Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jack Hughes all found the net Monday night, and the Devils walked away with a 3-2 win over the Rangers. For a preseason game, that’s about as clean a headline as New Jersey could ask for.
It also gave the Devils a 2-for-2 start in exhibition play. They opened with a 2-1 win over the Islanders, then followed it up by taking down the Rangers. That’s the kind of start that gets attention, even with the usual preseason caveat attached.
The point here isn’t to treat September hockey like April hockey. It isn’t.
But through two games, the Devils have at least given themselves something worth building on. The early results have been encouraging, and the first two outings have offered a few signs that stand out.
Around the league, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cooled talk of expansion getting pushed into Houston or Austin anytime soon, saying on Tuesday that the process of exploring a second franchise in Texas is not close to an immediate finish. That came just three months after the league announced it was opening that feasibility process.
There was also a note out of Minnesota, where Wild owner Craig Leipold was asked whether he’s hopeful the team can extend pending UFA Quinn Hughes. His answer was blunt and simple: “We will (sign him),” before he headed off to catch a flight.
And with the 2026-27 season approaching, ESPN put the focus on bold predictions for what may or may not happen before the Stanley Cup is handed out.
Elsewhere, Senators owner Michael Andlauer addressed the Brady Tkachuk trade and said, “Blood is thicker than water, and let’s just say that his father and his brother got in his kitchen. Ultimately, the decision was made to go and play with his brother.
It’s a decision that was out of our control to a certain degree. But you have to want to play for Ottawa.
And right to the end, our fans were behind Brady - even after Team USA won gold. I have no doubt in my mind.”
And in Arizona State’s review of the training session where a hockey player collapsed last month, the university said it did not vet the workout plan beforehand. According to the preliminary report, the coaching staff asked permission for former Green Beret Tim Ziesel to speak to the team during a three-day team-building event, but “did not submit a plan of training activities for review by ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches prior to the event.”
In Other News...
Devils Center Plans Could Be Delaying A Key Breakout Forwards Deal
The Devils center search has been one of the quieter themes of the offseason, but it has carried real weight as Sunny Mehta reshapes the roster after taking over for Tom Fitzgerald. New Jersey has already made a series of notable moves, including trades involving Jacob Markstrom and Simon Nemec, while also adding multiple forwards in an effort to balance the lineup and deepen the middle of the ice.
That focus has also spilled over into contract planning for Cody Glass, who gave the Devils a useful scoring boost with 20 goals last season and is still without a new deal. League chatter has tied his situation to New Jerseys attempt to chase Barrett Hayton from the Utah Mammoth, and with Glass headed toward unrestricted free agency next offseason, the timing could matter just as much as the player. How the Devils sort out the center spot may end up shaping not just the lineup, but one of the more important forward negotiations on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Dawson Mercer Suddenly Faces A Devils Role That Could Define Him
The Devils spent the offseason reworking their attack, bringing in Anthony Mantha and adding Luke Evangelista and Evan Rodrigues in a trade to deepen the forward group. In the middle of all that change sits Dawson Mercer, a player who has been one of the lineups constants since his NHL debut and has offered steady offense along the way. Now he is projected to slide to right wing on the third line with Rodrigues and Arseny Gritsyuk, a spot that looks different from the kind of all-purpose role he has held before.
Mercers value has never really been in doubt, but his place in the Devils forward puzzle suddenly is. With the roster deeper and the competition for ice time tougher, this could become the kind of assignment that says a lot about how the team views him going forward. If he settles in there, it will help answer whether he is still being developed as a key piece or simply asked to fit into whatever role best supports the new look around him. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Have A Top-Line Answer Worth Waiting On
The Devils second preseason game against the Rangers offered a first real look at what their main lineup might look like when the games start to matter, and Anthony Mantha was right in the middle of it. Fresh off his two-year deal with New Jersey, he has been placed alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, a combination that immediately carries intrigue because of the skill on either side of him and the pressure that comes with trying to fit into a top line.
Early preseason reps are often more about feel than results, and this one appears to fall into that familiar category for New Jersey. The Devils are still sorting through line combinations, and Manthas fit with Hughes and Bratt may take some time to settle in, but the upside is obvious enough to make the wait worthwhile if the chemistry comes. [Read more 🡒]