New Jersey Devils: Roster Cuts Provide Clarity On Final Roster

The New Jersey Devils have made some cuts to get to its final roster.

The New Jersey Devils have made some roster cuts. There are some interesting things and some unsurprising things that happened but in the end, we have some clarity on what they are going to look like on Opening Night. Nothing is for sure, but there are more educated guesses to be made now than there were before today. There were some waiver placements and AHL assignments given out. Those who are put on waivers will end up with the Binghamton Devils if they clear.

Brandon Gignac, Nick Merkley, Ben Street, Josh Jacobs, and Colton White have all been placed on waivers. As mentioned before, unless they are claimed, they will (save for injury call up) start their season with the Binghamton Devils. As for assignments to Binghamton/Newark with no waivers, Nate Schnarr, Brett Seney, Kevin Bahl, Nikita Okhotiuk, Reilly Walsh, and Evan Cormier are going down.

While mostly filled with non-surprises, there are a few. For one, Nick Merkley going down feels strange. He looked pretty good in the scrimmages and had great chemistry with Jesper Boqvist and Yegor Sharangovich. Those two stuck with the team and although might end up on the taxi squad, get to continue NHL practices at a minimum. Merkley might get claimed on waivers and would probably go to a team that would be getting a nice player.

Kevin Bahl and Reilly Walsh are going to the B-Devils on the first round of cuts, but there is excitement surrounding them for the future. They are both very different but both very good players that can make an impact for the Devils soon enough. Hopefully, Binghamton is as good of a team on the ice as they are on paper because that would really help guys like this.

Nolan Foote is still on the team. He is a great player with a nice future but it is surprising to potentially hear the coaching staff believe he is ready right now. He has looked good in the other two scrimmages that they have had so they clearly want another look. It would be really cool to see him stick, get some ice time, and score some goals for New Jersey.

Of all of the things (good and bad) to come out of these last few weeks, this roster has to just make you excited for the season. It has been a minute since we have seen this team play a game. It is coming quickly and some of the players on the team (the usual suspects) will be fun watching this season. Some more than others are going to develop their skills and try to help this team become a championship contender.