Head coach Sheldon Keefe has officially turned on the lineup blender, making changes to each of the four forward lines as the New Jersey Devils are, perhaps unsurprisingly, at this point, struck with another injury.
As reported by Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, veteran forward and top offseason acquisition Connor Brown was absent from practice Friday, prompting Keefe to make wholesale changes.
For the first line, winger Stefan Noesen moves all the way up to the top unit with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The burly power forward had been saddled on the fourth line after his return from an offseason groin injury, but showed himself well last season when playing with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier.
Speaking of Hischier and Meier, they're no longer on a line together for the time being. Instead, veteran Ondrej Palat joins Hischier alongside standout rookie Arseny Gritsyuk, while Meier lined up next to free agent addition Juho Lammikko and Dawson Mercer.
At the very least, Devils fans will be thrilled to see Gritsyuk, 24, get a real opportunity to shine in the top-six next to Hischier, with Meier and Mercer providing more depth and offense lower in the lineup. It's not ideal, but it was never going to be with this many injuries all at once.
The fourth line was comprised of the typical combo of Paul Cotter and Luke Glendening, though Brian Halonen jumped back in due to the absence of Brown
Stein reports that Brown is questionable to play against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, and his availability will be determined by how he feels Saturday. By extension, that will determine the lines, according to Keefe.
Keefe was particularly displeased with how his Devils played, especially on defense, in their last two losses, which came by 8-4 and 5-2 margins, respectively. As a result, prospect Seamus Casey makes way for journeyman Dennis Cholowski, who joins up with Simon Nemec.
The top two defense pairings for the Devils are now Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton, and Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon.
The 5-3-4 Kings are 0-2-2 at home this season and in desperate need of a win, and they're also without superstar center Anze Kopitar. If the Devils needed a bounce-back win, this is their time to get it, and Keefe's lineup choices suggest the second-year Devils head coach is all-in on ensuring that comes to fruition.