The New Jersey Devils are preparing for Game 5 of the first round series with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but news broke about the whereabouts of one of their defensemen. Many were questioning why Santeri Hatakka was not listed on the extended roster after the end of the Utica Comets season. He even missed a few of the Comets' final games.
The Devils could have used the extra body. Hatakka has been a tweener NHL defenseman before, but an injury this season proved devastating to his development. Many thought he could grow into a good player, but he wasn't able to showcase that growth after he went down in the preseason. He ended up missing four months.
Many speculated that Hatakka's current absence was injury-related, but news coming out that he is joining the Swedish Hockey League might be why he hasn't been used. The squad HV71 announced on Tuesday that Hatakka signed a two-year deal with the club.
It's no surprise that Hatakka would look elsewhere for an opportunity. Despite all his hype, the Devils never seemed to prioritize him. He looked to be an additional gem from the Timo Meier trade, but the injury and lack of opportunity made it impossible for him to gain traction with the organization. He was even sent down through waivers this season, a move most expected to land him with another team.
The New Jersey Devils will say goodbye to Santeri Hatakka as he heads to the Swedish Hockey League
When no team claimed Hatakka, many Devils faithful rejoiced. However, it never led to an NHL opportunity. Even with the injuries to Brenden Dillon, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler, and now Johnathan Kovacevic, Hatakka was never considered. To add to that, the Devils traded for both Brian Dumoulin and Dennis Cholowski at the trade deadline.
Even if Hatakka does one day return to the NHL, we'd expect the Devils to be out on his services. He could one day become an NHL defenseman, but the Devils won't rely on that. Hatakka ends his Devils career with 67 games played in Utica and just 12 with the Devils' big club. It's unfortunate how it worked out since we saw some upside from Hatakka when he filled in last season.