New Jersey Devils give Seamus Casey a golden opportunity in Prague

The New Jersey Devils are heading to Prague with some injury concerns, specifically on the back end. Luke Hughes will miss the first few weeks of the regular season with a dislocated shoulder, while Brett Pesce is week-to-week as he works his way back from offseason surgery for a broken fibula.

The Devils should be fine on the right side of their defense with Dougie Hamilton, Šimon Nemec, and Johnathan Kovacevic. That doesn't look like it'll be the case on the left side, though, as Santeri Hatakka now will likely miss the start of the regular season with an injury.

Hatakka seemed like the prime candidate to fill in for Hughes, but if he's out, who does head coach Sheldon Keefe turn to?

Devils' Casey May Be Best Option for Left Side

Even with Hughes, the left side of the Devils' defense always looked like it would be the weaker side of the team's blue line. Now, without him, there are some question marks heading into the Global Series this week.

Hatakka showed well in a limited sample with the Devils last season, posting an expected goals share (xG%) just above 53 percent in a sample of roughly 175 minutes. He plays with some edge but skates well and has some puck-moving potential. He'd be an ideal fit as a third-pair defender, which is the role he'd play with Hughes out.

But now, the Devils are a bit thin on options on the left side. Topias Vilén could have been one option heading into the preseason, but he still appears to need more seasoning in the AHL with the Utica Comets.

The Devils brought in Jakub Zboril on a PTO, but he had a rough showing against the New York Islanders on Friday night. Only Nemec had a lower Game Score among Devils skaters against the Islanders. I could see the Devils signing him for some AHL depth, but he's not a realistic option for NHL minutes.

Andy Welinksi is in camp on a PTO, too. He has some NHL experience, having played in 46 career NHL games, but the last time he played in the NHL was during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Devils signed Colton White, who returns for his second stint with the organization, this offseason. But his play has been subpar this preseason, and I don't think you can trot him out there for an NHL game.

So what about trying Casey or Nemec on their off-hands? At first, it seemed Keefe shut down the idea of playing a defenseman on his off-hand.

However, that might be the Devils' best option, and it seems Keefe will give it a shot, as Casey and Nemec were together in practice on Sunday, and then again on Monday. Casey was playing of the left side, with Nemec sticking on his natural right side.

Most would've thought Casey would have stayed on the right side since 1) he's the smallest defenseman on the Devils' roster. And 2) he's the less experienced of the two between him and Nemec, though it's not like Nemec is the most experienced, either. But since Casey has played on the left side before, it makes sense to try him there.

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Keefe said in an ideal world, he'd like lefties playing on the left side and righties playing on the right but he knows we aren't in an ideal world. So it doesn't shock me that Keefe is giving it a shot with Casey, and it might work.

Casey earned his spot on the Devils' roster to begin the regular season. He looked like one of the team's six-best defensemen during exhibition games, and his patience, hockey sense, skating, and puck-moving ability should help him find success, even if he's playing on the left side.

Misyul May Be Next Up After Casey

We also shouldn't discount the possibility of Daniil Misyul getting a shot at playing at some point, even though he's not heading to Prague. He only appeared in one preseason game, but it was a solid showing against the Washington Capitals on Sept. 25.

Misyul hit the post on a shot he wired and had a couple of quality scoring chances in that appearance. He has good size at 6-foot-3, 196 pounds, and plays with some bite, but he also skates well and seems like he can move the puck relatively efficiently.

Misyul finished that Capitals game leading Devils skaters in xG% (52.69 percent), so it was a good first impression with Keefe. It's also worth noting that he's not a traditional prospect in that he already has plenty of pro experience.

Though the Devils drafted Misyul in 2019, he's been playing pro hockey since then, having spent four seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. He appeared in 182 games for Yaroslavl, and though the KHL isn't the NHL, it's not a scrub league. There are quality players there.

Misyul also spent last season with the Comets, so the pro experience is there. At 23 years old, he can probably fill a third-pair role and play a safe game while Hughes and Hatakka work their way back from injuries. If the Casey and Nemec pair doesn't work, giving Misyul a chance might be an option.

But other than Misyul, Casey does look like the Devils' best choice to fill the void on the left side while Hughes and Hatakka recover from their injuries. Perhaps they'll look to the waiver wire once teams make final cuts, too. But they'll have to find a way to weather the storm until Hughes and, to a lesser extent, Hatakka return. And Casey seems like the best bet.

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