The Devils have spent the first week of the preseason looking like a team eager to leave last season behind. They opened with wins over the Islanders and Rangers, finished the exhibition slate at 3-0-1, and now turn the page to the games that actually count, starting with their home opener against the Flyers on Oct. 1.
That’s the big picture. In the short term, the roster is still getting trimmed, and there are a few key battles worth watching as opening night gets closer.
On Friday afternoon, New Jersey announced its first wave of cuts from training camp. Thirteen players were loaned to the Utica Comets in the AHL: Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin, Anton Silaev, Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires, Ben Steeves, and Jakub Malek.
Another 13 players will report to Utica right away: DJ King, Charles Leddy, Eamon Powell, Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier, Jeremy Wilmer, Jeremy Brodeur, and Seth Eisele.
The real intrigue sits in the fight for one of the remaining forward spots, specifically on the fourth line. Amadeus Lombardi is still in the mix alongside Jesper Boqvist and Stefan Noesen. Boqvist and Noesen have both played in more than 100 NHL games, which made them ineligible to appear in more than two preseason games.
Lombardi has kept himself in the conversation. He skated with Cody Glass and Connor Brown in camp, then delivered in a pressure moment Thursday against the Rangers by tying the game at three with less than two minutes left in regulation, sending the contest to overtime and eventually a shootout.
He followed that up against the Islanders with another noticeable showing. The Lombardi-Glass-Brown line logged 9:12 of 5-on-5 ice time, put five shots on goal, and generated 10 shot attempts in the Devils’ 4-1 win. As the week moves along, he remains one of the names to track for a possible NHL debut.
New Jersey’s preseason results backed up the eye test. The Devils beat the Rangers 3-2 on Monday night, outshooting them 31-18 and controlling the numbers in scoring chances and dangerous looks, with 28 SCF and 14 HDCF according to Natural Stat Trick. Then they closed things out Saturday night by taking down the Islanders, with Evangelista scoring twice - once on the power play in the first period and again in the second - while Arseny Gritsyuk and Dougie Hamilton also scored.
The message from the exhibition slate is pretty clear: the pieces are there. If the Devils stay healthy and settle into a rhythm, they look built to be a problem in the Metropolitan Division.
One of the last lineup questions on the back end has also started to come into focus. Johnathan Kovacevic’s return for the start of the season is still in doubt as he rehabs a knee injury from offseason surgery, and Seamus Casey, who had turned heads in camp and preseason, is now out after a lower-body injury in his second preseason game.
That has opened the door for Declan Chisholm to skate with Brenden Dillon on the third pair. The two already know each other from their time together with the Winnipeg Jets, and that familiarity has helped Chisholm settle in quickly.
“He’s a veteran guy. He’s always in the right position, so I know I can rely on him to have my back defensively while I’m hopefully jumping in the play, and then likewise with him.”
The Devils will open the regular season at Prudential Center against the Flyers on Oct. 1, then head to UBS Arena to face the Islanders on Oct. 3, looking for a third win over New York after sweeping them in the preseason.
In Other News...
Alexander Holtz Just Revived An Old Devils Development Debate
The Devils roster trim ahead of the official deadline brought the focus back to the margins of the organization, with goaltender David Rittich on waivers and Remi Poirier claimed from Dallas. It also put an old familiar name back in the conversation, as several former Devils players, including Alexander Holtz, landed on waivers elsewhere.
Holtz is the one that resonates most in Newark because he was once the kind of first-round talent the franchise hoped would grow into a long-term scoring piece. Instead, after being moved to the Vegas Golden Knights, his limited scoring success has reopened a familiar debate about how the Devils handle top prospects, how quickly they expect offense to arrive, and whether the player or the development path was the bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Just Made Nico Daws' Situation A Lot More Complicated
The Devils added another layer to their goaltending picture by claiming Dallas prospect Remi Poirier off waivers, a move that comes on the heels of David Rittich landing on waivers. It is the kind of transaction that can look minor on paper but carries real weight in a position group where opportunity is often as important as talent, and New Jersey now has another young goalie in the mix as it sorts out its depth chart.
For Nico Daws, the timing makes an already crowded situation more complicated. The Devils appear to be considering a three-goalie rotation, which could reshape how the team manages starts and development at the position, while also forcing a closer look at who fits where over the coming stretch. For now, the move adds competition and uncertainty, and it leaves Daws' immediate path a little less straightforward than it was a day ago. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Goaltending Search Could Suddenly Open A Real Trade Chance
The goaltending market could get a lot more interesting for the Devils if Buffalo lands Connor Hellebuyck, because that kind of move would naturally ripple through the rest of the position. In that scenario, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could become available, and New Jersey would be the kind of team that at least has to take notice as it looks for ways to stabilize its crease.
Of course, this is the sort of idea that lives on layers of hypotheticals, and the Devils would not be able to add Luukkonen without parting with one of their current goaltenders. So even if Buffalo's plans move in the right direction, New Jersey would still have a real decision to make before anything becomes more than a plausible trade fit. [Read more 🡒]