Devils Spiral Continues as Injuries, Trades, and Missed Opportunities Mount
The New Jersey Devils’ season has felt like a slow-motion collapse-one where every step forward is followed by two steps back. Even when the wins came early on, they were shadowed by a revolving door of injuries. And when Jack Hughes went down, the bottom seemed to fall out.
Now, two months later, the Devils are teetering on the edge. Their latest move-shipping out veteran forward Ondrej Palat to the Islanders and absorbing Maxim Tsyplakov’s contract in return for a pair of draft picks-was less about a shake-up and more about creating breathing room.
It’s a clear sign that more changes are likely coming. But while the front office worked the phones, the team still had a game to play.
And that game didn’t go well.
The Devils fell to the Winnipeg Jets, 4-3, in a game that saw them claw back from a 4-1 deficit only to run out of time-and healthy bodies. The rally showed some fight, but the loss underscored what’s been a recurring theme this season: too little, too late.
Cody Glass, one of the few recent bright spots, left the game after blocking a shot in the second period. His absence was immediately felt.
Glass has been a stabilizing force in the lineup, especially alongside Arseny Gritsyuk and Lenni Hämeenaho. That trio has quietly become one of the more effective combinations on this struggling roster.
Hämeenaho even scored his first home goal in this one, briefly tying the game. But that was as close as the Devils would get.
Without Glass, the bench got thin fast. Head coach Sheldon Keefe showed little confidence in his bottom six, barely using Luke Glendening-who was a late addition to the lineup following the Palat trade-and Paul Cotter in the third period. The lack of depth was glaring, especially with the team chasing the game.
Glass reportedly wanted to return after the injury, and while that might sound encouraging, it’s not always a great sign. Sometimes those “he wanted to give it a go” moments turn into “he’s out longer than expected.”
Keefe held him out of the final moments of the second period, and by intermission, Glass didn’t feel well enough to continue. The team will need further evaluation before offering any update.
As it stands, the Devils are five points behind the Islanders-who now have Palat-for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division. They’re seven points out of second, and nine back from the Wild Card. In a conference that’s starting to separate contenders from pretenders, the Devils are fading into the latter category.
Yes, five points isn’t an impossible gap to close. But with just 29 games left, the clock is ticking. The Olympic break is around the corner, and instead of gearing up for a playoff push, the Devils are trying to hold things together with duct tape and hope.
This was supposed to be the year New Jersey made the leap. Instead, it’s shaping up to be another chapter in a frustrating saga. And if Glass misses any time-let alone an extended stretch-there may not be much left to salvage.