The first game on the New Jersey Devils’ 2026-27 calendar is coming into focus, and it starts well before the regular season. The team will open preseason play on Sunday, September 20th, kicking off a four-game exhibition slate made shorter by the new 84-game regular-season schedule.
That gives fans an early look at several newcomers in Devils colors, including Evan Rodrigues, Anthony Mantha, Amadeus Lombardi, and Declan Chisholm. It also opens the door for rookies and prospects to get into the mix, with former first-round pick Anton Silayev and bottom-six competitor Shane Lachance among the names to watch.
Before preseason arrives, though, the Devils are taking a different route for their first on-ice action. Instead of the usual prospect challenge with the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres, along with other teams that often join in, New Jersey will head across the Hudson River and over to Long Island for a rookie camp scrimmage against the New York Islanders.
That setup gives Devils fans a first chance to see Silayev, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent and Ethan Edwards this season. The two teams will meet in a home-and-home style series, with New Jersey hosting on Sunday, September 13th in a matinee at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House, then heading to Long Island for the final game before preseason on September 15th.
Tickets for the Islanders’ home game are on sale starting at just $20. There has not been an announcement yet about tickets for the Devils’ home game.
If fans do get inside, it would be a welcome first look at a young group plenty of people are eager to see before they start making bigger names for themselves.
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That leaves the Comets with a thinner safety net behind Mlek, and it is the kind of problem the Devils may want to address before it becomes a bigger one. One possible answer is Philip Svedebck, a 24-year-old finishing his college career and set to become an unrestricted free agent, giving New Jersey a chance to add another option to the AHL mix as it tries to steady the pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Gave Devils Fans A Reason To Keep Hoping
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For now, the real pressure seems to be sitting with the Minnesota Wild, who are expected to keep paying up in the short term if they want to hold onto him. Hughes side is clearly working the leverage, and whether that is meant to squeeze out a better number or set up a different destination, the situation still has enough moving parts to keep Devils watchers hoping the door stays cracked open. [Read more 🡒]