Latest On Mackenzie Blackwood, Ondrej Palat
- New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is out with a day-to-day injury and could return as soon as tomorrow, reports Amanda Stein of the Devils’ team website. While this injury appears to be a minor one, it’s worth noting considering the larger situation Blackwood finds himself in. A pending arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, Blackwood is looking to rebound after an injury-plagued 2021-22 campaign that saw him post an .892 save percentage in 25 games. Staying healthy could be the key to him having that rebound season, so hopefully he’ll find his way back into the lineup quickly.
- In another injury update concerning the Devils, forward Ondrej Palat is “continuing to be evaluated” for a lower-body injury, per Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. According to Ruff, an update on that injury should come in the “next few days.” Palat was the team’s major free agent signing this past summer and has three goals in six games so far this season.
Ondrej Palat Out With Lower-Body Injury
The New Jersey Devils will be without forward Ondrej Palat tonight as they look to avenge their home-opener loss to the Detroit Red Wings, according to the team. The team noted Palat has a lower-body injury and did not list a timeline.
Lindy Ruff Reportedly On The Early-Season Hot Seat
In today’s edition of their 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek name New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff as being one of the early names on the hot seat to start the year. The Devils have dropped both their opening games to the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings.
Although they’ve played well overall in both outings, they’ve gotten just a .804 save percentage from Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood, goaltending that doesn’t exactly permit you to win many games. Firing Ruff may not fix that, but some of his usage decisions have admittedly been puzzling as well. Forward Jesper Bratt, who has three points in those two games and has been extremely strong analytically to start the year, ranks sixth among Devils forwards in average ice time to start the year, behind players like Ondrej Palat, who has a -5 rating and is pointless through two games.
Tyce Thompson Activated, Sent To AHL
The high hopes of a New Jersey Devils season are already being tested, after two bad losses to start the year. Fans may get at least a little bit of encouragement from the news today that Tyce Thompson has been activated from injured reserve, though he’ll start out in the minor leagues.
Thompson, 23, has played nine games for the Devils in his young career, but was outstanding at the AHL level a year ago. In 16 matches for the Utica Comets he had 15 points, unfortunately missing a huge part of the season with shoulder surgery. Now healthy and ready to go, he’ll have to once again prove himself as a difference-maker in the minor leagues before getting a chance with New Jersey.
Meanwhile, fans are already calling for the dismissal of head coach Lindy Ruff and pulling their hair out over the performance of the goaltending duo of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood. Things could quickly get out of control in New Jersey and force the team to make changes, meaning Thompson could get an opportunity at some point.
Utica is also off to a slow start, losing their opener against the Hershey Bears. They’ll be back in action tonight against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, though it is unclear if Thompson will be in the lineup.
Devils Activate Nico Hischier, Assign Andreas Johnsson To The AHL
The Devils will have their captain back in the lineup tonight against Detroit as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated center Nico Hischier off injured reserve. To make room for him on the roster, New Jersey has assigned winger Andreas Johnsson to Utica of the AHL.
Hischier suffered a hamstring injury in his only preseason appearance close to three weeks ago in Montreal. The original hope was that he’d only miss ten days and that he’d have been ready to start the season but he missed their season-opening loss to Philadelphia on Thursday. The 23-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him put up 21 goals and 39 assists in 70 games while logging over 19 minutes a night and will be a welcome addition to their center group.
Hischier’s absence was basically only delaying the inevitable for Johnsson who cleared waivers at the end of training camp. The 27-year-old is coming off a decent campaign that saw him put up 13 goals and 22 helpers in 71 games; his 35 points were the second-most of his career. However, with a $3.4MM price tag, he’s someone that most teams simply couldn’t afford to claim off the wire. He’ll head to the minors in the hopes of playing his way into a recall if someone else gets injured but it’s certainly not the start to his contract year that he was hoping for. New Jersey will save $1.125MM on the cap with his demotion with the remaining $2.275MM remaining on their books.
Nico Hischier Won't Debut Against Flyers
- Nico Hischier won’t be in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup tonight, as he’s still not ready to return, according to team reporter Amanda Stein. The young forward was at practice between Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Bratt but will miss at least the opener. The Devils face the Philadelphia Flyers tonight and then go home to welcome in the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, where Hischier might be able to debut.
Andy Greene Signs One-Day Contract With New Jersey Devils, Retires
The New Jersey Devils have brought back a long-time captain for one more day. Andy Greene has signed a one-day contract with the team to retire as a member of the Devils, after a 16-year NHL career.
Tom Fitzgerald, general manager of the Devils, explained exactly what the veteran defenseman meant to the organization:
Andy was a bedrock for New Jersey during his 14 years and developed into an exceptional leader and what it meant to be a Devil. He was a consummate professional when times were hard and a representation to his teammates in the locker room. It’s only right that he announces his retirement from the National Hockey League as a member of the Devils and we thank him for all that he’s done on and off the ice for the organization.
Greene, 39, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Miami University (Ohio), and managed to play 1,057 games in an impressive career. More than 900 of those came with the Devils, where he developed into a defensive force, and leader in the locker room. From 2015 to 2020, he served as captain of the team, and even his last moments were positive for the organization.
He netted the team a second-round pick from the New York Islanders, where he would reunite with Lou Lamoriello, a pick that would then be used to land the team Ryan Graves.
So it is curtains for the veteran, and an impressive career to look back on. In his 1,000-plus games, he registered 52 goals and 264 points. He had three long playoff runs, reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2012 with the Devils and the Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons with New York.
New Jersey Devils Send Simon Nemec To AHL
Second-overall pick Simon Nemec appeared to make the New Jersey Devils roster out of camp, but the way he had been talking about it, there seemed to be something more to his stay. Today, the team has sent Nemec down to the AHL and recalled Kevin Bahl, confirming it was just a salary cap maneuver to maximize the long-term injury relief pool created by moving Jonathan Bernier‘s contract there.
Nemec, 18, is still extremely raw as a prospect, despite playing the last few seasons in a men’s league in Slovakia. A tendency to rove all over the ice and sometimes forget about his defensive responsibilities is what makes him special, but also something he’ll have to polish up before making a real impact at the NHL level.
He’ll be able to do that in the AHL, where he should get huge minutes with the Utica Comets for the time being. Nemec even admitted as such when speaking with Mike Morreale of NHL.com yesterday. He explained that “Utica is fine for me because I need to play a lot of minutes,” and said he is perfectly fine with the demotion. In fact, that’s what Nemec has maintained since the moment they drafted him. He wants to play in North America this season, regardless of whether that meant the NHL or AHL.
Not only does Nemec need work, but Bahl has also played his way onto the roster with a strong preseason performance. The pressure from being the return for Taylor Hall seems to have waned a bit and now expectations for the 22-year-old defenseman have leveled off. While Bahl may never be a true top-pairing option, his 6’6″ frame and good mobility suggest he’ll be able to handle himself just fine at the higher level. In 17 games last season with the Devils he showed flashes of that potential and this season might be able to shake free of any doubts.
Nemec will be back, in time, but for now he’ll be focused on his development in the minor leagues. Fans of the Comets certainly won’t complain, as they get to see the youngster up close.
Nico Hischier, Tyce Thompson Placed On Injured Reserve
- Some unfortunate news for New Jersey Devils fans: captain Nico Hischier has been placed on injured reserve, along with forward Tyce Thompson, after the former left a preseason game against the Canadiens on September 26 with what was classified as “cramping” at the time. His status is now week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Additionally, the team has moved goalie Jonathan Bernier to long-term injured reserve as he continues to recover from a hip procedure last year that ended his season prematurely.
Waivers: 10/07/22
It’s an important day for waivers as the regular season approaches, and several potential targets are available. With the preseason wrapping up, teams will try to sneak players through at the last second and keep them in the organization for the time being.
Many of these placements are due to salary cap restrictions or LTIR machinations to give teams maximum flexibility as the season begins. Everyone from yesterday’s list cleared.
Here is today’s group of waiver additions:
Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Mattias Janmark
Dmitri Samorukov
Minnesota Wild
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Kevin Connauton
Troy Grosenick
St. Louis Blues
Martin Frk
Klim Kostin
Matthew Highmore
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets