The New Jersey Devils spent a lot of effort building depth this offseason. On top of the young players across their prospect pool who might be ready for the NHL, the Devils added Tomas Nosek, Shane Bowers, and Chris Tierney. The Devils were pretty lucky when it comes to injuries last season. Nine players hit the ice for at least 80 games. Four more players played at least 75 games.
The Devils did face some injuries in the middle of the season. Ondrej Palat tore his groin and missed a few months. John Marino suffered an injury and missed close to 20 games. Nathan Bastian hurt his shoulder, and he was gone for weeks. Mackenzie Blackwood was knocked out for a lengthy period of time. The Devils were able to survive these injuries.
For one, the Devils didn’t really lose anyone from the top two lines. Dawson Mercer, Tomas Tatar, and Jesper Bratt played all 82 games. Nico Hischier missed one game, which happened to be the first game of the season. Jack Hughes got hurt, but he only missed a total of four games. It wasn’t “week-to-week” like they originally said.
If any of the Devils top six (which now includes Tyler Toffoli and Timo Meier) misses significant time, it will be hard to replace them. The Devils do have depth, but losing a top-six player causes the depth to deteriorate.
The good news about this season is the free agency crop is apparently waiting to sign until they are fully healthy. We all know about Patrick Kane, who many of us still expect to sign with the New York Rangers. However, if for some reason they don’t, he might want to come across the Hudson when he recovers from his hip resurfacing surgery.
We’ve talked about Jonathan Toews and his journey to the next phase of his career. He might be available late this season, or he could opt to take the entire year off and try again in 2024. If he’s still looking to play NHL hockey this season, the Devils should keep him in mind.
There are two other injured players the Devils should have on speed dial. Jesse Puljujarvi underwent double hip surgery. He’s going to miss some time this season, but it isn’t clear how long it will be. He’s never lived up to his draft position, and he was an intriguing free agent before the injury. A team was going to take a chance on him. Now, they can wait until he’s fully healthy. He’d be an intriguing option later this season.
On defense, Ethan Bear made some sense for the Devils before they traded for Colin Miller. He’s a right-handed defenseman who had some success and is just 26 years old. He played in the World Championships, and his situation taught us why so many players decide to stay home. He hurt his shoulder, an injury he was already dealing with, and he needed surgery.
Now, Bear is waiting for a team to give him the right deal. If Miller or Marino get injured, Bear would be a suitable replacement if he fully recovers from his injury.
The Devils have options inside and outside the locker room if injuries happen. They are prepared for the worst. Now, let’s hope for the best.