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Latest On The New Jersey Devils

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When the New Jersey Devils inked Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $7.875MM cap-hit deal earlier this week, it may have come in a few dollars less than some expected, given his point production. Similar to Cole Caufield’s long-term deal in Montreal, some attributed this to New Jersey’s desire to keep a strict salary hierarchy – at least among forwards – under star center Jack Hughes, who’s locked in at $8MM per season.

However, general manager Tom Fitzgerald refuted that notion today in an appearance on The Jeff Marek Show, prioritizing the importance of general market comparables over an internal hierarchy. As New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols says, that likely generates a clearer range for what we could expect the cap hit to be on a pending extension for winger Timo Meier. The Swiss-born forward notched 40 goals for the first time in his career in 2022-23 in 78 games.

Given Meier’s experience (and, therefore, consistency) advantage over his teammate Bratt, $7.875MM per season is likely the floor for any Meier extension, as Nichols says. Previous reports suggested Meier was looking for north of $9MM per season when still a member of the San Jose Sharks, but Nichols surmises that may be the max on his negotiation given the comparable to Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, who signed a five-year deal for $9MM per season in 2021.

Anything north of $9MM, which now seems unlikely for Meier, would make him the highest-paid player on the team ahead of defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Meier, while he obviously comes with an esteemed scoring pedigree, didn’t mesh as well as some hoped in New Jersey with 14 points in 21 games down the regular-season stretch.

A $9MM cap hit would also leave New Jersey with about $17.4MM in cap space to fill eight roster spots – seven among forwards and one on defense, potentially replacing (or re-signing) pending UFA Ryan Graves.

Injury Notes: Stephenson, Hakanpää, Hamilton

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The Vegas Golden Knights may face a slight hiccup tonight when they try and take a 3-0 stranglehold in the Western Conference Final. Center Chandler Stephenson missed this morning’s practice with an illness, although head coach Bruce Cassidy still expects him to be available tonight.

Stephenson sits third on the team in scoring with 13 points in 13 games so far in the postseason, and he’s been an invaluable secondary scorer for Vegas over the past number of seasons. His seven goals are tied for the team lead with William Karlsson, and he’s averaging over 18 minutes per game. If Stephenson isn’t well enough to play tonight, expect the 27-year-old Michael Amadio to draw back into the lineup. He’s been scratched from the team’s last four games to make way for Teddy Blueger to enter the lineup.

  • Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää took pregame skate this morning and is expected to play in tonight’s Game 3 against Vegas, per Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine. The 31-year-old defensive stalwart missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. The 6-foot-7 Finn contributed a career-high 16 points and +18 rating during the regular season.
  • New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton wasn’t 100% when his team bowed out to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Second Round, and today, The Fourth Period’s James Nichols reports Hamilton had surgery to repair his right wrist. Per Nichols, Hamilton is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season, although he doesn’t offer clarity on whether this affects his availability for training camp. The 29-year-old is entering the third season of a seven-year, $63MM contract signed with the Devils in 2021.

Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.

Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg

Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson

Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook

Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock

Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano

Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner

Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn

Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri

Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan

Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist

Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley

Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw

Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile

Nashville Predators – Cody Glass

New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton

New York Islanders – Zach Parise

New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey

Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard

Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler

Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang

San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov

Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev

St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais

Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano

Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser

Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel

Washington Capitals – John Carlson

Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner

Devils Notes: Hamilton, Hughes, Wood, Bernier, World Championships

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After another disappointing season, the New Jersey Devils began their wrap-up today with the first half of the team speaking to the media for exit interviews. The Devils’ Amanda Stein had a chance to speak to many members of the Devils to gather injury updates and plans for the summer. One somewhat surprising note was the lingering injury issues that defenseman Dougie Hamilton had been dealing with in the second half of the season. Hamilton had initially been injured when he took a puck to the face in a January 2nd game against the Washington Capitals, causing him to require surgery and miss nearly two months. The defenseman was able to return on February 24th and finish out the regular season, but was clearly not the same player he was before the injury.

According to Stein, Hamilton said that he had never really felt quite the same after returning from the injury, which could have contributed to his dip in play (link). He also mentioned to the Devils’ Sam Kasan that he had actually broken his toe in the game prior to his jaw injury, perhaps also contributing to his second-half slump (link). As Stein cautions, the broken toe was only “one of” Hamilton’s other ailments in addition to his jaw, not the only other ailment (link). In 30 games prior to the injury, Hamilton had seven goals and 13 assists, which fell to just two goals and eight assists in 32 games after his return to the lineup.

  • From one Devils cornerstone to another, Jack Hughes indicated to Stein that his recovery from his latest injury has been going really well, although he has not been back on the ice yet (link). Hughes suffered a season-ending knee injury after a hit from Oliver Wahlstrom on April 3rd when the Devils took on the New York Islanders, his second major injury of the year, after a shoulder injury caused him to miss a roughly six weeks in October and November. Despite the time missed, the Devil’s young star turned in an exceptional breakout season, putting up 26 goals and 30 assists in 49 games. Keeping the 2019 first-overall pick healthy will be a critical factor in New Jersey taking the next step in their build.
  • Continuing on injuries, an unfortunate key story of the Devils’ 2021-22 season, Miles Wood shared with Stein that he was shut down after just three games this season after the hip injury that had kept him out until March 27th, wasn’t recovering as fast as he had expected after each game (link). With the Devils out of the playoff race in early April, it seemed to make more sense for the Devils to shut the veteran winger down and allow him to completely work through his injury and be able to start fresh for 2022-23. Speaking of next season, Wood is set to become an RFA this summer after the expiration of his four-year, $11MM contract and though the Devils have control of him, where Wood plays next season, and what his next contract looks like, could be a particularly interesting storyline to follow this offseason.
  • The final injury update from today’s Devils interviews came from goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who had season-ending hip surgery on January 3rd. Bernier told Stein that he is hoping to be ready for the start of training camp in September, however he is not happy with where he currently is in terms of his recovery and rehab (link). On a positive note, Bernier did mention he had resumed skating last week, albeit without equipment. Hip surgery is always concerning for a goaltender, but from the Devils perspective, the organization now has a full offseason to address their goaltending situation, including Bernier’s rehab. Regardless of the goaltender’s recovery or New Jersey’s moves this offseason, Bernier still has another year at $4.125MM with the Devils next season.
  • Looking to some positive news for New Jersey this spring, several players confirmed to Stein that they plan to represent their countries at the upcoming World Championships. Forward and team captain Nico Hischier (link) and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (link) both plan to represent Switzerland in the tournament, with forward Tomas Tatar (link) representing Slovakia, and defenseman Damon Severson (link) representing Canada.

East Notes: Chara, Hamilton, Dahlin, Brassard

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The Islanders are starting to receive trade interest in veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara, Pierre LeBrun reports in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment.  While the 44-year-old is no longer the top pairing player he was for a lot of his time in Boston, some contending teams could use him as a shutdown and penalty kill player in a limited role.  He carries a $750K AAV although there are bonuses of up to another $750K in the existing deal but those could roll over and be applied on next year’s cap with the bonus cushion.  While Chara doesn’t have any trade protection, LeBrun adds that GM Lou Lamoriello will go to the veteran to see if he indeed wants to move.  He has seven assists in 42 games this season while still averaging over 18 minutes a game.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • 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.
  • The Sabres should have defenseman Rasmus Dahlin back in the lineup on Wednesday in Montreal after he missed Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 21-year-old is on pace to surpass his career highs offensively from back in his rookie season as he already has 33 points in 49 games this season while logging just shy of 24 minutes a game.
  • The Flyers have transferred center Derick Brassard to injured reserve, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The placement was not backdated so it appears the veteran – who has battled hip injuries all season long – will miss at least another week.    Brassard played in one game two weeks ago after coming back from hip trouble and clearly, the injury hasn’t fully healed yet.  When healthy, he has been productive with 11 points in 20 games.

Injury Notes: Hamilton, Red Wings, Hayton

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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.

Some more injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill says forward Vladislav Namestnikov is questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Wild, meaning that brothers Givani Smith and Gemel Smith could both draw in and play their first game together in the NHL. Defenseman Nick Leddy is also probable to return after sitting out with an upper-body injury for the past two weeks. Namestnikov has provided good value this season on his $2MM cap hit, proving to be an important depth piece for Detroit with 13 goals, 10 assists, and 23 points in 49 games. Detroit has played Gemel Smith in just one game since claiming him off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning almost a month ago.
  • Per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong says that young center Barrett Hayton could return to the team’s lineup this coming week, potentially as soon as February 19th against the Los Angeles Kings. Hayton, selected fifth overall in 2018, had six points in 26 games this season prior to suffering a hand injury in early January. He’d been getting chances in a top-six role prior to the injury, something that’s likely to continue with his return.

Devils Notes: Hamilton, White, Ruff

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After the news of Jack Hughes entering COVID-19 protocol today, Devils fans are understandably stressed. There’s some good news on the horizon, though, as it appears defenseman Dougie Hamilton is making progress towards his return to the lineup. Team reporter Amanda Stein said today that although Hamilton did not join his teammates for practice today, the veteran defenseman did skate by himself this morning. Hamilton’s been limited to 30 of 45 games this season with various injuries, but he’s now been out of the lineup for over a month with a broken jaw. His 20 points in 30 games are by far the best scoring pace by a Devils defenseman this season, and while his defensive game has stuttered a few times this season, expect more consistent playing time in his new system to aid with that.

More notes from the Devils organization:

  • The team made a shift on defense today, calling up defenseman Colton White from the AHL’s Utica Comets. While Mason Geertsen can play defense, he’s been utilized mostly at forward this season when in the lineup. With that, the Devils had no extra healthy defensemen with the team with the dissipation of taxi squads across the league over the All-Star break. White brings 15 games of NHL experience this year back to the roster, notching three assists.
  • Stein also reports that head coach Lindy Ruff will return to the team later today in Ottawa ahead of their game against the Senators tomorrow. Ruff was away from the team in Western Canada after the passing of his father. Assistant Alain Nasreddine coached the team in his absence and ran the team’s practice today.

Devils Issue Injury Updates On Hamilton, Hischier, Others

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After the New Jersey Devils completed their morning skate Tuesday, the team had quite a few injury updates to share.

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton will have surgery tomorrow to repair a broken jaw suffered on January 2, and he’s been moved to injured reserve. Goalie Jonathan Bernier had hip surgery yesterday and is out for the remainder of the season. Team captain Nico Hischier is out for tonight’s game against Boston with a lower-body injury, and forwards Yegor Sharangovich and Pavel Zacha entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today.

Hamilton’s certainly been decent this season, his first with the Devils. Through 30 games, the free-agent acquisition has seven goals and 13 assists while logging 21:24 per game, the second-highest mark on the team behind Damon Severson.

The long-term absence of Bernier is organizationally tough to swallow, too. Bernier had been solid through 10 games with a .902 save percentage, but the injury had been bothering him intermittently throughout the season and it’s the right move to shut him down to hopefully avoid career-ending complications.

Right now, the backup role will be competed for by Akira Schmid, Jon Gillies, and Nico Daws, all of whom have played NHL games this season. Gillies will likely win the role to allow more development time for Schmid and Daws, who are both just 21 and haven’t blown the doors off in NHL action. More time in the AHL will serve them best.

Both Sharangovich and Zacha have been valuable depth pieces for New Jersey, and they’ll hopefully only be subject to the five-day quarantine and will only miss the team’s next three games. Sharangovich has seven goals and 14 points through 30 games this year, while Zacha has nine goals and 16 points through 33.

It’s hard to remember the last time that a team issued injury updates simultaneously about this many players, and it forces the Devils to make serious adjustments to their roster and their lineups. It’s a seriously tough break for a team that’s barely hanging on to their chances to make the playoffs.

Metropolitan Notes: Lapierre, Hamilton, Komarov

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With Capitals center Hendrix Lapierre averaging only nine minutes per game in his first five NHL appearances, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he’s returned back to junior.  He has been scratched in five other games to buy them some more time to make the decision, one that GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link) should be coming soon:

We’re going to do what’s best for him development-wise. He’s done a great job up until this point. Everything he’s done has benefited his growth — off-ice workouts, being around the guys, practicing with the big club.

But at some point here, we’re going to make a decision on what’s going to be best for him moving forward, to grow his game.

Lapierre can play in four more NHL games before officially burning the first year of his entry-level deal and MacLellan admitted that the cap element – in particular, having another cheap season from him – will also play a factor in their decision.  At this point, it feels like the Capitals returning him to the QMJHL is a matter of when, not if.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:

  • 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.
  • Islanders winger Leo Komarov has yet to report to Bridgeport despite clearing waivers and being assigned more than two weeks ago, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. However, GM Lou Lamoriello indicated that the veteran is rehabbing a minor injury and will report soon once that has cleared.  Players generally aren’t permitted to be waived when they’re injured although since Komarov is still collecting his full salary (without escrow now that he has been sent down), it shouldn’t be much of a concern for him.

Latest On John Klingberg Extension Talks

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John Klingberg is facing down quite the predicament this season. Playing on an expiring contract – a contract that has made him a bargain for the Dallas Stars for many years – Klingberg is planning his future. The talented defenseman has watched a number of defensemen, unrestricted and restricted free agents alike, sign massive, long-term extensions over the past few months. Unsurprisingly, Klingberg has expressed his interest in joining this group with his next deal. Klingberg, 29, would be one of, if not the top defender on the open market if he makes it there this summer and could command such a contract. Yet, Klingberg has also been adamant about his desire to stay in Dallas. The Stars just gave fellow rearguard Miro Heiskanen an eight-year, $67.6MM extension and have both Esa Lindell and Ryan Suter signed for three more years beyond 2021-22 at substantial cap numbers. Can Klingberg land the deal he wants in Dallas?

Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was the first to put hard numbers to the hypothetical, reporting that Klingberg was seeking a a max-term deal in the $62-66MM range. This would put him just below his young teammate Heiskanen over the same number of years. This would likely be a palatable scenario for the Stars to keep their elite top-four together without paying more for Klingberg, who would be 37 when his next deal expired, than for Heiskanen, who will be as old as Klingberg is now.

Unfortunately, that may be a pipedream for the Stars. Klingberg is among the top ten scoring defensemen in the NHL over the course of his current contract. Why should he settle for an AAV of $7.75-8.25MM as Marek suggests when he has outscored the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, and Darnell Nurse – all of similar age and experience – and they each came in at $9MM+ on recent deals? The Athletic’s Saad Yousef claims that Marek’s numbers are merely a starting point. He has heard from sources that Klingberg is chasing that $9-9.5MM AAV and on a long-term deal, knowing this could be his last chance at a big pay day given his age.

Klingberg’s camp has not drawn a line in the sand on their numbers just yet as the defenseman truly does wish to stay in Dallas. Yousef also notes that even at this elevated, fair-market asking price, the Stars can still afford to re-sign Klingberg and likely will do just that if he performs well early this season. There could be some wiggle room for Klingberg to take a slightly shorter deal or come in a little lower than his comparable given his age and the “hometown discount” factor. However, the pressure is on for the Stars to work out those kinks and come to an agreement. The longer the season wears on, the longer Klingberg has to prove he is elite and the prize of the free agent class, driving up his bargaining power on contract talks. Both sides want to see the relationship extended, but those odds go down the longer they wait. Dallas is prepared for that possibility, but that would make it no less of a major blow if Klingberg walks away.

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