The New Jersey Devils wasted no time giving fans something to chew on when training camp opened Thursday, Sept. 17 for the 2026-27 season. With the roster split into two groups and the ice buzzing all day, there were already a few clear themes to pull from day one.
The biggest one came in the form of a potential look at the opening night forward combinations. Based on the two group sessions, the Devils may have already shown how the top two lines could line up:
Anthony Mantha - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Luke Evangelista
Amadeus Lombardi - Cody Glass - Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk - Evan Rodrigues - Dawson Mercer
That setup is especially interesting because of the Devils’ offseason work. They brought in Anthony Mantha in free agency and later sent two draft picks to get Luke Evangelista. Earlier speculation had Mantha alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier with Evangelista joining Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, but Thursday’s alignment flipped those ideas around.
The early read? Both Mantha and Evangelista looked comfortable with their new linemates.
It’s still just one practice, so nobody is drawing final conclusions yet, but the first impression was positive. The chemistry work will keep building over the next few days as camp rolls on.
There was also some immediate bad news on the injury front. The Devils announced that Nick Bjugstad had surgery on his pectoral muscle during the offseason and will need four to six months to recover after tearing the left muscle during offseason training earlier this month. Johnathan Kovacevic, meanwhile, will not be a full participant this week while he rehabs his right knee.
That puts the spotlight on camp even more. Bjugstad’s absence opens up a spot for a forward on the training camp roster who isn’t already locked in, and every rep matters a little more with that kind of opportunity on the table.
After practice, General Manager Sunny Mehta and Head Coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media, and Mehta didn’t soften his message when asked about expectations. He said:
I agree. I agree. I mean, at the risk of sounding however it might come off, my expectation is to win a Cup.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that’s what we, you know, that’s the mean or the mode expectation for this year or anything like that. But to me, that is the goal. That is my expectation for this organization.
But I do think this team has the ability to sneak up on some people, maybe, with the talent we have, even though it’s one of those things where maybe in years past, the Devils were kind of the trendy pick and the trendy preseason pick. That’s not so much the case right now, but for good reason, right?
I mean, the Carolina Hurricanes have earned their reputation. The Florida Panthers have earned their reputation. I expect us to try to compete with those teams, and I believe we will.
Mehta’s approach has been aggressive from the start, and his words matched that tone. He has made bold moves, moved on from some players, and added skill with a clear purpose. Now the standard is out in the open: he expects this group to play at the level he believes it can.
The Devils won’t be off the ice for long. They continue practicing Friday and Saturday before preseason action begins Sunday, Sept.
- New Jersey will host the New York Islanders at Prudential Center at 1 PM ET.
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