The New Jersey Devils announced on Monday night their final roster going into Thursday’s home opener against the Detroit Red Wings. There weren’t many surprises. Some of the players fighting for those final spots didn’t make it. Meanwhile, Tom Fitzgerald and Lindy Ruff leaned on the depth veterans they signed or traded for during the offseason.
#NEWS: Our roster for the start of the 2023-24 season has been announced.https://t.co/jJ5uJvY6lA
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 9, 2023
As a note to the above, the Devils roster also includes four injured players who will go on IR. Nolan Foote is probably the most surprising name not on this list, but he’s dealing with an upper-body injury. Forward Brian Halonen and goalies Keith Kinkaid and Nico Daws were added to IR. Some will eventually go to the Utica Comets, but it’s interesting to see what happens when Foote is healthy.
The stars on the roster are obvious. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier will drive this team to contention. Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula (who avoided IR despite his own injury), and newly acquired Tyler Toffoli will play important depth roles.
Alexander Holtz made the final roster. That’s not a big surprise, but anything was possible after his drop to the third line this week. He’ll likely find a spot next to Haula and Ondrej Palat when we see the opening-night lineup. Holtz has a big role to fill, finding a scoring touch outside the top six.
Simon Nemec had a pretty good preseason, but it wasn’t enough to make the roster. He appears to be the final cut to get the Devils to 23. It’s not worth any stress for Devils fans. Unlike Ty Smith, who was also a prospect defenseman who was the final cut, the Devils can recall Nemec at any time.
Meanwhile, struggling vets like Colin Miller and Chris Tierney will get a shot with the NHL roster. That’s not surprising. The Devils wanted depth, and they will keep these players directly with the team, at least in the beginning.
The final standout from the roster is the goaltending position. It became clear that Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid were going to be the goalies of choice to start the season. However, this confirmation shows the Devils are going all in on their 2023 playoff tandem. Also, the Connor Hellebuyck trade does too.
Want your voice heard? Join the Pucks And Pitchforks team!
This roster will change. The lines will change. This isn’t locked in stone. It’s just what were looking at for the first game. However, it’s fun to see what the initial 23-man roster looks like. Now, on to October 12!