Injuries have been a problem for the New Jersey Devils since the start of the season. The team had to start the season without Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce due to separate injuries. This caused the Devils to immediately test the team's depth, which Tom Fitzgerald addressed in the offseason. The Devils did survive, but now the injury bug is hitting another position: the bottom six.
The Devils found out that Curtis Lazar is going to miss significant time with what was clearly a lower body injury. Lazar wrote on Twitter that he looks forward to returning later this season, which is a positive sign. However, it doesn't help the Devils in the short term. For now, the Devils have had longtime AHLer Justin Dowling in the lineup to replace Lazar.
Now, it looks like the Devils will be forced to make a call to the winless Utica Comets again. Nathan Bastian injured his jaw on Friday night against the Calgary Flames. The prognosis is "weeks" according to Devils reporter Amanda Stein.
Sheldon Keefe says that Nate Bastian (jaw) has gone home to Jersey and will be out several weeks of action.#NJDevils
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) November 3, 2024
Connor Bedard broke his jaw after a hit by then-Devils defenseman Brendan Smith last season. He ended up missing 14 games after returning in a month and 10 days from the moment of his injury. That would have Bastian returning around December 10th, which would actually be 16 games missed as the Devils schedule does not have a lot of down time.
The Devils have three options for replacing Bastian. The first is already on the roster: Kurtis MacDermid. The bruiser has been decent in limited time this season, but the converted defenseman has very limited offensive abilities. The other two are the best forwards in Utica so far this season. Nolan Foote scored another goal for the Comets on Saturday, giving him eight points in eight games. Brian Halonen is the other option, scoring four goals in nine games.
The Devils would much rather have Bastian, but injuries are a reality of the game. It’s very likely that Sheldon Keefe will lean heavily on his top nine, as the fourth line is the weak link on the team. It also probably makes sense to work Tomas Tatar elsewhere, possibly switching shifts to give breaks to some wingers up and down the lineup.