New Jersey Devils Issue Injury Updates; Recall Two From AHL
The New Jersey Devils have already shut down Jack Hughes for the rest of the season, and now several other forwards could be sidelined. Yegor Sharangovich, Jimmy Vesey, and Nathan Bastian are all dealing with injuries, leading to the team recalling both Fabian Zetterlund and A.J. Greer from the AHL.
Sharangovich, 23, appears to be the closest to a return, despite leaving last night’s game after just five shifts. The young forward skated on his own ahead of practice and head coach Lindy Ruff believes it’s possible that he could be back in the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Sharangovich engaged New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider after a big hit on Jesper Boqvist, and ended up leaving after just two minutes of ice time.
Vesey meanwhile is still getting imaging on his injured leg today, and there is no clear timetable for his return at this point. He also came together with Schneider and had to be helped off the ice by the training staff.
Bastian, who was injured in the same game as Hughes, is “doing better” according to Ruff, though the young forward is not expected to be available tomorrow. After starting the year barely playing with the Seattle Kraken, the return to New Jersey has been good for Bastian, who has ten goals in 50 games despite still playing a limited role.
As the Devils deal with a wave of injuries up front, players like Zetterlund will get a chance to impress. The 22-year-old third-round pick has seen three games at the NHL level so far this season but is still looking for his first point. He’s been outstanding with the Utica Comets, recording 52 points in 58 games, however, suggesting that he could be ready for more regular NHL minutes as soon as next season. A look down the stretch would make sense, especially given the fact that someone like Vesey–even if healthy–is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Devils Loan Fabian Zetterlund To Sweden
Even though most international leagues have started up and are in full flight, there are still roster spots being created for NHL-contracted players. One of those is with AIK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden as the team announced that they’ve added winger Fabian Zetterlund on loan from the Devils. The press release states that the agreement is in place until further notice, suggesting that it will be until NHL training camps resume.
The roster spot was created by the injury to Islanders prospect Oliver Wahlstrom. He suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday and there is no word on how much time he’ll miss.
Zetterlund was a third-round pick of New Jersey back in 2017 (63rd overall) and made his debut in North America last season, playing in 46 games with AHL Binghamton. The 21-year-old acquitted himself relatively well, picking up eight goals and 11 assists but didn’t earn a recall to New Jersey last season.
It’s likely that Zetterlund will be back in the minors for next year but at the very least, this loan agreement will give him a chance to get into game action after last suiting up on March 11th with Binghamton. This will be his first time in AIK’s organization after coming up from Farjestad’s system initially; as they’re an SHL team (and not taking players on loan), Zetterlund had to dip down a level to get a chance to play close to home.