As a direct result of their lack of offseason moves and player development, the New Jersey Devils won't have any training camp battles this year.
The beginning of training camp is a week away, and only a handful of players, featuring former Devils center Kevin Rooney, were brought in on a tryout basis. Goalie Georgii Romanov, another tryout player, should only be a factor if the Devils are unsuccessful in keeping Nico Daws safe from the waiver process.
Aside from the fourth-line center position, the Devils' NHL roster is basically set.
Rooney, Luke Glendening (PTO), newcomer Juho Lammikko, and trade acquisition Thomas Bordeleau all figure to be battling for that position or a spot as a 13th forward, and the fourth-line center position depends largely on if Cody Glass or Dawson Mercer is the third-line center.
The top-nine forward group is virtually locked in with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Connor Brown, Stefan Noesen, and Mercer all returning and Arseniy Gritsyuk joining the fold.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe didn't give Ondrej Palat too much run last season despite his frequent alignment alongside Hughes and Bratt, which opens the door for greater opportunity for a player like Evgenii Dadonov.
As for the prospects, it's feasible players like Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, and Brian Halonen could vie for roster spots, but Keefe and the Devils are almost guaranteed to prefer a center, which only the inexperienced 22-year-old Lachance can play.
On defense, Simon Nemec is likely to step in for the injured Johnathan Kovacevic for as long as he's unable to play, building on the back of a surprisingly strong playoff run in the face of adversity. Seamus Casey hardly played, even with the Devils needing healthy bodies, during that playoff run. We can assume that the Devils would rather him play heavy minutes in Utica than 10-12 minutes in the NHL on an occasional basis.
Assuming Kovacevic is placed on IR or LTIR to start the season, a roster spot would open up for Dennis Cholowski or Colton White to serve as the seventh defenseman behind Nemec. Cholowski has the clear upper hand given how much he played for the Devils at the end of the last season.
So, overall, not too much intrigue with any key players facing pressure for their spot in the lineup or spot on the roster. The third- and fourth-line centers will invariably be what Devils fans are most interested in, but everything else will largely be irrelevant come October.