The New Jersey Devils are reeling with injuries right now. Jacob Markstrom has been out for a few weeks after a knee sprain, and he will likely missed even more time, even after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Nico Hischier should be back before Markstrom, but the lineup is really missing his presence. Then, on Tuesday, the Devils lost defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler after he lost an edge near the boards while skating against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Devils need as much depth as possible right now. The bottom six is struggling, and the defense is not playing as well as it did earlier in the season. Jake Allen and Nico Daws are doing their best, but they are a smidge worse than Markstrom right now. All this tells us we need options to try as much as we can right now.
That's why Tom Fitzgerald's decision to put Santeri Hatakka on waivers. It would be a pretty bad decision in normal times, as Hatakka has shown to be a reliable defender at the NHL level before, but doing it right now, with a left-handed defenseman on the shelf, makes even less sense.
Santeri Hattaka(NJ), Anthony Richard (PHI) & Colin White (SJ) on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 7, 2025
Hatakka is a 24-year-old defenseman who a lot of teams liked in the past. The Devils brought him in as an extra piece in the Timo Meier trade, and he looked like a steal last season. Unfortunately, he was injured to start the season and had to get surgery on his shoulder. It seemed like a blessing in disguise for this reason exactly. We warned this offseason the Devils could lose Hatakka for nothing if they didn't get creative. Now, that might be the reality.
Why didn't the Devils send Hatakka down to the AHL on a conditioning loan? They could get him into a few games with the Utica Comets without the need for waivers. Then, the Devils could put Siegenthaler on injured reserve to open the roster spot. Yes, that would take away some cap space they are trying to build for the trade deadline, but it has to be so minimal that it wouldn't make much of a dent.
Tom Fitzgerald made a mistake when he put Santeri Hatakka on waivers
This reminds us of when Fitzgerald put then-Devils goalie Scott Wedgewood on waivers in November 2021. That decision led to many struggles for the Devils. Wedgewood has become a solid backup since then and is still a backup for the Colorado Avalanche today. Meanwhile, both Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier went down with different injuries, and the Devils ended up with Jon Gillies and Andrew Hammond by the end of the season.
The Devils are playing with fire by putting Hatakka on waivers. If he gets claimed and Nemec doesn't work out, then what? The Devils would be forced to play Colton White or Topias Vilen, who have not proven to be NHL players yet. Hatakka is an NHL player, and Fitzgerald just offered him to the other 31 teams for free.