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.
Devils Rumors
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.
Dougie Hamilton To Return Thursday
- New Jersey is set to get blueliner Dougie Hamilton back on Thursday, notes NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. The veteran has missed the last 17 games due to a broken jaw although he still sits second in scoring by Devils defenders with 20 points in 30 games. New Jersey is currently carrying a full roster and will need to make a move in order to free up a spot to activate Hamilton from IR.
Snapshots: Hertl, MacKinnon, Devils
One of the biggest question marks at this year’s Trade Deadline will undoubtedly be the availability of star San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl, who will be a pending unrestricted free agent this offseason. Despite an early-season surge, the Sharks aren’t likely to be in the playoff picture and although Hertl’s voiced his desire to stay in San Jose if the team doesn’t feel an extension is reachable, he could be on his way out for a nice return. However, while those contract talks have started, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the team hasn’t made an official extension offer to Hertl as the deadline is now just one month away. Pagnotta speculates that the Sharks should extend an official offer to Hertl within the next week or two, giving them an abbreviated timeframe to decide on whether or not to trade him.
Some more notes on this Monday night:
- Eyebrows rose across the internet when a video of Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon seemingly slashing a linesman on the legs after the opening faceoff of their game today against Boston went viral. However, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet 590 says that he was told NHL hockey operations and officials investigated the incident, and no further discipline will be handed to MacKinnon for the play. That’s great for the Avs, who have already been without MacKinnon for chunks of time this season as injuries have limited him to 35 games.
- Also according to Pagnotta, the New Jersey Devils could be active at the Trade Deadline, but not necessarily as a stereotypical seller. General manager Tom Fitzgerald could look to make a traditional asset-for-asset type of deal, and that’s not entirely surprising. The team’s been linked, by multiple reports, in recent days to the Vancouver Canucks, and could look to acquire either one of Conor Garland or Brock Boeser to improve the team’s waning depth on the wings.
Trade Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils
With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms larger and is just a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New Jersey Devils.
The New Jersey Devils looked poised to put their rebuild behind them this season and push for a playoff spot after signing star defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63MM contract, and adding veteran forwards Tomas Tatar and Jimmy Vesey, goaltender Jonathan Bernier, and defenseman Ryan Graves to complement a group of developing young talents such as Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and Ty Smith. That hoped-for success the Devils saw going into 2021-22 was not realized however, after a tough series of injuries, COVID-protocol absences, and poor play. While the Devils are not the buyers they may have wanted to be, the organization also likely does not consider itself a traditional seller either. The team is poised to shop several veteran assets, but may also look for longer-term building blocks to add in the right situation.
Record:
17-28-5, 8th in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status:
Hesitant seller
Deadline Cap Space:
$21.45MM today, $36.46MM in projected deadline space, 1/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks:
2022: NJD 1st, NJD 2nd, NJD 3rd, NJD 4th, EDM 4th, NYI 4th, CBJ 5th, NJD 6th, NJD 7th
2023: NJD 1st, NJD 2nd, NJD 3rd, NJD 4th, NJD 5th, NJD 6th, NJD 7th
Trade Chips:
Depending on which direction, or directions, the Devils decide to go at this deadline, they have several pieces they could move in either situation. The most notable piece the Devils have to offer is that of defenseman P.K. Subban. Subban is on an expiring contract, becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season. While certainly a big name who can still make an impact on a powerplay, he is not the player he was when he won the Norris Trophy in 2013 or the player who helped lead the Nashville Predators to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2017. Subban has picked up three goals to go along with 14 assists in 47 games this season for New Jersey but has also seen his ice time drop off significantly from last season, decreasing from 22:22 in 2020-21 to 19:34 in 2021-22. Subban’s offensive prowess could be useful to a playoff team, though he does carry a steep $9MM cap hit. While it comes off after this season, it may be a tough squeeze for teams that would benefit from his services, even if the Devils retain a large portion.
New Jersey also has an intriguing unrestricted free agent piece in Vesey. After big-time hype coming out of college, Vesey has been a steady presence in the NHL, albeit not at the level some had him pegged. After struggling last year to just ten points in 50 games between Toronto and Vancouver, which saw him placed on waivers and claimed by the Canucks, Vesey was invited to Devils training camp and made the team. He has performed well for New Jersey, tallying seven goals and six assists in 46 games and being a presence on the penalty kill. While he won’t be a major trade chip, the Devils could expect some demand for the veteran who carries just an $800K cap hit for the remainder of the season.
Looking in another direction, New Jersey could look to buy, so long as they can acquire a piece that acts as a building block for the future. The most notable and discussed of these potential pick-ups is Canucks’ forward Brock Boeser. In addition to draft picks, the Devils have several talented young players they could part with to make a splash. Perhaps the likeliest of candidates is forward Pavel Zacha. Zacha, who the Devils selected sixth overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has not necessarily reached the heights that were expected of him, but has appeared to find his groove in the past couple of seasons, putting up 29 goals and 29 assists in 97 games over the course of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons so far.
In a trade like this, the Devils could also conceivably be asked to move one or both of Yegor Sharangovich or Smith. Sharangovich, a fifth-round pick in 2018, has been a nice find for the Devils, scoring ten goals and 24 points in 44 games this season on top of 16 goals and 14 assists in 54 games last season. Smith was the Devils’ first-round pick in 2018, going 17th overall. He made his NHL debut last season and played well, but has struggled for much of this year. Presumably, the Devils would prefer to build a package around Zacha, as opposed to a Sharangovich or Smith.
The organization also boasts a strong prospect pool from which to deal. Teams would of course be interested in a top prospect like fourth-overall selection Luke Hughes, or others like Alexander Holtz, Chase Stillman, or Shakir Mukhamadullin, but New Jersey would obviously likely prefer to counter with smaller, but still impactful names such as Reilly Walsh, Nolan Foote, or Daniil Misyul.
Other Potential Trade Chips: F Nathan Bastian ($825K, 2 years, RFA); D Christian Jaros ($800k, RFA); Jon Gillies ($750K, UFA)
Team Needs:
1) Scoring Wingers: The Devils have plenty of depth down the middle, most times employing some of those players on the wing. The team has seen incredibly strong production out of Bratt, and solid, expected production out of Tatar and Andreas Johnsson, but the team should look to add another wing or two to complement the likes of Hughes and Hischier. If all works out, Holtz will fill one of those spots moving forward, but acquiring a player like Boeser, or even Conor Garland, could have a strong impact on the Devils scoring, and bolster the overall depth of the forward group.
2) Defensive Depth: Between Graves and Hamilton, the Devils have created themselves a formidable top pairing. However, for long-term success, the organization must be able to round out its entire defense core. Subban’s tenure with the Devils appears to be ending shortly, and there are questions about Smith’s development. Jonas Siegenthaler has rounded out his game nicely and appears to be a reliable piece for the team. Mukhamadullin and Hughes, if their development goes well, should join the team in the coming years. Still, the team could benefit from adding one or two more formidable defensemen to complement Graves and Hamilton, and bring along the young players.
3) Draft Picks: While the organization is looking to add pieces to join the line up now and end the rebuild, this will be the likely return for any deadline sales the team makes.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Devils Recall Nico Daws, Send Akira Schmid To Utica
- The Devils have once again flipped backup goalies as they’ve recalled Nico Daws from AHL Utica and sent Akira Schmid down, per the AHL’s transactions log. The opposite move was made on Thursday which allowed Daws to get into a game with the Comets to stay in game shape where he made 26 saves on 28 shots against Rochester.
Andreas Johnsson Suffers Lower-Body Injury
New Jersey Devils forward Andreas Johnsson suffered a lower-body injury during warmups today against the Pittsburgh Penguins, thereby holding him out of the game, per head coach Lindy Ruff.
In his place, Marian Studenic drew into the lineup for the 16th time this season. The Devils lost the game to Pittsburgh 4-2.
Johnsson’s been one of the Devils’ best forwards in what’s been an overall tough season for the team and their offense. Always a good playmaker, he’s improved his overall offensive game this season and is on an 82-game pace of 20 goals.
This was Johnsson’s third missed game of the season. Through 46 contests, he has 11 goals and 26 points in 46 games.
The team has yet to issue a further status update on Johnsson or the severity of his injury.
Dougie Hamilton Closer To Returning
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton isn’t returning to the ice for the team’s Super Bowl Sunday matchup against Pittsburgh, but Devils team reporter Amanda Stein says he’s getting closer to returning to the lineup from a jaw injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since the beginning of January. Hamilton has been practicing with the team but is still getting comfortable with the helmet protection required for him to safely play as his jaw continues to recover. New Jersey has won just four out of 15 games with Hamilton out of the lineup. They undoubtedly miss his production and play-driving ability from the back end.
Bratt, Kuokkanen Out; Hughes Activated From COVID Protocol
- The New Jersey Devils will be without Jesper Bratt and Janne Kuokkanen when they play tomorrow afternoon, as both are out with injury. Bratt is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day, while Kuokkanen is still out with the wrist injury that has kept him from playing the last two. Jack Hughes, out of the COVID protocol, will be back in the lineup after his impressive All-Star performance.