New Jersey Devils defenseman undergoes shoulder surgery ahead of home opener

The New Jersey Devils have had bad luck on the blue line this offseason. After adding some reinforcements with signings and trades for Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Brenden Dillon, it turns out the Devils needed the depth before they expected to.

Pesce isn't ready to go after offseason surgery, although he's close. Luke Hughes injured his shoulder during offseason training and will miss some time. On Thursday, a few hours before the Devils home opener, the team announced another player will be down, and this one will be for much longer.

Santeri Hatakka was poised to grab the left-handed defenseman role that was vacated by Hughes after his own shoulder injury, but with Hatakka out, that opened another spot. That's where Seamus Casey has been thriving off the opportunity. It's unfortunate for Hatakka, who has shown an ability to play in the NHL. He's never been given a consistent opportunity, and when he finally had a shot, it was taken away by injury.

There is a blessing in disguise here. There was a nonzero chance that the Devils were going to lose Hatakka this preseason. He is no longer waiver-exempt, which meant the Devils needed to get him through waivers if he was going to stay in the organization and play with the Utica Comets again. This injury avoids that situation, and by the time he's healthy, he could have an NHL opportunity again.

As per the Devils statement, Hatakka underwent successful surgery in Vail, Colorado. Dr. Peter Millett performed the surgery. If that name sounds familiar, that's the same doctor who performed Jack Hughes' shoulder surgery last season.

The news is not great, but with Pesce and Hughes returning relatively soon, plus the great play the Devils have seen from Casey and Kovacevic to start the season, they can pretty easily navigate these rough waters when it comes to defensemen injuries. It also helps to start the season with four points before anyone plays a game.