New Jersey Devils: 5 Players You Don’t Realize Aren’t Here Anymore
Every year, there are players that used to be highly-rated prospects that the New Jersey Devils just give up on. It happens every single year. Sometimes it’s because the prospect is getting too old and the team wants to move on. Other times, it’s because the team decided to take an opportunity elsewhere. The way that free agency works in the NHL is complicated, and there are times where minor league players get to leave earlier than expected.
Two seasons ago, there were a few players who got a surprising shot on the NHL roster. Players like Fredrik Claesson and Dakota Mermis found themselves in the lineup at the end of the year. Then, in the offseason, they were gone in a flash. It wasn’t the kind of player that comes with a “goodbye” post from the Devils social media, so it might fall by the wayside when it comes to Devils fans.
Which players surprisingly left the New Jersey Devils this offseason?
This season, there was a surprising amount of turnover on the New Jersey Devils and the upcoming Utica Comets. This means the Devils needed to make room for these players by getting rid of players that were on the roster last season. Both the NJ Devils and the Binghamton Devils were so bad last season, so it’s not like there was anything for the team to hold on to. It’s still interesting to see some of the players that are gone.
With training camp starting in a few weeks, there are a few names that are usually starting the season in the big club who won’t be there at all. These five players might surprise you that they are gone.
Josh Jacobs
The player who constantly gets confused with a Las Vegas Raiders running back will now have to get acclimated to a new home. He was taken with the 41st-overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft. It was actually a remarkably weak draft, so one can’t really blame the Devils here. Obviously, everyone would have hoped the Devils took Brayden Point, but he went 38 points after Jacobs and the Devils took Connor Chatham between Jacobs and Point. Still, the Devils can’t be happy with the value they got from a 2nd-round pick.
Jacobs spent six seasons directly in the Devils system. He played 247 games for the Albany/Binghamton Devils and even got a few cups of coffee in the NHL. Last season, he looked like a player possessed in training camp, but it was a little hard to tell what we were looking at. He eventually fell to the third line of the Binghamton defense, and it wasn’t looking good for his future with the franchise.
Jacobs became an unrestricted free agent based on the Group 6 criteria. Basically, he is over the age of 25, has three professional seasons under his belt, but he’s played less than 80 NHL games. Jacobs has been a staple on the AHL blue line, but he left for the Chicago Wolves this offseason. That is the minor league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Canes made a few changes on the blueline this offseason, which includes letting the Devils sign Dougie Hamilton, but it’s doubtful that Jacobs ever gets to the NHL full time.
Brett Seney
Last offseason, the Devils signed Brett Seney and Josh Jacobs to one-year deals to see if they could make a jump and show themselves as NHL regulars. Jacobs, as we said, failed in his goal. Seney actually had higher hopes because the Devils gave him a legit shot the season before. In 2018-19, Seney played 51 games in the NHL. In 19-20, he played two games in the NHL. Last season, he never made an NHL appearance despite so many injuries, sickness, and sending all veterans out the door at the trade deadline.
The writing was on the wall. It didn’t help that Seney was struggling with a young B-Devils team. He had 44 points in the AHL two seasons ago, but that dropped all the way to 10 points in 30 games. Something was just off with Seney, and his opportunity had officially dried up as the Devils relied more on the young, promising prospects over a player like Seney.
Seney was one of the smaller forwards that seem to be a thing of the past for this franchise. He was built in the Brian Gionta mold, but he just didn’t produce like him. He’s a former 6th-round pick, so he’s already doing better than most of the players picked near him.
He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ franchise this offseason. It seems like a move to bring a veteran in for the Marlies. The Leafs are stacked at the forward position, so it’s not likely we see Seney making the Devils pay for letting him go anytime soon.
Nick Merkley
Maybe you do realize that the Devils traded away Nick Merkley, but do you really? This feels similar to when the Devils traded John Quenneville for John Hayden just minutes before the P.K. Subban deal broke. Merkley got traded to the San Jose Sharks for gigantic defenseman Christian Jaros. It made sense for both teams as they try to get value for a piece that was falling out of the shuffle.
Merkley was a really fun player to root for, but it was hard to see where he fit on this team long term. He had some good games, but with players like Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote, Tyce Thompson, and Dawson Mercer coming in the pipeline soon, it seemed like Merkley would get squeezed out before he had a chance to prove himself.
He was one of the pieces that came to the Devils in the Taylor Hall trade. The former 1st-round pick wasn’t terrible, but 10 points in 27 games in the NHL isn’t exactly the pursuit of greatness. He’s already 24 years old, so his development is close to over, and the Devils have other players who can mimic his stats.
Merkley was the type of player that is hard to root against, but the Devils did the right thing and gave him an opportunity elsewhere. The San Jose Sharks will give him a chance to make the NHL roster, and if they make some of the trades that are being rumored, he probably has a good chance to make it happen.
Mason Jobst
This one actually tricked me. I was about to write about Mason Jobst last week until I realized he was no longer on the roster. Someone should let ESPN know that Jobst left because they haven’t gotten the memo yet.
Jobst came to the Devils in the Kyle Palmieri-Travis Zajac deal with the New York Islanders. He was an extra piece to play on the AHL roster along with AJ Greer. Greer at least showed some potential to be in the league one day.
Jobst might have been even better than Greer when he came over in the deal. He scored five goals in 12 games for the Binghamton Devils. Honestly, if the season kept going beyond when it did, he might have been given a shot to play in the NHL. He was scoring at will. Putting up eight total points as a scorer in 12 games is something to consider.
Surprisingly, the Devils let him walk in the offseason. He is 27 years old, so he’s what we consider an AHL veteran. The Buffalo Sabres signed him to a one-year, two-way deal for next season. He will likely spend most of the season with the Rochester Americans, but if we’re being honest, this is his best chance to play in the NHL one day. He’s a former captain at Ohio State University, so he’ll bring leadership to an AHL locker room that needs it.
Connor Carrick
Ever since the Devils traded Ben Lovejoy to the Dallas Stars for Connor Carrick and a draft pick, it seemed like the move made a ton of sense for everyone. Carrick, the former 5th-round pick, has been bouncing around the league, but he was sticking in the NHL for most of his career. He spent the first year in the pros with the Washington Capitals, he moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he saw his greatest success before he was traded to Dallas for a 7th-round pick.
The Devils have Carrick a chance to prove himself on the ice, and he did well the first season in New Jersey. He did so well that Ray Shero gave him a two-year deal that paid him $1.5 million per season. It was a great deal for the Devils who had a ton of cap space at the time. Even if his ceiling was a third-pairing defenseman, he brought a great attitude to the locker room which continued through his tenure here.
Carrick immediately fell off as he never really made an impact on the lineup. His advanced statistics fell off dramatically, and he never found his footing in the lineup. Carrick was still awesome off the ice. He started a podcast, and he would do a lot of content with the Devils’ media team.
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Carrick signed with the Seattle Kraken in the offseason. We partially thought he would do more with his media gigs and his podcast, but he wants to give this hockey thing one more shot. The Kraken are desperately low on depth, so Carrick can provide a soft landing if a few defensemen get injured. If not, he could play in the AHL or sit in the owner’s box and play in practice. It’s a nice spot for the Kraken, and Carrick can continue his career after his stint with the Devils.