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Ondrej Palat Activated From Injured Reserve

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The New Jersey Devils have removed Ondrej Palat from injured reserve, according to the NHL’s media site. Tyce Thompson, who was recalled recently, no longer appears on the roster and according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com is being sent to the Utica Comets. The team also has recalled Akira Schmid, but had an extra roster spot available already so didn’t need a further transaction.

Palat, 31, hasn’t played since October 24 when he logged more than 20 minutes for the first time in a Devils uniform. He would undergo groin surgery a week later, meaning he would miss most of New Jersey’s incredible start to the year. Now that the Devils have started to falter, there’s no better time for the Stanley Cup champion to get back into the lineup.

Though he isn’t an elite offensive player, you will have a hard time finding any former linemates that would say a negative word about playing with Palat. He is the kind of good-at-everything player that every team relies on, and is a consistent presence at both ends of the rink. Marian Hossa-lite, he’s been called in the past, as he allows linemates to cheat offensively while covering a lot of the defensive responsibility.

That’s what the Devils were hoping to add when they signed Palat to a five-year, $30MM contract last summer. The front-loaded deal, which pays him $8.25MM this season, also came with a full no-movement clause for the first three years. The veteran forward is supposed to be able to lend his championship experience to one of the youngest groups in the league, and he’ll be welcomed back to try and help turn things around after a recent skid.

That turnaround may have already started with a decisive 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings last night, but there are some challenges coming on the schedule. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, both division rivals, are on tap after tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

Snapshots: Hughes, Pacioretty, Rhinehart

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The New Jersey Devils are finally reaping the rewards of their high-end prospect pool, looking to be in a solid playoff position for the first time in years.

They could soon get another important young piece into the lineup, too. 2021 first-round pick Luke Hughes will “very likely” be in the Devils lineup at the end of the 2022-23 season after his college campaign at the University of Michigan ends, said Michigan coach Brandon Naurato speaking with NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky. Naurato calls Hughes a “Cale Makar-like” talent, and if Hughes is anything reminiscent of Makar’s late-season debut with Colorado in 2019, the Devils have a much better chance at breaking through an air-tight Eastern Conference.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes made waves today by activating All-Star forward Max Pacioretty off season-opening injured reserve. However, it’s unclear whether Pacioretty will make his Carolina debut tomorrow night. Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff notes that the team will not have a morning skate tomorrow, and we likely won’t know whether Pacioretty is playing until head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s pregame media availability in the afternoon.
  • An intriguing unsigned prospect could be getting his first look in the AHL. 21-year-old defenseman Rhett Rhinehart was recalled to the Calgary Wranglers today, according to the ECHL’s transactions log. Rhinehart is valuable in that he’s a tall, right-shot defenseman with some offensive awareness. He served as an alternate captain for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades last season, where he had 27 points in 53 games.

Simon Nemec Returned To AHL

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  • After Slovakia was eliminated from the World Juniors by a Connor Bedard overtime goal, captain Simon Nemec has been assigned back to the Utica Comets of the AHL where he’ll continue to play this season. The young defenseman logged huge minutes for his country at the tournament, racking up five points in five games while barely missing out on a chance to play for a medal. When Nemec was drafted, he committed immediately to playing in North America if the New Jersey Devils wanted him to, even if that meant spending the whole year in the minors. For Utica he has looked right at home, recording 11 points in 24 games so far.

Devils Assign Tyler Wotherspoon To AHL

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  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon to AHL Utica. He was recalled last week for his second stint with the big club this season but didn’t get into a game with New Jersey; his last NHL appearance came back in January 2017.  So far this season, the 29-year-old has two goals and seven assists in 23 games with the Comets.

New Jersey Devils Activate Ryan Graves

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According to a team announcement, the New Jersey Devils have activated defenseman Ryan Graves off injured reserve today.

Graves has missed the past three games after sustaining a lower-body injury early in a December 21 game against the Florida Panthers. The Devils have gone 1-2-0 in his absence.

The skilled defensive defenseman has nine points in 33 games this season, and he leads all Devils defensemen with a rating of +18. He’s spent most of the campaign on a premier shutdown pairing with John Marino, who’s out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

New Jersey is in a bit of a slide after a franchise-record stretch earlier in the season, and they’re just 2-7-1 in their past 10 games. They’re hoping a bit cleaner bill of health helps stop the slide.

Devante Smith-Pelly Announces Retirement

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NHL veteran and Stanley Cup Champion forward Devante Smith-Pelly announced his retirement from hockey today. The 30-year-old announced his choice via Instagram.

Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2010, Smith-Pelly broke into the NHL just two seasons after being drafted. He recorded 13 points in 49 games during his rookie season in 2011-12 with the Ducks.

He spent most of the following two seasons with their AHL affiliate at the time, the Norfolk Admirals, but was called up near the end of 2013-14 for the first of his two clutch playoff performances. Smith-Pelly recorded 10 points in 19 games down the stretch in Anaheim and notched five goals in 12 playoff games as the Ducks fell in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. He scored a last-minute goal in Game 6 of their first-round series against Dallas, tying the game and sending it to overtime, where Anaheim eventually won the series.

Smith-Pelly was a full-time NHLer the next few seasons but bounced around between the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, and New Jersey Devils before finding a home with the Washington Capitals for 2017-18. It was there where Smith-Pelly achieved his dream of winning the Stanley Cup, equaling his regular-season goal total by scoring seven goals in 24 playoff games for Washington.

His last NHL games came in 2018-19, when he appeared in 54 games for Washington, scoring eight points. He spent the following three seasons playing in the KHL and AHL. In 2021-22, his last season of professional hockey, Smith-Pelly had eight points in 24 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

PHR wishes the best of luck to Smith-Pelly in his retirement and issues congratulations on a clutch, championship-winning career.

Andreas Johnsson Clears Waivers

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Dec 29: Johnsson has cleared waivers and was immediately assigned to Utica.

Dec 28: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the New Jersey Devils have placed Andreas Johnsson on waivers once again, after he previously cleared at the beginning of the season. He joins Max Willman today, who the Philadelphia Flyers already announced would be on waivers.

Johnsson, 28, has played just two games this season in the NHL, after scoring 13 goals and 35 points in 2021-22. As the Devils improved their forward group, he was pushed further down the depth chart and now finds himself on the outside looking in when it comes to NHL minutes.

Given the team also was forced to move Ondrej Palat to long-term injured reserve just to fit in today’s recalls, burying Johnsson in the minor leagues can also be beneficial to their cap situation. His $3.4MM cap hit can’t be entirely buried, but $1.125MM will come off the books while he plays for the Utica Comets.

That is of course assuming he clears waivers, though it seems very likely given that contract situation.

John Marino, Ryan Graves Placed On Injured Reserve

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The New Jersey Devils have come out of the break with some unfortunate news, moving John Marino and Ryan Graves to injured reserve. The transaction allows them to recall Tyce Thompson and Tyler Wotherspoon from the AHL while their two defensemen continue to recover. Ondrej Palat has also been moved to long-term injured reserve to make the cap work.

Marino was ruled out week-to-week just before the Christmas break, his second stint on the shelf this season. The 25-year-old has been a nice pickup through 32 appearances, playing more than 21 minutes a night and recording nine points.

Graves, meanwhile, will be out on a similar week-to-week timeline, though not much information has been released about his injury. The 27-year-old left a game against the Florida Panthers on December 21 during his second shift. While he doesn’t carry quite the same level of responsibility, Graves is still an important piece of the Devils’ back end, averaging over 18 minutes and scoring nine points in 33 games so far.

Wotherspoon, 29, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season but has been good for the Utica Comets the last couple of years. It remains to be seen whether he will get into the lineup.

The more interesting recall, perhaps, is Thompson, who played a handful of games for the Devils in each of the last two seasons. The fourth-round winger has 13 points in 22 games for Utica this season and would be looking for his first NHL goal should he get into the lineup. The 23-year-old has just one point in nine career games at the NHL level.

John Marino Out Week-To-Week; Ondrej Palat Progressing

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The New Jersey Devils will be without a key defenseman, as John Marino will be out week-to-week according to team reporter Amanda Stein. It’s not all bad news though, as head coach Lindy Ruff also explained that Ondrej Palat is close to joining the group at practice. Palat has been skating on his own already.

Marino left Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, and is headed to the shelf for the second time this season. A huge part of their defensive game plan, the 25-year-old has averaged more than 21 minutes a night and has nine points through 32 games.

With Marino and Ryan Graves, who is still being evaluated for a lower-body injury, the team recalled Nikita Okhotiuk ahead of tonight’s game. The Devils will try to topple the Boston Bruins in a battle between two Eastern Conference giants.

Palat, meanwhile, is just trying to get back and contribute for his new team. After a decade in Tampa Bay, the 31-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $30MM contract with the Devils in free agency but has played just six games so far. Brought in to help the young group learn what it takes to win in the playoffs, the two-time Stanley Cup champion did have three goals in those first six games, before hitting injured reserve with groin surgery.

Getting him back will feel like a deadline addition for the Devils, who have faltered a little bit of late after their hot start. The team is 22-9-2 on the year but has lost the Metropolitan Division lead to the surging Hurricanes, and is just 3-5-2 in their last ten.

New Jersey Devils Place Nathan Bastian On Injured Reserve

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that forward Nathan Bastian has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to November 26th. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

This move is all about the recall of Okhotiuk, as both John Marino and Ryan Graves were banged up on a recent road trip. As indicated by the retroactive designation of this injured reserve placement, Bastian being out with an injury isn’t breaking news. His official placement on the injured list does clear the team a roster spot to recall Okhotiuk, though, which is important for them.

Bastian has scored eight points in 21 games so far, playing an important crash-and-bang energy role on the Devils’ fourth line.

In his place on the roster comes Okhotiuk, a young defenseman who plays a similarly physical role albeit from the blueline. Okhotiuk, 22, has played in five career NHL games, and has six points in 17 AHL games so far this season.

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