Mammoth Sign Nick DeSimone To Extension
The Mammoth announced they’re retaining depth defenseman Nick DeSimone on a one-year deal worth $800K for next season. It’s a one-way deal, per PuckPedia. He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
DeSimone, 30, has 58 games of NHL experience. The right-shot defenseman has appeared in parts of three NHL seasons with three teams. That included six points in 20 games with the Mammoth this year after they selected him off waivers from the Devils in January.
DeSimone has put up above-average numbers when given the chance to play in limited minutes. He boasts a 3-10–13 career scoring line – an 18-point pace over 82 games – with a plus-three rating while seeing 14:03 of ice time per game. He’s put up good offensive numbers in the minors in the past, including 46 points in 65 games while in the Flames’ system two years ago.
While DeSimone was a serviceable depth presence for Utah down the stretch and received a guaranteed salary as part of today’s deal, there’s no guarantee he doesn’t end up on waivers again to start the season. He’s already the eighth Mammoth defenseman signed to a one-way contract for 2025-26, and that doesn’t consider potential opening-night jobs for 2022 first-round pick Maveric Lamoureux or the recently signed top prospect Dmitri Simashev.
Utah Hockey Club Claims Nick DeSimone On Waivers
1/5: The Utah Hockey Club has claimed DeSimone off of waivers from the Devils, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. DeSimone will replace Dakota Mermis‘ role as Utah’s seventh defenseman, after the Leafs reclaimed Mermis off of waivers from Utah. New Jersey also acquired DeSimone off of waivers, claiming him away from Calgary last season.
1/4: The Devils are making a move to open up a roster spot. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Devils have placed defenseman Nick DeSimone on waivers.
It’s the second time this season that the 30-year-old finds himself on the wire. DeSimone was put on waivers late in training camp and passed through unclaimed. That wasn’t the case last year when he was waived, however, as he wound up with New Jersey via a midseason claim from Calgary, getting into 11 games after that where he had a pair of points along with 21 blocked shots in 16:29 of playing time per contest. However, with the team much healthier and deeper on the back end going into the season, DeSimone lost his roster spot at the time.
DeSimone has been up with the Devils a few times this season. Those combined stints totalled more than 30 days which is why he needs to go back on waivers to return to AHL Utica even though he didn’t suit up once with the Devils while on recall. DeSimone has played in 12 games with the Comets when he hasn’t been in New Jersey, picking up three assists.
DeSimone is playing on a one-year, one-way contract worth the league minimum salary of $775K this season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Considering that some teams are dealing with some short-term injuries on the back end, it’s possible that DeSimone could find himself on the move when his waiver period expires at 1 PM CT on Sunday.
Devils Recall Nick DeSimone
The Devils announced that they have recalled right-shot defenseman Nick DeSimone from AHL Utica. He fills one of two open spots on their active roster, so no corresponding move is necessary.
DeSimone returns to the New Jersey roster after spending a good chunk of the last two months as an extra defender, frequently sitting in the press box but not seeing any playing time. He was booted to Utica on Dec. 11 in favor of Colton White, who the Devils recently loaned to Team Canada for the ongoing 2024 Spengler Cup. With White in Switzerland and thus unavailable to serve as injury insurance if needed, DeSimone will return to a familiar press-box role coming out of the holiday break.
Now 30, DeSimone is coming off a career-high seven points in 34 NHL appearances in 2023-24, split between the Flames and Devils. Selected off waivers from Calgary in late January, the minor-league mainstay inked a one-way, $775K extension to remain a Devil in late June but hasn’t seen any NHL ice in 2024-25. The Union College product has been the victim of an impeccably healthy New Jersey defense over the past couple of months, providing little opportunity for him to insert himself ahead of one of the most dynamic defense corps in the league.
DeSimone has looked rusty while on assignment to Utica this season, with only three assists and a -10 rating in 12 appearances. However, he’s historically been a good power-play option in the AHL, posting 179 points in 353 career AHL games over nine seasons and a +25 rating.
DeSimone last cleared waivers at the beginning of the regular season. He’s close to spending a cumulative 30 days on the active roster since then, after which point he’ll need them again to return to the AHL.
East Notes: DeSimone, Wilson, Jost, Drury
According to a team release, Devils defenseman Nick DeSimone was assigned to AHL Utica on Wednesday. Aside from a couple of paper transactions, the 30-year-old has been on New Jersey’s roster for the past month but has yet to play an NHL contest this season. He’s been a healthy scratch on 17 occasions, never ranking higher than seventh on the Devils’ defense depth chart despite early-season injuries to Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce.
DeSimone has, however, remained on the roster for a longer stretch as veteran insurance, while younger names like Seamus Casey and Simon Nemec have headed to Utica for additional development. With New Jersey back in action tomorrow against the Kings, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them reverse the transaction and reinstate DeSimone to the active roster. Demoting him today allows them to accrue a small amount of additional cap space and delay the expiry of his temporary waiver exemption after he last cleared in October.
The New York native appeared in a career-high 34 NHL contests split between the Devils and Flames last season, recording seven points and a +3 rating while averaging 13:29 per contest. He’s struggled in limited action with Utica this season, posting two assists and a -10 rating in nine appearances.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Capitals mainstay Tom Wilson sustained a minor bone fracture in the sinus cavity area after taking a puck to the face in Saturday’s win over the Canadiens, he told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The injury only caused him to leave the game momentarily, and he scored two goals after returning. He doesn’t expect to miss any additional time due to the injury, he confirmed, although he’ll be wearing a full face shield for the next four weeks at the instruction of team doctors. Wilson, 30, is on pace for a career-high 33 goals and 67 points this season – the first of a seven-year, $45.5MM extension.
- The Hurricanes announced today that they’ve recalled forward Tyson Jost from AHL Chicago. Jost’s inclusion on the roster indicates that center Jack Drury will miss at least Friday’s game against the Senators after leaving last night’s win over the Sharks in the first period with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot from San Jose winger Klim Kostin. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters postgame that he anticipated Drury would miss a significant chunk of time. However, he didn’t disclose further details on the injury (per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News). Jost, 26, had one goal in seven games during a recall last month, averaging 9:20 per contest. He has four goals and five assists for nine points in 14 AHL appearances this season.
Minor Transactions: 11/25/24
There have been quite a few paper transactions made across the NHL today as teams continue to try to save every little bit of cap room they can. Here’s a rundown of today’s moves, per the AHL’s transactions log.
- The Oilers have reassigned defenseman Josh Brown and forward Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield. Brown has been shuffled back and forth in recent days while Caggiula was recalled back on Thursday. Edmonton is off until Friday and the moves allow them to dip out of using LTIR and bank a small amount of cap space for the next few days. At least one of them, if not both, will likely be recalled later in the week.
- A day after being papered down, the Bruins have recalled forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle from AHL Providence. McLaughlin hasn’t played for Boston yet this season while Oesterle suited up three times earlier this month.
- The Hurricanes have recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from their latest paper loan to AHL Chicago. Both players have been shuffled back and forth routinely in cap-saving moves.
- A day after the Devils loaned wingers Shane Bowers and Nolan Foote along with defenseman Nick DeSimone to AHL Utica, the trio was recalled today. Sunday’s demotions allowed them to clear LTIR for the day but they are back to using it for the time being now.
- After being papered down on Sunday, the Golden Knights have recalled wingers Mason Morelli and Callahan Burke, who scored his first NHL goal on Saturday in a win over Montreal. They also brought back blueliner Robert Hagg who was both recalled (on an emergency basis) and sent down on Saturday. Hagg’s recall moves Vegas back into using LTIR for now.
New Jersey Announces Several Roster Moves
Before their game in a few days against the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, the New Jersey Devils are adding more pieces to their roster. The organization announced they have placed Nathan Bastian on long-term injured reserve retroactive to November 1st, Curtis Lazar on injured reserve retroactive to October 27th, and has recalled Shane Bowers, Justin Dowling, Nolan Foote, and Nick DeSimone from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
None of the moves are shocking from the cap-conscious Devils who’ve been slowplaying Bastian and Lazar’s designation to capture more salary cap space for the trade deadline. With a projected deadline space of almost $10MM, New Jersey could place both players on their respective injury reserve designations and fill out the rest of the roster.
Bastian has the less serious injury of the two after sustaining a jaw injury during a fight with Calgary Flames forward Ryan Lomberg. He was originally expected to miss several weeks with the injury and if he’s fully recovered, can return on November 26th when the Devils take on the St. Louis Blues. The more serious injury concern lies in Lazar who may finish the year with only 12 games played after undergoing a procedure on his left knee keeping him out indefinitely.
Dowling is the only member of the call-up quartet that has already suited up for New Jersey this season. He was originally recalled to replace the lost minutes of Lazar and has tallied one assist in nine games while averaging 8:13 of ice time.
Foote was an obvious choice for a call-up as the former 27th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s already accrued 23 games of NHL experience in his young career and was leading the AHL Comets in scoring this season with four goals and nine points in 12 games.
The other two recalls are largely AHL-bound veterans at this point in their respective careers although Bowers may carry some prospect pedigree as a first-round pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. He’s seen his scoring drop precipitously since transitioning to professional hockey in the 2018-19 season scoring a career-high 27 points for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in 2019-20. DeSimone, who reached a one-year extension with the Devils last season, has already been recalled this season but failed to register any games.
The downstream effects of the roster moves will be greatly felt in the AHL. The Comets have yet to earn a victory this season through 13 games and may have to play this weekend’s contests against the Syracuse Crunch and Rochester Americans without three of their top-10 scorers.
Devils Assign Justin Dowling And Nick DeSimone To AHL
The New Jersey Devils have announced that they are sending forward Justin Dowling and defenseman Nick DeSimone to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. New Jersey has a four-day break in the NHL schedule and doesn’t play again until Thursday night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The gap between games likely makes these AHL assignments a cap move; however, we won’t know that for sure until later this week.
The Devils have three players who are currently out of their lineup in forwards Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian, as well as defenseman Santeri Hatakka.
Dowling has been anchoring New Jersey’s fourth line alongside Tomas Tatar and Kurtis MacDermid, a spot he has occupied for nine straight games. The 34-year-old appeared in his first NHL game this season at the end of October against his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, and has a single assist since being called up. The journeyman has spent much of his professional career in the AHL but has made NHL stops in Dallas and Vancouver.
DeSimone was brought up to the NHL back on November 8th and has been a healthy scratch during that time. The 29-year-old has yet to appear in an NHL game this season but has dressed in nine AHL games, tallying two assists. DeSimone was acquired by the Devils off waivers from the Calgary Flames back in January of this year.
New Jersey Devils Recall Nick DeSimone
The New Jersey Devils had an opening on defense after reassigning Simon Nemec to the AHL’s Utica Comets yesterday. To fill that opening, the organization recalled defenseman Nick DeSimone.
DeSimone has suited up in NHL games for the last two years despite spending the past eight seasons in professional hockey. After signing as a collegiate free agent out of Union College, he began his professional career in the San Jose Sharks system.
His contractual rights bounced from the Vegas Golden Knights to the New York Rangers organization before finally landing as an unrestricted free agent with the Calgary Flames. It was with the Flames that DeSimone ultimately made his NHL debut securing four games played in the 2022-23 season.
Last year garnered the most playing time for DeSimone at the NHL level as he managed one goal and five points in 23 games with the Flames. He became a piece in Calgary’s blue-line exodus from last year after being claimed off waivers by the Devils in late January.
DeSimone scored one goal and two points with the Devils in 11 games down the stretch. His play for the team turned into a one-year, $775K extension on June 24, 2024.
Unfortunately for DeSimone, he’s more of a roster filler at this point with the Devils. He’s off to a dismal start in the AHL this year with two assists in nine games and a -10 rating. Even if New Jersey experiences on the blue line, they’ll likely make a call-up rather than give DeSimone meaningful minutes.
Waiver Wire: 10/6/24
Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek
Calgary Flames
G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt
Carolina Hurricanes
F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue
Los Angeles Kings
G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama
St. Louis Blues
D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai
Utah Hockey Club
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets
Devils Re-Sign Nick DeSimone To One-Year Deal
The Devils have re-signed defenseman Nick DeSimone to a one-year, one-way contract, per a team announcement Monday. It’s worth the league minimum salary of $775K.
DeSimone, 29, was headed for the UFA market next week. Instead, he’ll stay in New Jersey, which claimed him off waivers from the Flames in late January. This is the first one-way contract of his career.
Given his small role with the Devils, it was doubtful if general manager Tom Fitzgerald would offer him an extension, especially a one-way commitment. He was scratched more than he played, only skating in 11 of New Jersey’s 37 contests after his acquisition. DeSimone was serviceable when iced, though, posting a goal and an assist while controlling 48.4% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength. He averaged 16:29 per game in a Devils uniform.
The minor-league veteran has only 38 NHL games to his name, 34 of which came this season. Across his stints with Calgary and New Jersey over the past two years, he’s totaled two goals and five assists without being a defensive liability in bottom-pairing minutes. He’s long been a strong puck-moving option in the AHL, totaling 38 goals and 138 assists for 176 points in 341 games in the Flames, Golden Knights and Sharks organizations.
In fact, most of his time under NHL contract has been spent with San Jose, where he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Union College in 2017. However, he never saw NHL ice during his four years collecting a paycheck from them.
A one-way deal indicates DeSimone has an inside track to start next season as the Devils’ seventh defenseman, although he’ll likely face competition for the role from the younger Santeri Hatakka. Their top six on defense is mostly solidified, with Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, John Marino, Simon Nemec and Jonas Siegenthaler all guaranteed spots, plus a UFA signing to replace Kevin Bahl, who was traded to the Flames in last week’s Jacob Markström deal.
With DeSimone in the NHL, the Devils are down to $15.27MM in projected cap space with a roster size of 16, per CapFriendly. He’ll be a UFA upon expiry.