The New Jersey Devils begin their season on Friday afternoon in Prague, Czechia. They will have a new coach, as the Sheldon Keefe era begins officially. They ironically face their old head coach Lindy Ruff, who took over his old/new job with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Devils went all in on being competitive again after a failure season in 2023-24. They spent quite a bit on getting upgrades in net and on defense. They saw what the issue was that kept them at the bottom of the standings, and they went in on fixing it.
However, we know that ineffective players and injuries will force the Devils to reach into the depth to see who is going to impact their team most. Last season, players like Simon Nemec, Graeme Clarke, and Brian Halonen were among the players who made their NHL debut. Who will join that list this season? Well, we know one.
Seamus Casey
Jack Hughes was the first to reveal that Seamus Casey was officially in the lineup when the Devils take on the Sabres in Prague. Casey surprisingly made the roster that traveled to Europe, and he was able to earn his spot on the roster. He had a decent preseason, and now he’s on the roster. Not only that, but he’s in the starting lineup, playing next to Nemec. That line could do some insane things, and it would be hard to take Casey out of the lineup in the future.
It was an interesting journey here for Casey. Of course, he had to earn his opportunity in the preseason. His poise was what stood out to coaches, who couldn’t help but brag about his start. However, it still seemed like a long shot that he’d even get an opportunity. Then, the Devils announced that Luke Hughes would miss at least a month of the regular season, and it sounds like it will be even more.
Then, Santeri Hatakka got hurt. That’s what really opened the door for Casey, and he seized it. Now, we get to see what he will do with the opportunity.