It’s been just two days of New Jersey Devils camp, but we’ve already learned a lot. The team’s logjam was apparent coming into camp. After trading for Luke Glendening, the Devils had 15 NHL-level forwards with 13 spots. If you add Lenni Hameenaho, who spent the second half of last season in New Jersey, that makes 16 NHL-level forwards.
Sunny Mehta and Sheldon Keefe’s roster decision got a lot easier when we learned that center Nick Bjugstad tore his pectoral muscle during training and would miss the next four to six months. It was an unexpected announcement, but one that likely keeps Bjugstad in New Jersey for the foreseeable future.
Bjugstad was actually on the roster bubble and facing a possible waivers designation. That’s obviously not what he expected when he was traded to New Jersey last season, but seeing how Keefe has the team lined up in training camp, we have no idea where Bjugstad would fit.
Speaking of fit, finding the right spot for Stefan Noesen seems nearly impossible right now. Noesen’s abilities definitely fit an NHL style, but do they fit the Devils? With the team trying to get faster and harder to play against, Noesen’s lack of speed and opportunistic nature is an awkward fit.
There's already a clear replament to Stefan Noesen on the Devils' fourth line
On top of that, the Devils are falling in love with former Detroit Red Wings prospect Amadeus Lombardi. Mehta traded a fourth-round pick for Lombardi early in the offseason. It was one of his first moves after taking over for Tom Fitzgerald. Lombardi was unlikely to make the Red Wings’ roster, so many thought it was strange that the Devils traded a fourth-round pick for him, but to get an immediate roster player for a fourth-round pick is good business.
And that appears to be what the Devils got. Lombardi started training camp with Cody Glass and Connor Brown on what’s expected to be the Devils’ fourth line. Meanwhile, Noesen is starting with Marc McLaughlin and Jesper Boqvist, which is essentially a competition for the final forward spot on the roster.
After two days, Keefe has nothing but nice things to say about Lombardi. He scored two goals in the scrimmage, but Noesen scored a goal as well. Noesen scored in the way he knows how, cleaning up the crease.
Essentially, it seems like Lombardi isn’t even the guy who Noesen is competing with. Lombardi isn’t waiver-exempt, so the Devils would have to make him available, for free, to the rest of the league in order to get him to the AHL. We just don’t see that happening.
So that means it comes down to Noesen, Boqvist, McLaughlin, and Hameenaho for the last spot on the roster.
Would the Devils put Boqvist, who came over in the Jacob Markstrom trade, on waivers to keep Noesen? Because of the contract, we’d say no. Noesen is a $2.75 million cap hit to the Devils this season. If they are going to put someone up on waivers, Noesen at least gives them some relief if someone claims him.
Ideally, whoever goes through waivers will make it through to enhance the Devils' depth. With how many injuries they faced over the past few years, it would help to have more NHL talent in Utica.
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