top defense pairing to begin the season. Their injury bug, which already held forwards Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Ondřej Palát out of last night’s loss, has officially reached their defense corps, too.
The left-shot defender began his career as a depth defender for the Capitals before the Devils snagged him for a third-round pick in an April 2021 trade. It’s since emerged as one of the best deals of GM Tom Fitzgerald‘s tenure, as Siegenthaler immediately emerged as a top-four threat with consistently above-average defensive impacts. He notched five goals and 35 points, along with a +22 rating in 150 games throughout his first two seasons in the Garden State, averaging 20:21 per game.
His average ice time is down to 19:54 this season, although that’s dragged down significantly after he logged only 9:34 in last night’s loss before exiting with the foot fracture. Once again occupying top-pairing duties alongside Hamilton and now rookie Simon Nemec, Siegenthaler has a goal and seven assists in 38 games this year while posting a career-high Corsi share of 53% at even strength.
Siegenthaler’s injury will surely lead to more ice time for the Devils’ other star rookie blueliner, Luke Hughes, on the left side. Hughes leads Devils blueliners with seven goals and 23 points in 38 games this season.
The defensive load, however, will more likely shift to the two right-shot defenders behind Nemec on the depth chart: veterans John Marino and Colin Miller. Marino has made his living in the NHL as a shutdown defender, and his pairing with Hughes has been on the ice for just 4.8 expected goals against in 126 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. Miller, while averaging only 14:45 per game, leads Devils defenders with a +10 rating and his pairing with 23-year-old Kevin Bahl has controlled a remarkable 70.4% of expected goals in limited minutes together.
New Jersey now only has five healthy defensemen on the active roster, so they’ll need to recall a sixth from AHL Utica in the coming days. They have plenty of time to make a choice, though, as they don’t play again until next Thursday against the Lightning. They created a roster spot for one today, however, returning forward Graeme Clarke to Utica after he made his NHL debut last night against Vancouver. Clarke, 22, logged a +1 rating and one shot attempt in 9:32 of ice time, all of which came at even strength.
Jack Hughes Being Evaluated For Upper-Body Injury, No Timetable For Return
Before tonight’s game against the Canucks, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff informed reporters (including the team’s own Amanda Stein) that superstar center Jack Hughes is being evaluated for an upper-body injury and will not suit up to face his brother, Quinn, at home in Newark. Per Ruff, the team has no indication of when Hughes will be available to return to play.
After playing over 21 minutes against the Blackhawks yesterday, Hughes had an awkward fall late in the game in which he landed on his left wrist/upper arm area. He did not return to action after recording a -1 rating and two shots on goal in the contest.
Unfortunately for the Devils, they’re staring a potential multi-game absence for Hughes in the face for the second time this season. Their leader in assists (30), points (45) and ice time among forwards (20:31 per game) missed five games in November with a right shoulder injury. The Devils, who currently occupy the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 21-14-2 record, went 2-3-0 in those five games sans their more accomplished Hughes brother.
New Jersey is standing on more solid ground after going 6-3-1 in their past ten games, slowly beginning to overcome their goaltending woes. They can seldom stand to lose Hughes, who’s been their best all-around performer this season with spectacular possession metrics to boot, for a significant length of time.
For the second time today, an injury could also cause complications for a potential All-Star game appearance. Hughes, much like Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard who landed on IR earlier today with a fractured jaw, was named by the league to be their team’s initial representative at the 2024 All-Star Game in Toronto, which takes place in just under a month.
In Hughes’ absence, 22-year-old Dawson Mercer slides over to center to hold down first-line duties between Tyler Toffoli and Jesper Bratt against the Canucks. New Jersey is now officially injury-ravaged on offense, as they’re also without Timo Meier and Ondřej Palát for tonight’s contest and potentially longer. The Devils moved Meier to IR earlier today to create roster space, while Palát is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury but remains on the active roster, as does Hughes.
Hughes, 22, is in the second season of an eight-year, $64MM extension that makes him a UFA in the summer of 2030.
Devils Place Timo Meier On IR, Recall Max Willman
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves before tonight’s game against Vancouver. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Timo Meier has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 30th. With the open roster spot, the team has recalled Max Willman from AHL Utica.
Meier has missed the last week with what was termed as a mid-body injury. That came on the heels of him missing a couple of weeks with a lower-body issue earlier in the season as well. The 27-year-old hasn’t had a great first full season with New Jersey, notching just nine goals with six assists through his first 28 games. That’s not the type of output they were expecting when they acquired him from San Jose last season and signed him to an eight-year, $70.4MM contract back in June. With the back-dated placement, he will have already missed seven days so he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s cleared to return.
As for Willman, he turned a PTO into a two-way deal in October and this will be his third recall of the season. He has played in four games with New Jersey so far, picking up his first goal since the 2021-22 campaign with Philadelphia while logging a little over 11 minutes a night. The 28-year-old has spent most of the year in the minors, notching nine goals and seven assists in 20 games so far. Assuming Meier’s injury is a short one, it’s likely that this stint on the roster will be a short one for Willman.
Ondrej Palat To Miss The Next Few Games
- New Jersey Devils reporter Amanda Stein tweeted that Devils head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters this morning that Ondrej Palat will likely miss the next few games. Palat suffered a lower-body injury in practice on Tuesday and did not play Wednesday night. The 32-year-old has struggled to live up to expectations after signing a five-year $30MM deal with the Devils in July of 2022. In 84 games spread out over one and a half seasons, Palat has just 13 goals and 24 assists.
Upper-Body Injury For Ondrej Palat
- Devils winger Ondrej Palat was a late scratch for tonight’s game against Washington with the team announcing (Twitter link) that the veteran has an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old had played in all 35 games leading into this one but has struggled somewhat offensively, collecting just 13 points in those appearances. Curtis Lazar took Palat’s place in the lineup.
Devils Recall Graeme Clarke, Timo Meier Out On Wednesday
The New Jersey Devils have recalled Graeme Clarke to the NHL roster and are expected to provide him his NHL debut on Wednesday night. This move comes in the wake of a new injury to Timo Meier, who says he is now dealing with a “mid-body” injury after previously missing seven games due to a lower-body injury. Meier isn’t expected to be out for long, per Devils’ head coach Lindy Ruff, though Meier will sit out of New Jersey’s Wednesday night game.
Meier has appeared in 28 games this year, netting nine goals and 15 points. He still ranks fifth on the team in goals scored despite his absences, though an extended time away from the team is certainly not what the Devils were hoping for when they signed Meier to an eight-year, $70.4MM contract extension this summer. The team also traded away seven assets to get Meier – as well as four depth players – in a blockbuster trade with the San Jose Sharks ahead of last year’s NHL Trade Deadline.
In Meier’s spot slots in Clarke, who has managed 11 goals and 21 points in 27 AHL games this season. His mark ranks second on the Utica Comets in scoring, behind undrafted forward Xavier Parent, who has 22 points. Clarke was drafted by the Devils in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft and will become the 10th player from that round to play an NHL game if he makes his debut on this recall.
Wednesday is a big day for the Clarke family, as Graeme’s brother Brandt Clarke has also been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings. Brandt has also been a top scorer this year, leading the AHL’s Ontario Reign in scoring with 32 points in 30 games. Brandt is one of the league’s top defense prospects.
Timo Meier Out With Mid-Body Injury
- Experiencing plenty of injury concerns from multiple significant players this season, the New Jersey Devils will be without forward Timo Meier for an undisclosed amount of time, as he is dealing with a mid-body injury according to team reporter, Amanda Stein. Stein indicates that it is not a re-aggravation of any of Meier’s previous injury concerns this season, something he has been seemingly battling for much of the regular season.
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Morning Notes: Anisimov, Moser, Lazar
Artem Anisimov isn’t ready to call it quits just yet, signing a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. This brings Anisimov back into the New York Rangers organization, the same place he started his career after going 54th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. Anisimov played in two seasons for Hartford after being drafted, scoring a strong 124 points in 154 games. The scoring was strong enough to earn him his NHL debut in 2009, with Anisimov quickly becoming an everyday NHL talent with 18 goals and 44 points in 82 games during his sophomore 2010-11 season.
Anisimov was moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets after four seasons with the Rangers. He spent three more in Columbus, before spending four years in Chicago and two in Ottawa. All the while, Anisimov remained a fantastic depth scorer, recording four seasons of 20-or-more goals in his nine seasons outside of New York. His career totaled 771 games and 376 points before Anisimov slipped away from the NHL, moving to Russia’s KHL for the 2021-22 season and spending last year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The 35-year-old centerman managed 19 goals and 36 points in 55 AHL games last year, suggesting that he may have some more left in the tank. He’ll have a chance to prove that now back where his career started.
More notes from around the league:
- J.J. Moser is set to return to the Arizona Coyotes lineup on Tuesday. The young defender missed two games after suffering an upper-body injury on December 23rd. Moser is in his third NHL season and has 15 points and a +8 through 33 games on the year. It’s the first time in Moser’s young career that he’s had a positive +/-.
- Curtis Lazar returned to the New Jersey Devils’ practice on Tuesday, after missing the team’s last three games with a lower-body injury. Lazar has been designated as day-to-day and was a game-time decision for both Friday and Saturday. Lazar has been an important piece of the Devils lineup when he can go, netting four goals and 10 points through 30 games this season.