The Devils kept whittling down their camp roster Sunday, and the latest moves gave a clearer picture of how New Jersey is shaping up before the 2026-27 regular season.
The club put six more players on waivers: forwards Marc McLaughlin, Riley Tufte and Colin White; defensemen Vladislav Kolyachonok and Topias Vilen; and goaltender David Rittich. At the same time, New Jersey added another goalie to the mix by claiming Remi Poirier off waivers from the Dallas Stars.
Rittich’s situation stands out most. The 33-year-old signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Devils during the offseason, and New Jersey brought him in to add competition and depth behind Jake Allen and Nico Daws. Now he’s on waivers as the team keeps tightening the screws on its goaltending picture.
Poirier gives the Devils another layer of depth in that same area. The 24-year-old spent last season in the American Hockey League with the Texas Stars, where he posted a .912 save percentage in 52 games. He had been part of Dallas’ organizational goaltending depth, and New Jersey now has him as another option for its AHL team and as a possible call-up if needed.
The rest of the waiver group includes several players who had been battling for spots throughout camp. McLaughlin, Tufte and White were among the veteran forwards trying to win depth jobs.
McLaughlin played in seven games for New Jersey last season. Vilen appeared in two NHL games and was part of the group competing for call-up opportunities this year.
Tufte and White both joined the organization on two-way contracts over the offseason, while Kolyachonok also signed a two-way deal after spending time with the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins last season.
New Jersey came into camp with 57 players - 33 forwards, 18 defensemen and six goaltenders - and the cuts have been coming in stages. After Sunday’s moves, the Devils are moving closer to their final roster, with opening night only four days away and opening-night rosters due by 5 p.m. Monday.
Allen and Daws still sit atop the NHL goaltending depth chart, but with Poirier now in the organization and Rittich on waivers, the picture is becoming much clearer as the Devils close in on their final decisions.
In Other News...
Stars Win May Have Just Created A Wild Problem To Watch
Minnesota wrapped up its preseason with a loss to Dallas, but the bigger concern coming out of that game was less about the final score and more about what happened on the blue line. The Wild are now in the stretch run before opening night, with two regular-season games left to get ready, and they have already started sorting through special teams work and defensive pairings in case their lineup has to absorb an early-season adjustment.
Brock Fabers status is the piece everyone is watching after he was hurt in the final preseason game and then stayed out of the next two practices. John Hynes said Faber was home resting, and the club was expecting a further update Tuesday, leaving Minnesota to prepare without knowing yet whether one of its key defensemen will be available when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Final Forward Decisions Say A Lot About This Veteran Push
The opening night roster says plenty about where this Stars group believes it is headed. Dallas went with 12 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders, keeping the blue line and crease intact while leaning into a familiar core up front. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are still part of the plan, a sign the Stars are continuing to build around veterans who know the standards in this room.
There is also a bit of movement around the edges of the forward group, and that part of the roster has its own intrigue. Joel Kiviranta is back in Dallas after three seasons with Colorado, giving the club another familiar face as it tries to balance experience, depth and fit on the wing. The final forward decisions hint at a team trying to stay in win-now mode without straying too far from the identity that has carried it this far. [Read more 🡒]
Stars May Regret This Goalie Decision Sooner Than Expected
Remi Poiriers strong preseason put him in the mix for the backup job behind Casey DeSmith, but the opportunity never quite turned into a roster spot in Dallas. The Stars moved him to waivers, ending his push for the No. 2 job and opening the door for another club to take a closer look at the young goalie.
New Jersey did exactly that, and the fit could make the decision harder to ignore in hindsight. Poirier now has a chance to compete for what may be his first real NHL workload with the Devils, leaving Dallas to wonder whether a promising camp performance was overlooked at the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]