Arbitration Eligibility Could Lead Devils To Non-Tender Sharangovich
Devils winger Yegor Sharangovich took a step backward offensively this season, notching just 13 goals and 30 points after putting up 24 and 46 respectively in 2021-22. Things weren’t any better for him in the playoffs when he became a frequent healthy scratch. The 24-year-old is a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in a recent appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link) that there was some speculation around the trade deadline that New Jersey was considering moving him then over concerns about his arbitration award. While his playoff performance won’t bolster his case, his numbers from 2021-22 will likely push that award well beyond his $2.05MM qualifying offer and with the team needing to re-sign both Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier and deal with several other UFAs, what Sharangovich could get awarded might be more than they can afford.
Erik Haula Wants To Remain With Flyers
Center Erik Haula is among the list of pending unrestricted free agents that the Devils will have to re-sign or replace this summer but if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere. Speaking at his end-of-season media scrum (video link), the 32-year-old indicated that he doesn’t want to play for another team and relayed that in his meeting with GM Tom Fitzgerald earlier today. Haula came over in an offseason swap last year with Boston and was a capable secondary producer, notching 14 goals and a career-high 27 assists during the regular season before adding six more points in their 12 playoff contests. Haula should be in line for a raise from the $2.375MM AAV on his expiring contract, especially with the UFA market being weak down the middle.
Devils Notes: Nemec, Blackwood, Schmid, Hischier
Devils defenseman Simon Nemec is expected to join Slovakia for the World Championship, reports Dennik Sports’ Tomas Prokop. The 19-year-old was the second-overall pick last year and had a strong post-draft campaign, picking up 12 goals and 22 assists in 65 games with AHL Utica. He also was Slovakia’s captain at the World Juniors while picking up five points in as many contests. Nemec was among New Jersey’s ‘Black Ace’ recalls once Utica’s season came to an end which prevented him from joining the Slovak roster early but now that they have been eliminated, he’s now free to participate in the tournament.
More from New Jersey:
- Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood revealed in his end-of-season interview (video link) that he dealt with a groin and an MCL injury during the season. It was a disappointing year for the 26-year-old who was limited to 22 appearances where he struggled, posting a 3.20 GAA with a save percentage of just .893. The end result was him slipping to third on the depth chart down the stretch. Blackwood is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility while being owed a $3.36MM qualifying offer. With how his season ended, it’s hard to imagine New Jersey will make him that offer; if they don’t, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent this summer unless they can trade his rights to someone who will tender him at that price tag.
- Meanwhile, in his scrum (video link), goaltender Akira Schmid indicated that he hasn’t decided if he’ll join Switzerland at the Worlds. The 23-year-old posted a 2.13 GAA and a .922 SV% in 18 NHL appearances this season, moving him into the starting role for the playoffs (while pushing Blackwood to third-string status). He’s signed for one more year on his entry-level deal and as things stand, he should be a full-timer with New Jersey next season after splitting time between them and AHL Utica in 2022-23.
- While Schmid is uncertain about playing for Switzerland, captain Nico Hischier is less hesitant as NHL.com’s Mike Morreale relays (Twitter link) that the center is expected to join the Swiss squad once interviewing is finished in New Jersey. Hischier had a career year this season, reaching the 30-goal and 80-point marks for the first time. However, he was quieter in the playoffs, scoring just once in 12 games although he managed to collect six assists as well.
Ryan Graves To Miss Game Four
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Game Four roster of the Carolina Hurricanes will look a bit different, as forward Mackenzie MacEachern replaces Jesse Puljujarvi in the lineup before tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. MacEachern has been out of the Hurricanes lineup since the series-winning Game Six victory against the New York Islanders in late April.
In his first taste of action for the Hurricanes this season, MacEachern scored one goal and one assist in Carolina’s Game Four victory against the Islanders in this year’s playoffs. Throwing 10 hits in three playoff games, the Hurricanes could use some more physicality in the lineup after their blowout loss to the Devils in Game Three of the second round.
- In unfortunate injury news for the Devils, a lead reporter for New Jersey, Amanda Stein reports that defenseman Ryan Graves will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury. Coming off an impressive year on the defensive side of the puck, the Devils will once again have to weather Carolina’s offense without one of their top defenders. However, replacing Graves in the lineup is rookie defenseman Luke Hughes, who registered two assists in his first look at playoff action at the NHL level.
Tomáš Tatar Fined For High Sticking Sebastian Aho
New Jersey Devils forward Tomáš Tatar has been fined $5K for his high stick infraction on Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho. NHL Player Safety tweeted the news on their official Twitter page early on Monday morning. The fine was the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
The high-sticking incident occurred in the first period of the Devils’ 8-4 Game 3 victory and resulted in a two-minute minor penalty for the 32-year-old. The play looked ugly but, thankfully, didn’t result in any serious injuries. Tatar swung his stick wildly at the back of Aho’s head after taking a cross-check in the lower back from the Finnish forward. Aho’s cross-check swung Tatar around and as the Devils’ forward was spinning, he hit Aho in the back of the head with his stick. Aho was okay and took two minor penalties of his own later in the game. The stick swing drew a crowd of Hurricanes players who were not happy with the Slovak player.
Tatar is not known for his aggressiveness, having only recorded over 30 PIM four times in his 12-year NHL career. It appears he was frustrated by a very routine cross-check from Aho and had it boil over. Tatar has been a non-factor in the series thus far, going pointless in three games with a -5 against the Devils. He has struggled throughout this year’s playoffs with just a single goal in ten games, this comes on the heels of a solid season that saw him put up 48 points in 82 games.
The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 going Tuesday night in New Jersey. The Devils looked lifeless in the first two games but exploded yesterday for eight goals. It will be interesting to see if they can turn the series into a best-of-three heading back to Raleigh.
New Jersey Devils Recall Eight Players
The New Jersey Devils announced multiple additions to their 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs roster today in the form of eight Black Aces from the AHL’s Utica Comets:
F Graeme Clarke
F Nolan Foote
F Brian Halonen
F Alexander Holtz
F Tyce Thompson
D Šimon Nemec
D Topias Vilén
G Nico Daws
Clarke, a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, tallied 25 goals and 33 assists in 68 regular-season games for the Comets and added six points in six playoff games. Foote, initially a Tampa Bay Lightning first-round pick in the 2019 draft, notched 37 points in 55 games for the Comets this season and added a goal in six games for New Jersey.
Halonen, an undrafted free agent signing late last season out of Michigan Tech, recorded 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with Utica in his first full professional season. Holtz, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, had the most NHL experience this season out of any of the above recalls and scored three goals and an assist in 19 games with the Devils.
Thompson, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, scored 26 points in 56 games for the Comets after missing most of the 2021-22 campaign with an injury.
The Devils also added two promising young defenders to their playoff roster in Nemec and Vilén. Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, broke out for 34 points in 65 games with the Comets in his post-draft year, a remarkable feat for a 19-year-old. Vilén, 20, played one playoff game for Utica after playing nearly all of the 2022-23 season with Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga.
Daws, 22, posted a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 games for Utica after making 25 appearances for New Jersey in the 2021-22 season.
Luke Hughes Makes Playoff Debut
For Devils’ fans, the moment they have been waiting for is finally here, as defenseman Luke Hughes will make his playoff debut in Game Three against the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, this comes with some unfortunate news, as Hughes will be filling in for defenseman Ryan Graves, who is out with an upper-body injury.
The speed that Hughes brings to the table to New Jersey’s back end will undoubtedly be a benefit to a team that has been unable to put together much offense in the second round of the playoffs this year. When asked about what Hughes offers the Devils, head coach Lindy Ruff said, “We know he’s going to skate. He got a little taste at the end of the year. We feel the skating can help us. We’re excited to see him get in and play.”
As the Devils find themselves down two games to none against the Metropolitan Division champion Hurricanes, New Jersey definitely has a tall task ahead of them. As they toe the line of playoff hockey desperation, Hughes will be an exciting player to add to the mix for the Devils.
Lindy Ruff Named Jack Adams Award Finalist
The finalists are Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken, Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils, and Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins.
Of the three finalists, only Ruff has already won the award earlier in his career. Ruff won it in 2006 on the back of an impressive 52-win campaign. In his third season as the Devils’ bench boss, Ruff has guided a young team out of their rebuilding phase and into Stanley Cup contention. Under his guidance, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have emerged as superstar talents and the Devils won their first playoff series since their 2011-12 run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Snapshots: Gronborg, Oligny, Meier
It’s not often you see a team that has won back-to-back league titles change their coach, but this decision was made long ago for Tappara Tampere of the Finnish Liiga. Back in October it was reported that Rikard Gronborg would not be returning to the ZSC Lions after this season, already agreeing to a multi-year contract with Tampere.
Gronborg was introduced today, taking over just a week after the club took home the 2023 title. Interestingly enough, when the commitment was initially reported, it included the note that Gronborg’s contract contains an out clause should the NHL come calling. For years, the decorated international coach has been linked to vacant NHL positions without anything ever materializing.
- Jimmy Oligny is your Yanick Dupré Memorial Award winner for 2022-23, named AHL Man of the Year. The award is given to a minor league player for outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations. Among his many involvements, the Manitoba Moose captain worked with the Kinship and Foster Family Network to host a foster family at every Moose home game.
- Timo Meier was “okay” today, according to New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff, as the forward continues to recover from a massive hit suffered last round. Mike Morreale of NHL.com relays that Meier is still day-to-day and that the team will know more tomorrow. Without Meier in game one of their second-round series, the Devils were dismantled by the Carolina Hurricanes and will have to try to even things up tomorrow night.
New Jersey Devils Sign Daniil Misyul
The New Jersey Devils are still battling in this year’s playoffs, but the front office is hard at work securing the future. The team has announced a two-year entry-level contract for Daniil Misyul, which starts in 2023-24. While the original release indicated a three-year deal, it has been updated, given the 22-year-old is only eligible for two years.
Misyul was selected 70th overall in 2019, and has spent the last several years playing full-time in the KHL for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. The 6’3″ defenseman brings almost no offensive upside to the ice, with just 23 points in his 205-game professional career, but can defend well with his long reach and big frame. Just 13 even-strength goals were scored by the opposition when he was on the ice this season, though his minutes were still limited (just over 15 per game).
Still, given how many offensive puck-moving defensemen the Devils have in the system, adding a stay-at-home type could certainly pay off. The fact that he has so much professional experience at such a young age should help him transition to the AHL, and potentially push for an NHL call-up in short order.