The Devils’ blue line is already thin, and Jonas Siegenthaler’s injury could force them to start thinking bigger than just patching holes.
New Jersey entered the season without ever getting fully healthy on defense. Johnny Kovacevic missed all of training camp, while Seamus Casey went down in the final preseason game. Kovacevic could still be back in the next few weeks, but Casey is expected to be sidelined until at least Christmas.
Now Siegenthaler may have joined the list. He went hard into the boards in the Devils’ game against the Utah Mammoth, and the situation was made worse after Brenden Dillon later fought Jared McBain.
If Siegenthaler is out long term and Kovacevic still isn’t ready, the Devils are left with only four healthy starting defensemen. The easiest move would be to bump Dillon onto the Dougie Hamilton pairing, but that only opens up another problem: who fills the spot next to Declan Chisholm?
The in-house options are limited. In the AHL, the Devils could turn to Vladislav Kolyachonok, Topias Vilen or Ethan Edwards.
Kolyachonok looks like the most likely first call, while Vilen may offer the most upside. Either way, none of those choices gives New Jersey an ideal solution.
That’s why Simon Edvinsson starts to look like a real answer.
A possible Edvinsson trade was already on the radar before the season, though there are obvious hurdles. The price would matter, but the contract is the bigger issue.
If the Devils can get that number down to $8 million per season, they could make the money work by sending out Dillon and Dawson Mercer. That would not be the full trade package, but it would clear the necessary space.
There’s also a bigger reason the Devils would have interest now. An Edvinsson move could help them later if they go after Quinn Hughes.
New Jersey has been discussed as a team that will eventually need trade pieces to land Hughes, and a young, high-end defenseman would fit that bill. Edvinsson would give them a piece that could replace the kind of value the Minnesota Wild gave up in the Hughes trade, when they sent Zeev Buium to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Devils also hold an extra first-round pick in 2027, and that draft is beginning to look weak. Even if they had to include a pick in an Edvinsson deal, they would still have one available for a future Hughes pursuit.
Edvinsson would also come in with at least some familiarity. He took part in practices during training camp even without a contract, so he wouldn’t be walking in completely cold.
He could help right away, and he could either become part of the long-term picture or turn into trade currency later. For New Jersey, that makes him a clean fit in more ways than one.
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If Noesen clears, New Jersey can send him to the minors and open up the space it needs to activate Johnathan Kovacevic from injured reserve. The only wrinkle is the obvious one: once a player hits waivers, there is always the chance another club steps in, which leaves the Devils waiting on the one outcome they cant control. [Read more 🡒]
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At the same time, the Devils are also juggling their blue line after Jonas Siegenthaler was sent for an injury evaluation, leaving the team thinner on defense ahead of Saturdays game. It adds another layer of concern to a stretch where New Jersey is trying to manage its roster carefully, and it leaves the club with one more personnel question to answer before the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]