There are so many problems with the New Jersey Devils this season. The offense, defense, special teams, and goaltending are all at or near the bottom of the league in statistics since the beginning of December. This is now about six weeks of some of the worst hockey you've ever seen. It's been really bad at the Prudential Center, and it's even worse on the road.
The Devils have astronomical needs. They can't score, with one or fewer goals in eight of their previous 12 games.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe has tried a few different things with the lineup, but his defense is finally close to fully healthy. While they are still waiting on Johnny Kovacevic, Simon Nemec returned to the lineup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That gave the Devils eight defensemen on the roster, so it was expected they were going to make a move.
Colton White earned his way on the roster and played incredibly well while in the lineup. He had a rough game against the New York Islanders, but a 9-0 defeat will make everyone look terrible. He deserves to stay on the roster and fill in when one of the veterans needs a breather.
The other defenseman on the roster is Dennis Cholowski. He was acquired near the NHL Trade Deadline last season, and Tom Fitzgerald re-signed him in the summer. Unfortunately, he has not done well in relief of the injured Devils' defense corps.
Chowlowski has been on the ice for four goals scored and 10 goals against at 5v5, according to Natural Stat Trick. That’s the worst goals percentage of any defenseman not named Seamus Casey (who only played two games). In just 15 games, that means Cholowski is on the ice for two goals every three games. It’s just not good enough, especially with Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen putting forth inconsistent seasons.
Devils send Dennis Cholowski down
The Devils announced that Cholowski was being placed on waivers on Friday. If he clears, the Devils will assign him to the Utica Comets, who are in the basement of the AHL standings.
This is obviously not going to save the Devils' season, despite it being the right move. We’re not sure if there’s a corresponding move on the way, whether that’s another player returning from injury or just cap movement for a future trade, but Cholowski isn’t going to impact the Devils on the ice this season, so he might as well help as a veteran in Utica.