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Johnathan Kovacevic

Devils’ Johnathan Kovacevic Undergoes Knee Surgery

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5/8: Kovacevic has undergone successful knee surgery, per Devils’ team reporter Amanda Stein. General manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed to Stein that Kovacevic is not expected to be ready for the 2025-26 training camp.

5/1: In the wake of their elimination from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, many New Jersey Devils are beginning to reveal the injuries they were playing through. For defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, that’s a serious knee injury that will require surgery this summer. Kovacevic shared with media that he doesn’t expect to be ready for the start of next season’s training camp, per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.

Kovacevic sustained his knee injury on the first shift of Game 3. He played through the remainder of the first period before being pulled by team doctors during intermission. With the season now over, Kovacevic shared he is still in the process of sorting things out and will likely remain in New Jersey through much of May. That should allow him to continue consulting with team doctors as he maps out this new injury.

Kovacevic was otherwise a pillar of good health this season. He appeared in all but one of New Jersey’s 82 games this season – with his only absence coming in New Jersey’s final game of the season. He recorded 17 points, 72 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 in the full season effort – career-highs in the former two stats, and one plus shy of tying his high in the latter. It was a statement year after Kovacevic was a healthy scratch in 20 games for the Montreal Canadiens last season. On a young Canadiens blue-line, the defensive-minded Kovacevic fell as the odd-man-out – prompting a trade to the Devils on June 30th. He moved to New Jersey seemingly set on the role of seventh-defenseman, behind either Simon Nemec or Seamus Casey. But his strong defensive play , and up-and-down play from the top prospects, quickly pushed the veteran Kovacevic into an everyday role.

The Devils affirmed Kovacevic’s role in the lineup by signing him to a five-year, $20MM contract extension on March 7th. It’s the longest deal of the 27-year-old’s pro career, after his first seven pro seasons were spent on a pair of three-year deals, and a standalone one-year contract. All three were two-way contracts. For the first time in his career, Kovacevic can stand tall knowing he has a spot in the NHL awaiting him next season. That assuredness, and a vague path forward after this injury, will likely keep Kovacevic from rushing back too quick – even if it means cutting into his pre-season availability next season.

Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Wilson, Devils

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With Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreeing to part ways, reporters at general manager Kyle Dubas’ press conference today asked several questions related to Sidney Crosby’s involvement in the process. At one point during the conference, tensions appeared to rise slightly when Dubas was asked if Crosby was happy with the change. Dubas immediately responded that he wouldn’t speak on behalf of the team’s long-time captain.

Dubas was also asked if he thought the decision to move on from Sullivan would cause Crosby to want to leave Pittsburgh as well, to which he simply replied, “No,” per Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Dubas noted that he called Crosby on Sunday to give him the heads up on the decision and added that his job is to do what’s best for the franchise.

This past offseason, Crosby signed a two-year extension that is scheduled to keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $8.7 million. It is fair to wonder what Crosby’s thoughts are on a potential rebuild, which isn’t a term that Dubas used today, but was the tone he used in discussing the immediate future of the franchise. With that said, the two previous coaching changes Crosby was around for (Sullivan and Dan Bylsma before him) resulted in immediate Stanley Cup victories.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson’s physicality has been a key catalyst in the team’s first-round matchup against the Canadiens, writes The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber. As Silber notes, Wilson delivered a big hit on Alexandre Carrier that led to the game-tying goal in game four, which the Caps would go on to win 5-2. Washington is now just one win away from moving on to the second round. While the hit has drawn speculation as to its legality, no penalty was called, and momentum was clearly shifted toward the Capitals. As Wilson said after the game: “It’s been a physical series both ways, getting hit, giving hits, they’ve been really physical, so it’s a long series. You just try and kind of invest and continue to play hard every shift you’re out there. It was a big hit and the boys were able to score right after. That’s the way hockey goes.” It was the second consecutive game Wilson’s physicality came into play. In game three, Wilson and Josh Anderson engaged in a wrestling match that ended up spilling into Washington’s bench. Both players received roughing minors and 10-minute misconducts and were also assessed $5,000 fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • Missing key blueliners Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic, the Devils struggled badly in their game four loss to the Hurricanes—and with all three expected to remain out for game five, their defensive woes are likely to continue. Per team reporter Amanda Stein, all three will miss game five, which will likely require veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brian Dumoulin to continue to play extended minutes, Dennis Cholowski to continue to play his first career playoff games, and force higher than anticipated ice time for Jonas Siegenthaler, who just returned from an injury himself. from his own injury. With three starters missing from their blueline, the Devils are trying to replace nearly 60 minutes of combined ice time, as well as 77 combined regular season points, 267 combined blocked shots, and more than 300 combined hits. Carolina currently leads the series 3-1.

 

 

Devils Injury Notes: Hughes, Dillon, Kovacevic

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While the Devils are currently battling with the Carolina Hurricanes in a pivotal game four matchup, the team remains without several key blueliners, including Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic.

Yesterday, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Hughes and Dillon would remain out of the lineup due to injuries both suffered during game one. He added that neither have returned to skating, per team reporter Amanda Stein, signaling that their return may not be anytime soon.

The team then announced prior to this afternoon’s game that Kovacevic would also be unavailable for game four. The 27-year-old was injured in game three’s double overtime victory, and did not appear after the third period. His absence, coupled with the length of the game, forced veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Brian Dumoulin to play more than 30 minutes in the win. Kovacevic is being replaced in the lineup by Dennis Cholowski. The 26-year-old has appeared in 156 career NHL games but today signifies his first appearance in the playoffs. The injuries have also forced Jonas Siegenthaler into the lineup the last two games, despite the veteran potentially not being fully ready to return from his own injury. He ended up playing more than 27 minutes in his return in game three.

With three starters missing from their blueline, the Devils are trying to replace nearly 60 minutes of combined ice time, as well as 77 combined regular season points, 267 combined blocked shots, and more than 300 combined hits. This includes the 41 points the 21-year-old Hughes put up in 71 games. His absence has been particularly felt on the power play, as the Devils have gone 0-12 in the series.

Devils Sign Johnathan Kovacevic To Five-Year Extension

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The Devils are closing in on an extension with pending UFA defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The team later announced it’s a five-year deal worth $20MM, paying him an average of $4MM per season. The year-by-year salary breakdown is available in the team release. Per PuckPedia, the deal carries a no-trade clause through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade from 2027-28 until its expiry in 2029-30.

New Jersey acquired the 27-year-old from the Canadiens last summer in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. It was a prudent move from the Devils, who’ve gotten solid defensive play out of the righty in career-high minutes. Averaging 19:43 per game, he’s posted 1-13–14 with a +11 rating in 63 games.

The hulking 6’5″, 223-lb defender doesn’t play an uber-physical game, but still ranks fifth on the Devils with 81 blocks and seventh with 83 hits. Since breaking into the league with the Jets in 2022, his value has come from strong possession play in defensive-oriented minutes. His pairing with the now-injured Jonas Siegenthaler has been one of the best shutdown units in the league this season, allowing only 1.82 expected goals against per 60 minutes. According to MoneyPuck, that’s ninth-best in the league among pairings with at least 150 minutes together.

The Devils now have their top three right-shot defensemen under contract next season. It calls into question the future of 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec, a 21-year-old righty who’s failed to impress in his NHL minutes this season. After posting 3-13–19 with a minus-seven rating in 60 games last year, he’s recorded just one assist in 15 showings in 2024-25 while averaging 15:29 per game. Reports as recent as last week still indicated New Jersey was unwilling to leverage him in a trade, however.

Metropolitan Notes: Kovacevic, Yegorov, Blue Jackets, Letang

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The Devils are discussing the idea of potentially trying to re-sign defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (video link).  Acquired for a fourth-round pick from Montreal in the summer to add defensive depth, the 27-year-old is logging nearly 20 minutes a game for New Jersey and has become an important piece of their back end.  His presence helped push Simon Nemec to the minors, something the youngster recently voiced some frustration about; keeping Kovacevic could make it a bit harder for Nemec to get back to the NHL.  Signed to a cap hit below the league minimum this season, Kovacevic could push for $3MM or more on the open market if his second half play is similar to how things went in the first few months.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with the Devils, prospect Mikhail Yegorov has found a new place to play. USHL Omaha announced that the goaltender has transferred to play at Boston University, effective immediately, a rare midseason enrolment.  The 18-year-old was a second-round pick by New Jersey last June, going 49th overall.  Yegorov improved his save percentage with the Lancers by 20 points this year, going from .892 to .912 but won just three of his 19 outings.  He’ll now get his feet wet at the college level and becomes the 14th NHL-drafted player on the Terriers.
  • Earlier this week, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported (Twitter link) that the Blue Jackets are open to the idea of holding onto their pending unrestricted free agents. Widely expected to be near the bottom of the division this season, Columbus instead has been on a nice run as of late to get into a Wild Card spot.  The sustainability of that position will be challenged over the next couple of months but given the value of a young core playing meaningful games down the stretch, it seems it might not be a given that their rentals will move if they slide back in the standings over the coming weeks.
  • The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Kris Letang was scratched from tonight’s game due to illness. The 37-year-old had a quiet first half of the season by his standards, collecting seven goals and 10 assists in 40 games while still logging over 23 minutes a night of playing time.  That comes on the heels of putting up 51 points just last season.

Snapshots: Capitals, Bruins, Durzi, Fines

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The Capitals are believed to have held preliminary talks about contract extensions with pending UFA goaltenders Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson, reports Pierre LeBrun in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link).  The two have combined for a 2.42 GAA and a .912 SV% on the season despite having a combined cap hit of under $2MM, by far the NHL’s most economical tandem.  Both players are in line for substantial raises and could plausibly push for closer to $10MM combined on their next deals, a price tag Washington might not be able to afford.  LeBrun notes that the team is treading carefully in discussions, not wanting to risk disrupting chemistry if one gets an early deal and the other doesn’t while they also have defenseman Jakob Chychrun to contend with as a pending UFA who will need a considerable raise as well.  Knowing that, it might make more sense for them to prioritize getting Chychrun signed first and deal with the netminders later on.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Bruins team president Cam Neely spoke with reporters today (video link) and acknowledged that it won’t be business as usual when it comes to the trade deadline. Often a strong buyer leading up to deadline day, Neely admitted that the team is going to have to consider two paths, one where they’re a buyer and another where they retool.  Boston has struggled this season but enters play today holding down the first Wild Card spot in the East.  But even if they hold onto that over the next little while, it might not make sense for them to make a big addition for a team that could be in tough to get through the first round.
  • After getting John Marino back last night, Utah will have to wait a while for their other key missing blueliner to return. Head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters including Cole Bagley of KSL Sports (Twitter link) that there’s a good chance that they’ll have defenseman Sean Durzi back for the last month of the season.  The 26-year-old had his best performance in 2023-24, notching 41 points in 76 games but he suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth game, keeping Utah without a key rearguard for most of the season.
  • The NHL announced that Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic has been fined just under $2K (his maximum allowable under the CBA relative to his salary) for a cross-checking incident in last night’s game against Florida. Meanwhile, the league also announced that Utah center Jack McBain was fined a little under $4.2K for a high-stick on Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher last night.  The fines go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Devils Acquire Johnathan Kovacevic

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The New Jersey Devils have acquired defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic from the Montreal Canadiens in return for a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick, per Amanda Stein of NHL.com. Both the Canadiens and Devils have confirmed the move.

The conditions on the draft pick have already been made public, as the Devils will send the best of the three fourth-round picks they currently own in the 2026 NHL Draft. New Jersey owns their fourth-round pick, the Winnipeg Jets’ fourth-round pick, and the Dallas Stars’ fourth-round pick for that draft.

It’s a low-risk move for the Devils as they’ve spent the last 48 hours re-working their defensive core. The team already shipped out defenseman John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club yesterday morning, and have been heavily linked to defensemen Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon heading into tomorrow’s action. By adding to a core group of Dougie Hamilton, Simon Nemec, and Luke Hughes, and factoring in new goaltender Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey is looking to improve upon their 3.43 GA/G average during the 2023-24 NHL season.

As the Canadiens look to graduate several prospects to the majors, Kovacevic became one of the odd men out even though he is set to make $766K for the 2024-25 NHL season. After being claimed from the Jets organization shortly before the 2022-23 NHL season, Kovacevic quickly became a flexible defenseman in Montreal. Effectively averaging 17 minutes of ice time per night during his tenure with the Original Six organization, Kovacevic scored nine goals and 28 points in 139 games while averaging an on-ice save percentage of 90.6%

Kovacevic is likely destined for a bottom-six role in New Jersey regardless of how much the team shakes up their defensive core. However, if the defensive core succumbs to injury for a second straight season, Kovacevic could always move up the depth chart.

East Notes: Kovacevic, Konecny, Nadeau, Kuraly

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The Canadiens have been a popular team in trade talks lately. Veteran netminder Jake Allen is drawing significant interest from teams looking for help between the pipes, and their surplus of young defense prospects has made some think a move to clear space is coming sooner rather than later. Some have discussed veteran David Savard as being the odd man out, but notably, shutdown specialist Johnathan Kovacevic was a healthy scratch in Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes upon Jordan Harris’ return from injury.

Kovacevic is, by most accounts, the Canadiens’ most adept chance-limiting defender. Acquired via waiver claim from the Jets early in the 2022-23 season, Kovacevic has gone from unknown rearguard to Canadiens blueline staple in a relatively short amount of time. However, as his five points through 33 games suggest, he’s not much of a two-way threat. In all situations, nearly 76.7% of his zone starts have been in the defensive end this season, way up even from last season’s 61.3% mark. At even strength, that number still skews conservative with a defensive zone start percentage of 70.

Even still, Kovacevic could carry some significant trade value if the Canadiens decide he’s on the outside looking in on their long-term core. His expected plus-minus rating of +1.9 is the highest among active Montreal defenders this season, and he averages 2:39 per game on the penalty kill. Toss in the fact that he’s a highly-coveted right-shot defenseman, and you have a player a contending team would love to pick up for the low cost of $767K against the cap at the trade deadline.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference as New Year’s Day draws near:

  • Flyers forward Travis Konecny departed yesterday’s 4-1 win over the Canucks prematurely due to illness, head coach John Tortorella told reporters postgame (via NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer). Konecny logged an assist and two shots on goal in 14:55 of ice time but, as Tortorella said, felt worse as the game progressed and had to exit the contest after taking two shifts in the third period. His availability for tonight’s contest against the Kraken is unclear. If he’s not healthy enough to play, 27-year-old Rhett Gardner will make his Flyers debut after being recalled on Wednesday.
  • The Sabres demoted forward prospect Olivier Nadeau from AHL Rochester to ECHL Jacksonville on Friday morning, per a team release. Nadeau, 20, has been a frequent healthy scratch in Rochester, playing five out of a possible 26 games in his first pro season. He’s suited up just twice this month and has not played since December 16. While the 2021 fourth-round pick recorded his first professional goal, the lack of playing time is surely not a positive thing for his development. He’ll head to a lower-level club where he could potentially lock down a top-six role after notching over a point per game in the past three QMJHL seasons.
  • Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly will remain out of the lineup for the next two games with what’s now been officially diagnosed as an abdominal contusion, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports. Kuraly has not played since paramedics were summoned to attend to an injury he sustained in last Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs, which he said was caused by the butt end of his stick jamming into his abdomen when he was checked simultaneously by Toronto players Auston Matthews and Jake McCabe. He confirmed the visible distress he was under when leaving the ice was because he was having trouble breathing, although he told Portzline today that he never lost consciousness throughout the incident. He remains listed as day-to-day.

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