Change has arrived for the New Jersey Devils this offseason, and it’s not just the NHL club feeling it. The ripple effect has reached Utica, where the Comets are coming off three straight postseason misses and now sit in the middle of a retooling effort tied directly to what’s happening in New Jersey.
The Devils, after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times in the past five seasons and winning only one series in that span, are looking to reshape things both at the NHL level and with their AHL affiliate. That makes the Comets part of the bigger picture, not an afterthought.
Up front, Anthony Mantha is the name drawing attention. Based on his production last season, he is expected to slide into a top-six role. That kind of move changes the look of the Devils’ forward group and could shuffle other players around in the lineup.
There’s also intrigue around Alexander Command, whose path to the NHL is being viewed through the lens of how other young players have been eased in. One evaluation compared him to Anton Lundell’s rookie season in Florida, noting that Lundell was picked around the same area, No. 12 in the 2020 NHL Draft, and had Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett around him.
The same idea applies in New Jersey, where Command could benefit from skating alongside Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. As the source put it: “He can settle in and be a good player, maybe like Anton Lundell was in Florida as a rookie.
He was picked around the same area (No. 12, 2020 NHL Draft).
Lundell had Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett there. The transition to the NHL is not easy, but it becomes a little less burdensome and I think the same thing is true for Alexander Command (with Hischier and Jack Hughes in New Jersey).
I think he’s a terrific player.”
Elsewhere in the hockey world, Jamie Drysdale has landed a four-year deal.
And in Detroit, the Steve Yzerman era is being framed as a disappointment after seven years without a playoff appearance. The Athletic piece described it bluntly: “The Steve Yzerman Era in Detroit is over.
And it didn’t go the way anyone wanted. A hiring that was set up to be a fairytale homecoming has ended in a flameout.
There’s no doubt Yzerman inherited a tall task back in 2019. But to go seven years without making the playoffs would have surprised any skeptic back then - if such skeptics even existed.”
The larger conversation around the sport also included a reminder of how rare the Cup truly is. ESPN noted that 3,542 names have been etched onto the Stanley Cup since 1907, a list that spans legends and role players alike.
As the piece put it: “Precisely 3,542 names have been etched, ever, onto the Stanley Cup, a tradition that dates back to 1907. Each one commemorates not just a championship won but a lifetime of work and sacrifice, blood and sweat, tears and teeth spent getting there.
The list includes both all-time greats -- Gretzky and Lemieux, Crosby and Ovechkin, Gordie Howe and Rocket Richard -- along with journeymen who rose up in the biggest moments. You don’t get there by accident.
This is sacred stuff. Well, it used to be, anyway.”
In Other News...
Devils Offseason Plan Is Starting To Look Bigger Than Expected
Anthony Manthas arrival gave the Devils another experienced winger to talk about this week, but his first media availability also offered a reminder that this offseason has been about more than just adding a name to the lineup. New Jersey has already signed him to a two-year contract and even rolled out its 2026-27 regular season schedule, a sign the organization is thinking well beyond the immediate summer shuffle as it keeps shaping the roster and the infrastructure around it.
The bigger picture got a little clearer with the latest staff additions, too, as the Devils filled out the bench and development side with Ted Donato, AJ MacLean, Leo Luongo and Dan Stewart. Manthas comments about his own reset and the teams broader direction fit neatly with that theme, but the way New Jersey is building out its hockey operations suggests there may still be more to come before the offseason is finished. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Prospect Matias Vanhanen Just Made A Major Development Choice
Matias Vanhanens path to the Devils just took a familiar college-hockey turn, with the Finnish forward choosing Boston College as his next stop after a standout season in the WHL with Everett. The 2026 second-round pick gave New Jersey plenty to like in junior hockey, finishing ninth in league scoring and pacing the Silvertips in assists, production that helped make him one of the more intriguing players in the organizations prospect pool.
For the Devils, the move gives Vanhanen a chance to keep developing against top NCAA competition while settling into a roster that already includes fellow Finnish player Oscar Hemming. Boston College is expected to use him in a middle-six role, which should give him meaningful minutes without the pressure of carrying the offense right away, and it sets up another important step in a development track New Jersey will be watching closely. [Read more 🡒]