The New Jersey Devils brought a lot of new faces to training camp this season. There are a few veterans added to the roster, like Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov. Rookies like Arseny Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, and Shane Lachance brought energy to the preseason. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald added some competition to camp when he signed four players to professional tryout contracts, otherwise known as PTOs.
The four players have all signed contracts to play professional hockey this season, which shows that Fitzgerald saw some players who needed the opportunity, but like last season with Kevin Labanc, most of those players signed with other organizations.
It started with Adam Scheel, a former Dallas Stars goalie prospect who never made it past the Texas Stars of the AHL. He was looking for an opportunity, and he found a better one in the KHL.
Luke Glendening and Kevin Rooney were fighting for a spot on the NHL roster. The fourth-line center position was wide open, and both Glendening and Rooney played well in the preseason. Glendening etched out Rooney, and many expected the Devils to try and sign Rooney to start the year in Utica. Instead, he signed a two-way deal with the Utah Mammoth to play a similar role, but he likely got a little extra money on the AHL side of the contract.
After signing Glendening, the only unsigned PTO was goalie Georgi Romanov. He was incredible for the Devils in training camp. He only got into one game, but he stopped 11 of 12 shots for a .917 save percentage.
He was sent down to Utica to play alongside Nico Daws and Jakub Malek, but it turns out he didn’t have interest in competing with such a stacked position.
The Blues have agreed to terms with goaltender Georgi Romanov on a one-year, two-way contract. #stlblues https://t.co/FztdcWeZ6D
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 8, 2025
Romanov signed a one-year deal with the Blues to add goalie depth to that organization. Ironically, with the Blues announcing the deal, they didn't even mention that he spent the preseason with the Devils on a PTO, only mentioning his play with the San Jose Barracuda last season.
If the Devils are devastated by this loss, they can claim Romanov on waivers, but that would likely mean they need to keep him in the NHL. At the end of the day, he'll likely be one of those training camp invites who only wore a Devils jersey once.