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

Losers

Not every New Jersey Devils player had an amazing preseason in 2023.

1. Brendan Smith

Brendan Smith was the 7th defenseman on the New Jersey Devils toward the end of last season but he was also in the starting six a lot as well. Now, he is back to fighting for playing time once again.

With all of the aforementioned defensemen on the “winners” list, it makes it tough for an older player like Smith. It also didn’t help that he wasn’t very good during the preseason either. He may end up making it because of his status as a veteran but he won’t be around for long. This preseason was proof of that.

2. Nolan Foote

Nolan Foote had a lot of expectations on him when the New Jersey Devils first acquired him. He came to the New Jersey organization in the trade that sent Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Foote has been a highly touted prospect in his life as was a first-round pick by the Lightning in the 2019 NHL Draft. Since then, however, his development hasn’t gone the way that New Jersey thought it would. There is still plenty of time but he didn’t have the best preseason.

He looked okay early on but has barely played in the exhibition season. It is unclear if he is truly injured but all signs suggest that he is. We won’t know until next week whether or not he will be on the opening roster with an IR designation or if he will be put on waivers to go to Utica (if unclaimed).

At the end of the day, fans just want the New Jersey Devils to win. All of these guys may play a big part in that or they may not. The preseason needs to translate to the regular season as they definitely looked like a good hockey team. We shall see.