4. Defensemen Are Not Who We Expected
Coming into training camp, it seemed like defenseman was going to be the easiest position to predict. Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Christian Jaros’ arrival paired with the loss of Will Butcher seemed to solidify who was making the roster. P.K. Subban, Ty Smith, Damon Severson, and Jonas Siegenthaler were locks to make it, and the new guys fit the other three positions.
There was a possibility that a Kevin Bahl could really impress in camp and steal a spot as an eighth defenseman, that didn’t happen. However, another younger guy stole a spot. Colton White had a really good preseason after he had a fun training camp last season. This is twice in a row he came in and impressed Lindy Ruff, and now he’s getting a shot to start with the team.
Obviously, injuries are the reason for the extra names, but Smith and Severson might not make the opening night roster, so White has a chance to stick around. The other name fans might not expect is Mason Geertsen. The Devils claimed him on waivers from the New York Rangers, and he seemed like a long shot to play in the NHL. He has 297 games in the AHL and 0 games in the NHL. It looks like that might change if the Devils can’t get healthy by opening night. Geertsen is a fighter who can protect the guys playing either defense or forward, so this gives Ruff some flexibility with the roster on a nightly basis. It also gives him the opportunity to go 11 forwards and 7 defensemen since Geertsen can fill in on both.