Although the New Jersey Devils didn't qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs and won't be playing any extra hockey this spring, some of the veterans will have an opportunity to stay fresh during the offseason.
The upcoming World Championships, an international competition a step or two below the Olympics, and the 4 Nations Face-Off will present some Devils with that opportunity, with one already stepping up to play.
According to Dave McCarthy of NHL.com, veteran Devils winger Connor Brown will represent Canada at the World Championships in Switzerland next month. Brown, 32, will be joined by the likes of Gavin McKenna, Macklin Celebrini, Mat Barzal, Morgan Rielly, and Mark Scheifele, so the Canadians already have a strong contingent traveling overseas.
This is the first time that Brown will play at the World Championships since 2021, when he was a member of the Ottawa Senators. In that tournament, he dominted, putting up 16 points in 10 games. He had 14 assists in the tournament, which was ironically exactly how many assists he had during the NHL season.
He'll be the only Devils player representing the Great White North, at least for now. Others who either opted against it or weren't asked include Dougie Hamilton, Dawson Mercer, Cody Glass, and Brenden Dillon.
As for some of the other nations, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will play for Finland as he tries to get back up to speed following a season-ending ACL surgery sustained during training camp.
Forwards Martin Pospisil and Adam Sykora are booked for Slovakia, and Emil Heineman, Albert Johansson, Simon Holmstrom, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will feature for Sweden.
It is currently unclear which other Devils want to go to Switzerland to play or have been invited by their respective nations, though we can safely assume that some of the Olympians, like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jesper Bratt will sit this one out.
Defenseman Luke Hughes will spend the offseason recovering from another surgery, while Simon Nemec has declined to participate; the young defenseman is a pending RFA heading into a massive offseason for himself and the Devils.
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