5 players who will make their NHL debut with New Jersey Devils this season

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.

Chase Stillman

The Devils are focusing on impact. Whether that’s a player who scores a ton, skates like the wind between defenders, or someone who plays the game so hard that they are impossible to miss. When the Devils drafted Chase Stillman at least two rounds before anyone expected, the team was focusing on how he could impact the game. He has an endless motor that will help the Devils get pucks off the boards. 

The Devils prioritized similar players with NHL experience, such as Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter. The Devils want a certain snarl in the bottom six, and Stillman would bring that snarl in the right situation.

For Stillman to make the roster, a few things have to happen. First and foremost, he has to have an opportunity. That means Cotter or Noesen or Nathan Bastian or Ondrej Palat need to get injured. There needs to be an opening on the roster. The other thing is Stillman has to be better. He was fine last season with the Utica Comets, but he needs to be better as he just didn’t prove to be an NHL player last season.

Stillman didn’t have a great preseason. According to Natural Stat Trick, he was on the ice for four goals against at 5v5 and never saw a 5v5 goal scored. His possession numbers were pretty terrible. His advanced stats were atrocious. However, the Devils spent a first-round pick on Stillman, so he will get an opportunity.

Xavier Parent

We’ve been talking up Xavier Parent this offseason, and he’s had an interesting journey to this point. This is a player who once went from 27 points to 105 points in the QMJHL. He has been able to make amazing adjustments in his game. He did that since turning pro, going from the ECHL full-time to putting up 45 points in the AHL. 

If he continues growth and becomes a better player in the AHL this season, the Devils would have to have a conversation about Parent. He wasn’t expected to be a big contributor this season, but the Devils showed with Casey that they are willing to pivot when the situation calls for change.

Parent is a player who will take some time to be good in the NHL, but the Devils might be able to be patient with him. Yes, this is a franchise that’s trying to win, but making Parent an extra would really make a beautiful impact on his career.

His preseason numbers weren’t good, but that is what it is. This was a weird preseason with the Devils going to Prague. He was stuck on some strange lines, and the Devils were learning a new system. Parent will be fine in Utica this season, and we expect to see him for at least a call up in the NHL.

Arseni Gritsyuk

Ah, the fun one. Arseni Gritsyuk is such an impactful player in the KHL right now. As of this writing, he has nine points in 10 games for St. Petersburg SKA. We don’t expect that output to end anytime soon. In fact, we expect Gritsyuk, our number-one prospect, to continue to get better and better. 

Gritsyuk has said in the past that he plans to come to the NHL once his contract ends. He specifically talked about signing with the Devils next offseason. However, what if the Devils don’t wait until the offseason? What if the Devils want to get Gritsyuk to the NHL as soon as humanly possible?

SKA’s regular season ends at the end of March. Even with a proposed playoff run, he should be done before the Devils make waves in the playoffs. 

It feels like a long shot, but there is a chance this could happen. If SKA goes deep into the playoffs, then the Devils would have to be deep in the playoffs for it to work. This is the longest KHL season in history in terms of calendar days, so it’s going to end later than usual. So, a Gagarin Cup champion could play until May 25th. We don’t expect that to be SKA, and we expect Gritsyuk to play a playoff game.