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Luke Hughes Signs With New Jersey Devils

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Saturday: As expected, the contract is now official with the Devils announcing that Hughes has signed his entry-level deal.  The contract will begin this season.  CapFriendly reports the deal will carry an AAV of $1.85MM with bonuses and breaks down as follows:

2022-23: $925K base salary (including signing bonus)
2023-24: $925K base salary (including signing bonus), $925K Class ’A’ bonuses
2024-25: $925K base salary (including signing bonus), $1MM Class ’A’ bonuses, $850K Class ’B’ bonuses

PuckPedia clarifies that since Hughes didn’t sign until after the 2022 draft, he’s eligible for the elevated ’A’ bonuses in the final year instead of being capped at $925K throughout.

Friday: New Jersey Devils fans have been eagerly waiting for top defense prospect Luke Hughes to make his NHL debut. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the wait could soon be over, as the 19-year-old defenseman is set to join the team this weekend in Boston. While it’s unclear when exactly he’ll sign his entry-level contract and play for the team, Friedman notes he’ll be given time to acclimate to the NHL environment.

Hughes was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and is considered one of the top prospects in the league. He’s spent the last two seasons with the University of Michigan, where he’s broken college scoring records and demonstrated excellent skating ability and offensive IQ. With Michigan’s season coming to a close in the semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament last night at the hands of the Quinnipiac Bobcats, though, Hughes will turn pro in the coming days. At 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, Hughes has the size to compete at the NHL level, even before his 20th birthday.

The Devils have finally broken out this season, sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference and headed straight for a first-round matchup against the New York Rangers. Part of that, however, is due to an already solid group of defensemen, including Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson, and Ryan Graves. While it doesn’t seem like there may be a massive opportunity for Hughes to step into the lineup right away, the team’s weak link may be on their third defense pairing, with either Brendan Smith or Kevin Bahl typically occupying a spot alongside Severson. When Hughes eventually makes his Devils debut, that’s likely where the left-shot defender will slot in.

It’s important to temper expectations, however. Hughes has yet to get a taste of professional hockey and will be thrown straight into the competitive environment of a top NHL team pushing to make a deep playoff run. The Devils won’t throw a potential franchise cornerstone into the fire before he’s ready. Still, even with limited minutes, this time could benefit Hughes’ development and improve his chances of playing a more impactful full-time role in 2023-24.

The Devils have a solid recent history of helping young talent hit their potential, with four main scoring threats (Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Dawson Mercer) being drafted and developed talents under the age of 25. If the same can be achieved with Hughes, who registered 10 goals and 48 points in 39 games during his sophomore campaign at Michigan, the team is bound to have one of the most well-constructed rosters in the league for years to come.

Latest On Jonas Siegenthaler

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  • Jonas Siegenthaler will not play in tonight’s New Jersey Devils game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to team reporter Amanda Stein. In his place, veteran defenseman Brendan Smith will draw into the lineup. It’s unknown whether this absence is injury related, as Siegenthaler played in the Devils’ last game on Tuesday, but it’s worth noting that Siegenthaler’s play has dipped a bit from the stellar form he displayed earlier in the season, so perhaps this is head coach Lindy Ruff’s way of giving his talented defenseman a means of achieving a “reset” before the playoffs.

New Jersey Devils Reassign Nolan Foote

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Nolan Foote’s most recent NHL run with the New Jersey Devils will end at three games, as the team has reassigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Foote registered one goal in that three-game stretch, playing under 10 minutes in each contest.

Foote, 22, is a 2019 first-round pick who was acquired by the Devils in the 2020 trade of Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. At that point, Foote was serving as captain of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and he would make his professional debut the next season with the then-Binghamton Devils. Foote has always been a difference-maker at the AHL level, and this season is no different as he has posted 18 goals and 30 points in 48 games.

His career total is a healthy 79 points in 128 career AHL games, but despite that AHL production NHL success has eluded Foote.

He has just 19 NHL games on his resume, and has scored seven points. A lack of foot speed has hurt Foote’s ability to separate himself in an NHL that is getting quicker and quicker.

Foote’s return to the AHL will certainly help the Comets, who are currently second in the AHL’s North Division and looking to lock up their spot in the Calder Cup playoffs.

But heading back to the AHL after again failing to latch on in the NHL for an extended period has to come as a disappointment for Foote.

As numerous other 2019 draft picks are breaking out and establishing themselves as NHL options, Foote is getting closer to a crucial point in his development. He’ll be waivers-eligible next season, so the Devils will have to make the choice next fall whether to finally include Foote in their NHL plans or risk losing him to another NHL team.

Foote could see the possibility of being exposed to and potentially claimed off of waivers next fall as an opportunity rather than a risk, though, as he could be in line to receive more NHL opportunities in an organization without the type of embarrassment of riches along the wings that the Devils can boast.

Regardless, with this reassignment Foote can’t focus on the possibility of waivers next fall. The priority has to be putting together a strong finish to his regular season and helping Utica go on a long Calder Cup playoff run. Doing those two things would likely improve Foote’s standing within the Devils organizational plans, and perhaps inspire more confidence in the team that he’ll be ready to earn a spot on the 23-man roster next season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Josh Filmon To Entry-Level Contract

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2022 NHL Draft pick Josh Filmon has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils, the team announced early Friday morning. The contract begins in 2023-24, and he will report to the AHL’s Utica Comets on an amateur tryout for the remainder of 2022-23.

The Devils selected Filmon, now 19 years old, with the 166th overall pick in 2022. The left winger’s most appealing aspect is his shot, as evidenced by his team-leading 47 goals in 64 games with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos this season.

While he’ll report to Utica for the end of the season, he won’t stay there through next year. He’s still ineligible for assignment to the AHL, given his age, and would need to be returned to Swift Current next season if he doesn’t make the Devils out of camp — an overwhelmingly likely scenario. This would slide the beginning of his entry-level contract to 2024-25.

Filmon’s potential grew far past that of a sixth-round pick this season, demonstrated by his season goal-scoring breakout only one season after being drafted. While it will be a few years before Filmon is looking at consistent NHL ice time, he projects as a legitimate middle-six scoring winger if he can hit his NHL ceiling.

Nathan Bastian Has Same Shoulder Injury, Played Hurt This Season

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Lindgren has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the most part since February 26, playing in one game on March 21 before exiting the lineup again. He’s missed 14 of the team’s past 15 games as a result. He’s been an important player again for the Rangers this season, recording 18 points in 58 games played, along with a +28 rating in a top-pairing role. Having already clinched a playoff spot and practically locked into a divisional playoff matchup with the New Jersey Devils, the team won’t rush his return back to the lineup.

  • New Jersey Devils forward Nathan Bastian is again on the shelf, and NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky reports it’s the same upper-body injury that kept Bastian out for nearly two months earlier this season. Despite the setback, Bastian stated that he’s feeling better and hoping to return to the ice before the end of the season. It’s noted that Bastian wasn’t completely healthy when originally returning from the injury, explaining what some viewed as a dip in his play.

Nathan Bastian Returns To Practice

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The Buffalo Sabres are all but out of the playoff race after a tough stretch of games, and life won’t get any easier for them down the stretch run. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports Tage Thompson is absent from morning skate, as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss much of the team’s win last Friday against the New Jersey Devils. In response, Lukas Rousek has been added to the Sabres roster for the second time in three days on an emergency loan, per CapFriendly.

  • Per New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, winger Nathan Bastian is on the ice for morning skate for the first time since March 12. Bastian has missed just over two weeks since suffering an upper-body injury in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, his second lengthy injury-related absence this season. He missed nearly two months with an upper-body injury between Thanksgiving and mid-January, limiting him to 39 games on the season. When in the lineup, he’s been effective in a fourth-line role, recording 12 points and forming a solid unit with Miles Wood and Michael McLeod.

New Jersey Devils Send Down Akira Schmid

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As Mackenzie Blackwood makes his way back into the lineup for the New Jersey Devils, the team had a difficult choice to make in the net. The team announced today that goaltender Akira Schmid will be sent down to their AHL affiliate Utica Comets. With nine games remaining in their regular season, the Comets are coming close to making the playoffs in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 31-23-6.

After a difficult start to his NHL career last season, Schmid has rebounded significantly this year. Playing on a top team in New Jersey, the goaltender has a record of 8-5-2, with a .918 SV% and a 2.24 GAA, including one shutout as well. Even the underlying numbers bode well for Schmid, with a Goals Against Percentage Minus of 86, and a High-Danger Scoring Chance Save Percentage of .855, Schmid has improved a considerable amount in his second year.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Schmid will be able to log important minutes for a competitive team in Utica. As the Devils have now clinched a playoff spot, they will now have the luxury of all three top goalies on their depth chart playing important hockey into late April.

Curtis Lazar To "Miss Some Time" With Lower-Body Injury

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  • The New Jersey Devils will be without Curtis Lazar for the next little while, as head coach Lindy Ruff explained he will “miss some time” with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old forward was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the deadline and has yet to register a point in three games with the Devils.

Curtis Lazar To Be Evaluated Later This Week

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  • New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein notes that forward Curtis Lazar will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury upon the conclusion of the team’s road trip this week. A deadline day addition, Lazar left yesterday’s loss to the Florida Panthers with the injury and did not return. Lazar had played just three games in New Jersey after missing time due to work visa complications, and he’s still looking for his first point in his new uniform.

Devils Notes: Wood, Bastian, Blackwood, Foote

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Before the New Jersey Devils play against the Florida Panthers tonight, the lead reporter of the team, Amanda Stein, gave some important updates from the team’s practice earlier this morning. As the Devils begin a weekend back-to-back against the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stein reports that forwards Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian have not made the trip to Florida with the team.

Wood, one of the many upcoming free agents on the Devils’ roster, will miss his second straight game. After only playing three games during the 2021-22 season, Wood has again become a steady depth player for the Devils this year. Playing in his seventh season in New Jersey, Wood has reached the double-digit goal mark five times, with a career-high 19 goals coming during the 2017-18 season.

Much like Wood, Bastian has not played in the last few games for the Devils, having missed since the March 12th game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After being selected by the Seattle Kraken during their expansion draft, Bastian found his way back to New Jersey last year after a mid-season waiver claim. In his first full year back with the Devils, Bastian has also provided some depth scoring for the team, putting up six goals and six assists in 39 games played so far this year.

Other notes:

  • Although he’s been one of the more injury-plagued goalies the last several years, Stein also mentioned that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was practicing with the team this morning. Having not played since the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 19th, Blackwood will still be out of the lineup tonight, however; it is good news to see him back out practicing with the team. In 17 games played this year, Blackwood has a record of 8-5, with a .900 SV% and a 3.04 GAA.
  • Lastly, Stein mentions that forward Nolan Foote was also seen practicing with the team before their game in Sunrise. Drafted 27th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Foote has yet to crack the Devils’ lineup in a meaningful way. Playing only 16 games over the last three seasons, Nolan has scored a collective four goals and two assists for New Jersey. As he has played most of his games in the AHL, he has a career mark of 39 goals and 40 assists in 128 games played in hockey’s highest minor league system.

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