The New Jersey Devils had two distinct practices on Thursday, splitting the starters between them. Head coach Sheldon Keefe was clearly trying some things out. While the players were exceptional on Tuesday night in their preseason tilt with the New York Islanders, Keefe shook up the lines, especially the defensive pairs.
On Tuesday night, Keefe put out a lineup that looked like this on the blue line:
Ethan Edwards - Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon - Simon N2emec
Like we said, the team played like gangbusters, and there was no reason to think change was on the horizon. However, this is preseason, and it’s a great time for experimentation and getting the players to build chemistry across the lineup. Changing the lines for a day or two is no big deal.
The two groups split the defensive starters, but it lays out like this:
Seamus Casey - Hamilton
Siegenthaler - Nemec
Dillon - Pesce
Those lines look great, too, but one thing is distinctly different. Keefe switched out his Michigan men. Instead of left-handed rookie Ethan Edwards playing in the Luke Hughes spot (another Michigan man), he placed Seamus Casey next to Hamilton. That left Brett Pesce to play alongside fellow veteran Brenden Dillon.
This comes two days after Keefe said that Edwards was probably the team’s best skater amongst the defensemen. He admittedly had a great night against the Islanders, but it seemed like some of the coaches were pouring it on because of the Hughes negotiations.
Ethan Edwards did not play with the New Jersey Devils starters at Thursday's practice
With many talking themselves into Edwards taking Hughes’s spot if the team and player can’t agree on a contract, we’re now getting a look at another prospect. Casey, unlike Edwards, has real NHL experience. He started the 2024-25 season with the Devils due to injuries to Hughes and Pesce. He spent a few weeks and scored a few goals before having a really good season with the Utica Comets.
Does this change indicate anything about Edwards? He did skate, but it was with a third squad that didn’t have any NHL players on it. He was treated as an extra.
There might be a reason for that. It can be anything from keeping Edwards ready if he needs to draw in to him having a dentist’s appointment, or he could have been addressing the injury he suffered at the end of the Tuesday 6-2 victory.
Either way, it always felt incredibly unlikely that Edwards was making this team. It’s great to see how well he’s playing off the bat, but he needs some seasoning in the AHL, and he could become a really good defenseman in the league.