The New Jersey Devils have played a lot of players this season. There were multiple long-term injuries, including to Jack Hughes, Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, and Nathan Bastian. Because of the injuris, the Devils had to make a ton of call ups this season. Players like Justin Dowling, Nolan Foote, and Kurtis MacDermid were given extended looks.
One player who was never given that chance was Brian Halonen. The Utica Comets' top scorer was only given two games in the NHL this season. Meanwhile, he had 27 goals in the AHL. This is a Devils' team that needed goals. So why didn't he get more than two games in the big leagues?
It's even harder to understand when we learn that Halonen was named the Comets' MVP for the 2024-25 season. He was literally their best player. How could he not get a chance to play where the games matter the most?
It's probably a matter of circumstance. Halonen played 23:21 in his two games at 5v5 according to Natural Stat Trick, and in that time, he saw two goals scored against him while his line failed to score. Still, he had 30 chances while the opponents had just 22. Ironically, Halonen's two games were both against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they were both losses.
Of course, other players were given second chances this season. We mentioned Foote coming back to the Devils. Simon Nemec has been given multiple chances, and he finally made it worth the Devils' while when he scored the overtime goal to give them their first win of the postseason.
Halonen was called up to the Devils when the Comets got eliminated from the postseason. However, it's more likely he's there to be one of the so called "Black Aces," which is a group of players who don't usually play with the big club or even practice with them. They are around the team but aren't too involved unless they get hit with an even bigger injury bug.
Halonen left a bad taste in the mouths of Devils brass, at least that's what we assume. However, he earned more. The Comets' MVP should get a chance to compete for an NHL roster spot. For now, hopefully he gets great experience with the Devils playoff race.