New Jersey Devils: Training Camp Roster Ready To Roll

The New Jersey Devils are ready to go to training camp with this roster.

The New Jersey Devils have finally arrived at training camp. They have done the interviews and all of the non-ice-related things that come with it so far while that part gets underway on Friday. As expected, the full training camp roster is out and they are ready to go. There are the usual suspects on the list and there are plenty of other players to be excited about. Things are getting real as they are getting ready to begin their season on January 14th against the Boston Bruins.

Of course, players like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Mackenzie Blackwood, Nikita Gusev, Damon Severson, P.K. Subban, and Nikita Gusev are there. Those are the guys who made the biggest impact on the team in 2019-20 and will be looking to do so again in 2021. A lot of them will be looking to take the next step which would really help the team win games.

There are some new acquisitions there ready to go as well. Players like Corey Crawford, Ryan Murray, and Andreas Johnsson are ready to come in and try to help their new team win. Each of them will bring something different to the team that is sorely needed. Murray, when healthy, can really help them defend in their own end. Crawford is still one of the best goalies in the world so he will for an amazing tandem with Blackwood. Johnsson will just be a solid middle-six forward who can provide a scoring touch.

There are some young players attending camp that are sure to have a chance at the roster but could also end up as AHL players this year. Guys like Kevin Bahl, Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Reilly Walsh, Ty Smith, and Nolan Foote are all players that Devils fans should be excited about. Each of them had different routes to this point but each of them has a chance to be good NHL players.

The one notable player that is absent from the list is Jesper Bratt. He is not on the roster because he is currently an RFA. He and the team haven’t come to terms yet so he is back in Sweden training. This could get messy if it goes on into the season because he is going to have to quarantine when he arrives in North America if he gets a deal done. He is a very important player to this team so it would be nice to see both sides get this thing done.

We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. New Jersey was one of the seven teams that weren’t invited back to the NHL’s Return to Play bubble so they haven’t played since March. They are going into this year with mixed expectations but the only thing that is for sure is the fact that it is nice to have them back. Maybe they will prove everyone wrong and have a competitive year.