- Another name is coming off injured reserve — New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood. He’ll play his first game of the season tonight against the Canadiens, sitting out all year up until this point with a hip injury sustained during training camp. Wood is likely to draw in on the fourth line alongside youngsters Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian, and his physical game should give New Jersey’s forward group an edge that it’s lacked all season long. Up until this year, Wood had at least 10 goals and 20 points in four straight seasons.
Devils Rumors
Kevin Bahl Re-Called From AHL
- A day after sending him down to the Utica Comets of the AHL, the New Jersey Devils have re-called defenseman Kevin Bahl. The hulking defenseman has yet to record a point in five NHL games this season, but has three goals and 12 assists in 49 games at the AHL level.
Christian Jaros Clears Unconditional Waivers
March 24: Jaros has cleared waivers and will now have his contract terminated.
March 23: The New Jersey Devils have placed Christian Jaros on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Just this week, Jaros already cleared regular waivers and was assigned to the minor leagues. If he clears again, he will become an unrestricted free agent. He would then be able to sign with any club he wanted, though he would not be eligible for the NHL playoffs.
The Devils have also recalled A.J. Greer and Kevin Bahl from the AHL, who will join the team in Toronto when they face the Maple Leafs this evening.
Jaros, 25, has actually not played a single game in the minor leagues this season, suiting up 11 times for the Devils instead. Originally selected 139th overall in 2015, he quickly rose through the ranks and was making his debut by the 2017-18 season with the Ottawa Senators. It looked as though he would quickly establish himself as a full-time NHL option, though after his progression stalled, he’s now bounced around and could be headed back to Europe.
In Bahl, the Devils have the big ticket from the Taylor Hall trade up with the big club, after his successful sophomore AHL campaign. The 6’6″ defenseman has 15 points in 49 games for the Utica Comets and from all accounts has taken a strong step forward in his development. He’s now played 11 games and is still looking for his first goal.
New Jersey Devils Acquire Andrew Hammond
For the second time this season, Andrew Hammond is on the move. The goaltender has been traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Nate Schnarr.
Hammond, 34, was acquired earlier this season when the Canadiens had a lack of healthy goaltending options, but is actually now hurt himself after playing in four games for them. Expected back in the next few weeks, he’ll head to a New Jersey team that has had plenty of their own injury issues when it comes to goaltending.
A name that will be forever remembered by Ottawa Senators fans for his incredible run as a 26-year-old rookie in 2014-15, the “Hamburgler” actually played great in his short time in Montreal. In four appearances, he posted a .920 save percentage and went 3-0, his first wins since 2016. While there’s probably not a ton left for his playing career, it was a nice little addendum for a goaltender that was so well-liked in his early days. Signed to a one-year, two-way contract, Hammond will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
In Schnarr, the Canadiens actually are getting something of value back, even if he’s never played at the NHL level. The 23-year-old has been good for the Utica Comets this season, posting 13 goals and 26 points in 43 games, and can help the Laval Rocket down the stretch. Whether Schnarr, who is in the last season of his entry-level contract, earns a qualifying offer this summer isn’t totally clear, as to this point he hasn’t really shown any NHL upside despite his status as a third-round pick in 2017.
Damon Severson Could Discuss Extension This Summer
After seeing the packages that fellow defensemen Ben Chiarot and Hampus Lindholm were traded for, Damon Severson’s name began circulating as a potential trade chip for the New Jersey Devils. When asked about the possibility of Severson being moved, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman put the brakes on the idea, indicating that he believed Severson wanted to stay and was interested in discussing a contract extension (link). Severson is currently in the second-to-last year of a six-year, $25MM contract he signed with the Devils prior to the 2017-18 season, which carries a cap hit just below $4.2MM.
If Severson was to discuss an extension with the Devils, the two sides could not begin those discussions until at least July 1st of this year, and any extension with Severson would not begin until his age 29 season, starting in 2023-24. It’s a fair point to wonder if Severson should be dangled at this year’s trade deadline, as the talented defenseman is not a rental, having an additional year of term at a reasonable cap-hit, is on pace to have a career year, currently sitting on 33 points in 60 games, and the Devils well out of playoff position. Also, comparing the packages the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks received for Chiarot and Lindholm, respectively, it’s plausible to think Severson could fetch New Jersey a strong return.
Update On Andreas Johnsson
One of those players with a cap number exceeding actual cash owed is Devils winger Andreas Johnsson. Johnsson, 27, is set to have a base salary of only $750k next season. His signing bonus is set at $1.75MM, but his cap hit is going to be $3.4MM. This makes Johnsson an ideal candidate for them, and TSN’s Darren Dreger links Johnsson with the Coyotes for this exact purpose. Johnsson could be a fit with the Coyotes for not only all the financial reasons previously mentioned but also for his play on the ice. Johnsson has 11 goals and 28 points this season, and his 28 points would make him the fourth-highest scorer on the Coyotes. He is an accomplished offensive player at lower levels who has flashed talent at the NHL level, and has scored 20 goals before. The Coyotes went all-in on mining value from unconventional sources when building their roster this season, as evidenced by the out-of-nowhere success of Travis Boyd. Acquiring Johnsson, as Dreger reported they could, would represent a continuation of that philosophy for GM Bill Armstrong.
Latest On P.K. Subban
While the New Jersey Devils aren’t exactly true sellers, as we outlined in our Trade Deadline Primer last month, there is one name that appears to be on his way out. P.K. Subban met with Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald over the weekend according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and was told that the team wouldn’t be extending him. That means as Fitzgerald put it, “if the move makes sense for the New Jersey Devils…I have to do what’s best for the organization.”
Subban of course comes with a huge $9MM cap hit, meaning that it would need to be a perfect fit and would likely require the Devils to retain 50 percent. But with the number of depth options that are moved at the deadline each year that don’t possess anywhere near Subban’s upside, it does seem like some teams will at least inquire about the veteran defenseman.
There’s no doubt that a 32-year-old Subban is a shadow of the player that won the Norris Trophy in 2013 and was a finalist two other times, most recently in 2018. He is averaging fewer than 20 minutes a night for the first time in his entire career and still provides risky, inconsistent play in his own end. He does have 18 points in 53 games though–none of which have come on the powerplay–and can contribute offensively when put in the right situations.
Not to be overlooked is the simple fact that Subban is right-handed, a trait that seems to be in higher demand at the NHL trade deadline than at any other time in history. There are simply not very many NHL-level right-handed defensemen available at any given time, and contenders are always looking to add an extra one for a potential long playoff run.
For his own part, Subban does have a long successful history in the NHL postseason. He’s suited up in 96 playoff games during his career and has 18 goals and 62 points in those contests. That includes a run to the finals with the Nashville Predators in 2017 and several other lengthy runs, usually logging more than 25 minutes a night. That’s not the role he would play on any acquiring team, but the experience is still valuable as the games get tighter.
An unrestricted free agent in the summer, it’s unclear what the future holds for Subban. It won’t be in New Jersey though, something that seemed obvious when the team went out and signed Dougie Hamilton to a massive seven-year, $63MM contract last offseason. With Damon Severson still in place on the right side for at least one more year (unless he too is dealt at some point) and more youth coming through the pipeline, Subban will have to find somewhere else to play next season; he’ll potentially get a sneak peek at a new market in the coming weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images`
Miles Wood Close To Returning
Positive news on the New Jersey Devils injury front, as head coach Lindy Ruff said this morning that he hopes forward Miles Wood can return to the lineup sometime in the next seven to ten days (link). It has been a rough stretch for the Devils and for Wood, the Devils sitting in last place in the Metropolitan and Wood not having played a game yet this season due to injury. While Wood certainly won’t turn the season around in New Jersey, his grit and speed could certainly spark the team’s young core as they try to end the season on a positive note heading into 2022-23.
Dallas Stars Claim Marian Studenic; Waive Tanner Kero
Feb 25: Kero has cleared waivers, and can now be assigned to the AHL’s Texas Stars per Chris Johnston of TSN. It is the second time this season that Kero has cleared waivers. Kero has two assists in three total games with the AHL’s Stars so far this season.
Feb 24: The Dallas Stars have made a forward swap, claiming Marian Studenic from the New Jersey Devils and placing Tanner Kero on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
The swap is one depth forward without a ton of offensive upside for another, as Studenic and Kero have combined for one goal and four points in 40 games this season. The difference for the Stars is the six-year age difference in Studenic’s favor, along with the fact that Kero will likely clear waivers and remain with the organization.
Now 29, Kero is in the first season of a two-year contract he signed last spring that comes with a huge minor league guarantee, and given his lack of success in the NHL, it seems likely that he’ll be reporting to the Texas Stars in the next few days.
For Studenic, he joins a team much closer to the playoffs and avoids returning to the minor leagues, where he has spent the majority of the last few seasons. If he can find a way into the Dallas lineup, he’ll also set himself up for a much better negotiation this offseason, when he’s an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.
In addition to those two moves, the Stars have recalled Riley Tufte from the AHL and placed Andrej Sekera on long-term injured reserve due to a non-COVID-related viral infection, retroactive to January 28.
Marian Studenic Placed On Waivers
The New Jersey Devils have placed Marian Studenic on waivers, according to CapFriendly. Studenic cleared waivers earlier this season but has spent enough time with the NHL squad to need them again before being assigned to the minor leagues.
The 23-year-old forward has suited up 17 times for the Devils this season, scoring a single goal and averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time. A fifth-round pick from 2017, he hasn’t quite found where he fits in the organization yet, bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL the last two seasons.
Given the fact that he comes with just a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL cap hit of $750K, Studenic could potentially attract attention on waivers. Still, it seems more likely that he will clear and can return to the Utica Comets in the coming days.
For New Jersey, it is likely the result of Dougie Hamilton’s impending return to the lineup. The team needed a roster spot to activate the defenseman, and Studenic is one of the most likely to sneak through waivers. Hamilton hasn’t played since January 2, when he suffered a broken jaw that required surgery.