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3 Winners (And 2 Losers) From New Jersey Devils Preseason

By Vincent Parise

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 02: Simon Nemec #17 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the preseason game against the New York Islanders on October 2, 2023 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 02: Simon Nemec #17 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the preseason game against the New York Islanders on October 2, 2023 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images) /
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New Jersey Devils, Kevin Bahl
Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports /

Winners

The New Jersey Devils had a few players win the preseason in 2023.

1. Kevin Bahl

Kevin Bahl was always incredibly likely to make the opening night lineup, but he might actually be even better than most people thought. It took him a bit to develop after coming over in the Taylor Hall trade with the Arizona Coyotes, but he is a very good player.

Bahl is known for being a big defenseman who stays home and plays a defensive-minded game. Usually, those kinds of players take long to develop. Well, it appears as if Bahl is coming along.

There were also instances where Bahl had amazing offensive awareness. When he has time and space created for him, and we know the Devils have a lot of players who can do that, he has an offensive edge. Hopefully, this continues into the regular season.

2. Simon Nemec

Simon Nemec came in as somewhat of a long shot to make the team. This isn’t because he doesn’t deserve it, the Devils are just so deep. They also have another 20-year-old in Luke Hughes on the team, making it tough to add another.

However, Nemec played even better which is great to see after he was amazing in the NHL during the 2022-23 season. Even if he doesn’t make the team out of camp for roster construction purposes, his time is coming. Once he does get there, he won’t be leaving.

3. Santeri Hatakka

There are a lot of good young defensemen in the Devils’ system. One of them is Santeri Hatakka who was a sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2019 NHL Draft. New Jersey acquired him in the deal that also landed them Timo Meier.

Hatakka had an outstanding preseason for the Devils. The only issue for him is that guys like Bahl and Nemec were also great and aren’t guaranteed anything either. There is a limited amount of room on the blueline right now. This good play that he’s had this year has been noted, and he could get a shot in the NHL at some point. A good start in Utica could go a long way for him.

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