The New Jersey Devils are expected to reveal the final touches of their 23-man roster on Monday. That’s the roster deadline for the league. Despite the Devils waiting until Thursday to play their first game, all teams are required to get their rosters in and compliant by Monday.
So we will learn who made the 23-man roster, and we’ll probably be able to guess the team’s lines based on these decisions.
There are a few decisions that haven’t been revealed. Two of their PTOs, Kevin Rooney and Luke Glendening, are still listed as PTOs everywhere we look. There has been no announcement that either has been signed or released. Glendening played all six preseason games, showing the Devils were serious about giving him a look. He played really well. Rooney played decently, but we’d be surprised if he made the roster over Glendening.
The Devils could sign Rooney and send him to the AHL through waivers, but that’s something Rooney would have to agree to.
The other questions involve injuries. Brett Pesce, Stefan Noesen, Seamus Casey, and Juho Lammikko are all dealing with different levels of injuries. This is opening the door for the Devils to give young guns a chance to start the season in the NHL.
According to a new report from Arthur Staple from The Athletic, top forward prospect Shane Lachance is getting that opportunity.
As for the #NJD, lots of injuries so things are fluid but Shane Lachance will be on the opening roster. May not get to stick around long once Noesen gets healthy, but the 22-year-old out of @BUHockey makes it to start.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNHL) October 5, 2025
The Devils are apparently giving Lachance the final roster spot for forwards. That doesn't mean that a player like Glendening can't make it. With Noesen and Lammikko injured, the Devils have room on the roster for both players. The Devils do have to figure out the salary cap, which might be why this is taking so long to announce.
Lachance is making $925,000 this season in the NHL, which is more than the minimum (which is what they can afford for those bottom-of-the-roster forwards). If any of the Devils’ injured forwards are eligible for in-season LTIR (must be out for a minimum of 21 days), that would fix the short-term salary cap.
The 22-year-old forward joined the Utica Comets last season after the Devils traded for his rights earlier that year. Lachance came after the Devils agreed to take on part of Trent Frederic’s salary for the Edmonton Oilers. It appears to be a shrewd move by Fitzgerald if he gets a young forward right after the deal.
Lachance had 30 points in 40 games for Boston University last season, captaining a team that came within one game of a National Championship. Many know Lachance because he was playing alongside top goalie prospect Mikhail Yegorov. He joined Utica and had two points in two games.
If true, this is great news for Lachance. He had a slow start to the preseason after an injury in development camp delayed his progress, but he showed enough after his return to warrant this decision.