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Tyce Thompson Expected To Be Out Long-Term

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The Devils will be without Tyce Thompson for the next little while as Corey Masisak of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the winger will be undergoing shoulder surgery at some point over the next few days.  He adds that Thompson has had multiple issues with his shoulder and at this point, they’ll be hoping that the procedure stops the issue from lingering.  The expected time for recovery will be several months.

The 22-year-old was brought up from AHL Utica last week and had gotten into two games before suffering the injury, averaging 14:25 per game.  Prior to that, he was averaging a point per game in seven contests with the Comets.  He also suited up seven times with the Devils last season after finishing his college career at Providence, picking up an assist while primarily playing on the fourth line.

This is the final season of Thompson’s entry-level contract, one that carries $400K in performance bonuses.  With him set to miss a substantial portion of the year though, it’s quite unlikely that he’ll be able to reach any of those.

Kyle Capobianco, Marian Studenic Clear Waivers

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Nov 8: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Nov 7: Two names are appearing on NHL waivers Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Arizona Coyotes placed defenseman Kyle Capobianco there, while the New Jersey Devils waived forward Marian Studenic.

Capobianco, a 24-year-old who was expected to possibly steal a lineup spot this season, hasn’t played this season as a knee injury has sidelined him. Capobianco was activated from injured reserve today in order to permit the Coyotes to waive him. It appears as though recent call-ups Dysin Mayo and Cam Dineen have now surpassed Capobianco on the team’s depth chart.

The Devils have utilized Studenic in five games this season, but the 23-year-old Slovakian has yet to register a point. He was technically the team’s only extra healthy forward, but they’ve also played Mason Geertsen at forward instead of his usual defense at some points this season. Studenic’s averaged just 11:33 of ice time in those five games.

Both Capobianco and Studenic were younger players that appeared to have the inside track on roster spots heading into the season. It’s entirely possible that a team could choose to take a chance on either one of Capobianco or Studenic.

Miles Wood Out Indefinitely Following Surgery

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that Miles Wood underwent surgery on his right hip and is out indefinitely. The team explains the timeline so far:

During the Oct. 4 preseason game versus the Washington Capitals, Wood suffered an injury to his right hip.  After exhausting all conservative measures, and in consultation with team medical providers and external specialists, Miles has elected to receive surgery.

Wood has not played yet this season and likely will be out several months, though a specific timeline is not yet available. The 26-year-old put up another strong season in 2020-21, scoring 17 goals in 55 games, tying him for the club lead with Pavel Zacha. He has also developed into a key leader from the group, serving as an alternate captain for the Devils since last season.

It’s a tough blow for New Jersey, which has suffered several serious injuries now this season. The team finds itself with a respectable 5-3-2 record, but that’s only good enough for seventh place in the tough Metropolitan Division. The season is a long one, but losing Wood is certainly not an ideal situation given his place with the team.

Perhaps more notably, however, this injury will also have huge implications on Wood’s next contract. He is set to be a restricted free agent for the final time next summer and could have elected arbitration to give him a one-year deal, walking him directly to UFA status. Arbitration will be risky now, however, given that his counting stats from this year will be very low (if existent at all). Coming off a four-year, $11MM deal, Wood likely would have been looking at a nice raise on the $2.75MM cap hit he carries. Now, it’s unclear what kind of negotiation will take place as he recovers from major surgery.

Devils Recall Colton White, Place Christian Jaros On IR

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  • The Devils have placed defenseman Christian Jaros on IR, freeing up a roster spot for them to recall Colton White from Utica.  White played in a pair of games after breaking camp with New Jersey before being sent down last month when Ty Smith was activated.  As for Jaros, he has played in two games with the Devils this season after being acquired in July from San Jose.

Dougie Hamilton Didn't Feel Wanted In Carolina

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  • Prior to Dougie Hamilton leaving in free agency, Carolina GM Don Waddell felt that there was some progress on a new deal that would have stopped him from reaching the open market. However, the defenseman didn’t feel the same way, telling ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that he never felt that he was wanted.  He certainly got that feeling from the Devils, who signed him to a seven-year, $63MM contract on the opening day of free agency and he has done well so far, collecting six points in eight games while averaging 21:59 per contest.

New Jersey Devils Recall Alexander Holtz

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With the roster spot available after Scott Wedgewood was claimed off waivers, the New Jersey Devils have recalled top prospect, Alexander Holtz.

It’s been just four games for the Utica Comets this season, but the seventh-overall pick from 2020 has proven the AHL is no match for him. Holtz has five goals in those four contests and has registered 18 shots on net. It was only a matter of time before he found himself up with the NHL club, though there is obviously still plenty to prove at the highest level.

Armed with a lightning-fast release and a blistering shot, Holtz has always found a way to put the puck in the net, even if it does usually take him a little bit of time to adapt to a new level or challenge. In ten games last season with the Binghamton Devils he had just a single goal, but looks to have taken a substantial development step this time around. Now he’ll make the jump to the NHL, where similarly, goals may not come right away, but likely will at some point for the talented youngster.

Unlike in years past though, where the Devils were solely focused on development, this season there is a real push to be a competitive part of the Metropolitan Division. After a brilliant start, the team lost top center Jack Hughes to a shoulder injury and were shut out by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The team generated 28 shots on John Gibson but were unable to find the twine, an easy explanation why Holtz is up to infuse some offensive punch.

Of note, Holtz’ contract is still eligible to slide forward another year should he fail to play in ten games at the NHL level. If the team decides he’s not quite ready after seeing him in action, they can still send him back to the minors and avoid burning the first year of his entry-level deal.

Arizona Coyotes Claim Scott Wedgewood

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The Arizona Coyotes have claimed goaltender Scott Wedgewood off waivers from the New Jersey Devils, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Wedgewood returns to the only other team he has played for in the NHL.

It’s been a few years since Wedgewood played for Arizona, but it actually was the place he received the most opportunity. In 2017-18 he appeared in a career-high 20 games, going 5-9-4 with an .893 save percentage. With the Coyotes dealing with an injury to Carter Hutton, Wedgewood will serve as a veteran backup for Karel Vejmelka, allowing Ivan Prosvetov to return to the minor leagues.

Given the fact that New Jersey has Nico Daws in the minor leagues and two steady options in the NHL, it isn’t the end of the world that they’ve lost Wedgewood. It should give them a bit of stress though, given that there are now only four netminders in the entire organization under NHL contracts. Should they deal with any injuries, they would quickly run out of bodies to fill all of the necessary spots.

Of course, when Hutton returns the Coyotes will likely put Wedgewood back on waivers, where the Devils could reclaim him. The original timeline for Hutton was two to four weeks and he hasn’t played since October 25. At that point, if New Jersey is the only team to put in a claim, they would be able to send Wedgewood directly to the minor leagues.

P.K. Subban Fined $15,000 For Tripping

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1:55pm: It appears as though Subban has avoided suspension once again. The DoPS has issued a $15,000 fine for tripping, the maximum allowable under the CBA for this additional incident.

12:15pm: At least twice already this season, P.K. Subban has been involved in tripping incidents that had fans clamoring for a suspension. The first was in the preseason, when Subban appeared to slew foot New York Rangers forward Ryan Reaves, causing an injury. The second came in the regular season against the Calgary Flames’ Milan Lucic, which earned Subban a maximum fine.

Now, Subban appears to be receiving a more serious penalty. The Department of Player Safety has announced that the New Jersey Devils defenseman will have a hearing today for tripping Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks. It is not clear exactly when the trip happened in last night’s game, but Subban was not given any penalties in his nearly 22 minutes of action. Corey Masisak of The Athletic believes it was a collision early in the first period, in which Subban again appears to slew foot a player in the corner.

At the time of his fine, Subban’s coach Lindy Ruff explained that it was “not acceptable” and that the team wouldn’t put up with it. Given that a hearing is taking place, it appears as though the league won’t put up with it any longer either.

Scott Wedgewood Placed On Waivers

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The New Jersey Devils have placed Scott Wedgewood on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team activated Mackenzie Blackwood off injured reserve yesterday and no longer require three goaltenders on the roster.

Wedgewood, 29, has played in three games for the Devils this season but allowed nine goals on 75 shots for an .880 save percentage. The minor league veteran has been a strong performer in the past at the minor league level, but shouldn’t be relied on for more than a handful of appearances at the NHL level each season.

There’s perhaps a chance he’s claimed by a team dealing with injury, but Wedgewood doesn’t represent much of an upgrade for most teams around the league. Should he clear, the Devils will likely send him to the minor leagues where he will serve as a part-time option as they continue to develop their younger netminders.

Minor Transactions: 10/30/21

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The NHL’s got a busy schedule today as the Florida Panthers attempt to maintain their undefeated record today on the road against a strong Boston Bruins team. Yet still, there are still many minor moves to keep track of across the AHL and ECHL on this busy Saturday. We’ll keep a record of those right here:

  • The AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights have added a pair of forwards to the roster in Lynden McCallum and Colt Conrad, per a team release. McCallum signed a one-year contract after spending five games with the team on a professional tryout contract, impressing with a goal and three assists in those games. Conrad joins the team on a PTO after spending the 2020-21 campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, scoring four points in 22 games. The Golden Knights organization faces a thin forward group at the NHL level due to injury, which has cost the Silver Knights some players early on that they expected to be important contributors.
  • Per a team tweet, the AHL’s Stockton Heat released forward Ryan Francis from his PTO, assigning him to the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Francis went pointless in four games with the Heat before being released from the PTO. A fifth-round pick of the Flames in 2020, Francis was old enough to spend the entire season in the AHL, but the team has decided that his development would be better served with an overage season in the QMJHL.
  • The AHL’s Belleville Senators recalled defenseman Xavier Bernard from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today and signed forward Kameron Kielly to a PTO, per a team tweet. Bernard was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils but was never signed and now finds himself in the Senators organization playing his first professional season. He has no points and a +1 rating with the Gladiators this season. Kielly is a 24-year-old entering his second professional season looking to play his first AHL game. He totalled 19 points in 39 ECHL games last season, split between the Allen Americans and Indy Fuel.

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