Seamus Casey’s path with the New Jersey Devils just hit another roadblock.
On Thursday night, the young defenseman exited the Devils’ preseason game against the New York Rangers with an injury after an awkward collision with a Ranger skater near the Devils’ bench. The game ended in a 4-3 shootout loss for New Jersey, but Casey never made it back onto the ice after going down halfway through the second period.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Casey will need to be evaluated before anything more definite can be said about the injury. “He’s going to need to get evaluated; don’t have exact word on status, nobody knows at this point" said Keefe.
"We’ll have to get him looked at. He’s going to miss some time; we just don’t know the extent of it.”
For Casey, it’s a frustrating setback in a career that has already been interrupted plenty. He missed 43 combined games last year with the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, because of multiple lower-body injuries. Now he appears headed for more time away from game action.
The timing makes things even more complicated for the young defenseman. New Jersey already has a crowded blue line, with a bulk of its defensive core locked up.
On top of that, Anton Silaev, Mikaël Diotte, Ethan Edwards, and Daniil Orlov are all pushing to be part of the back end of the future. There’s also still a chance that a certain Hughes brother could end up in the Garden State.
That leaves Casey in a difficult spot. He has shown flashes of the skill needed to stick in the NHL full time, but the injuries have repeatedly slowed his progress. And with the Devils’ defensive depth chart looking crowded, the road gets even narrower.
The first step is obvious: get healthy. After that, Casey will need to come out fast and remind the organization what he can do.
If he does, he could work his way back into the mix as a call-up for the Devils. He could also become a trade piece for Devils general manager Sunny Mehta, giving him a shot at a fresh start and a clearer lane to stay in the NHL.
For now, though, the uncertainty hangs over everything. Casey is waiting again, and there’s no telling when his next real chance will come.
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