Devils News Rewind: Injuries, Hanifin & More
On Noah Hanifin, injury updates, the goalie trade market and more in this latest edition of New Jersey Devils News Rewind.
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It's been a while since we've rounded up some New Jersey Devils news. There's been plenty of it lately, so let's get to it. In this edition of Devils News Rewind, we'll look at the latest injury updates, the Devils pursuing Noah Hanifin, and the chase for a goalie in a market where prices are crazy high.
Injuries Piling Up for Devils
So, where do we start with Devils injury news? The most recent injuries were to Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler, so that might not be a bad starting point. Hughes injured himself in the final minutes of the Chicago Blackhawks game, while Siegenthaler went down with a broken foot against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
With Dougie Hamilton likely out until around the playoffs, the Devils are now down their top pair from the start of the regular season, with Siegenthaler likely unavailable for quite some time. The Devils haven't given an official timeline on his injury yet, but there's a good chance it isn't short-term.
Then there's Hughes, who went down on his wrist awkwardly after losing an edge around the Blackhawks' blue line in their 4-2 win over the Blackhawks. Elliotte Friedman reported it on Saturday Headlines, then again on the Jan. 8 episode of 32 Thoughts, that Hughes' injury is arm-related but that he avoided surgery. Per Lindy Ruff (via Amanda Stein), Hughes is out week to week.
Friedman also reported on 32 Thoughts that the Devils are expecting all of their injured players back this regular season other than Hamilton, whose timeline remains until around the playoffs. That would seem to indicate Siegenthaler returns at some point.
Also among those injured players are Ondřej Palát and Timo Meier. Per Amanda Stein, Ruff said Meier is the closest of the players to returning (he’s skating in a limited fashion), but Palát won’t be back in the short term. That's a lot of key players out of the lineup, so the Devils will have to manage without them.
The injury bug has certainly bitten the Devils this season, but they've still managed a 21-15-2 record and are in a wild-card spot as of this writing. Once they start getting healthy, they could make a run.
It's not like there's a significant gap between their place in the standings and the third-place New York Islanders in the Metro; just two points separate the teams, and the Devils have a game in hand. There's no reason to punt on the season, but general manager Tom Fitzgerald may have to make a move to help the team.
Smoke Around Hanifin Continues
With Siegenthaler and Hamilton out for a while, one name that's sure to gain more attention as a trade target is Hanifin. Even before the Siegenthaler injury, the Devils had their names connected to him. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported last week that the Devils were talking to the Flames about Hanifin.
Meanwhile, Travis Yost wrote yesterday for TSN about how Hanifin would be a good fit for the Devils and why they're perfect trade partners. In short, he says Hanifin's versatility and confidence playing with the puck would be ideal for a Devils team that wants to play with tempo. You can read the entire article here.
I've been advocating for the Devils targeting Hanifin for a few weeks. Even before Siegenthaler got hurt, the Devils' left side of the blue line was their weakest link on defense. Kevin Bahl has had some good moments, but he's been inconsistent.
Meanwhile, Siegenthaler was struggling before his injury. Aside from Luke Hughes, the Devils didn't have much puck-moving ability on the left side, making Hanifin an ideal fit. Plus, odds are the Devils can fit him in long-term, as Yost mentioned in his post.
Hanifin will turn 27 soon, so he'd fit in with the Devils' core pretty well. The team needs more puck-moving ability on the back end; breaking out of the defensive zone has been a problem. And they'd add some much-needed experience with Hanifin. We'll see where things go, but it's a move that makes plenty of sense.
Finding Help in Net Won't Be Easy
The other area of need the Devils will want to consider ahead of the March 8 trade deadline is in net. Nico Daws has given the Devils some better goaltending since getting the call-up, but they need an upgrade from Vitek Vaněček to win a Stanley Cup.
The problem is that the prices for goalies on the trade market are crazy high, as Friedman and other top NHL insiders have reported on the web, podcasts, etc. Jake Allen is among the goalies the Devils are considering, but it'll probably be expensive to acquire him.
There's been plenty of smoke around John Gibson and the Devils. But to acquire him with retention, which they'd need, will probably cost quite a bit. That leaves the Devils in a tough place. There's plenty of demand for goalies but not much supply, so teams with a surplus know they have the leverage.
If the Devils don't want to spend top assets on a goalie, Kaapo Kähkonen might be a viable option. The 27-year-old has played well for the San Jose Sharks this season, saving 5.2 goals above expected behind a terrible Sharks defense.
At 27 years old, Kähkonen could be an option beyond this season if the Devils acquire him and he plays well. My guess is he's someone who may not have the same value around the NHL as other goaltenders. So he could be an option if Fitzgerald doesn't want to overpay for a netminder during the season.
Jack Hughes All-Star
Jack Hughes was named the Devils' All-Star late last week. However, his injury could keep him out of the All-Star Game at the end of the month, meaning the Devils would have a different representative.
Personally, I don't think there's much of a debate, but Jesper Bratt should be the Devils' All-Star representative if Hughes can't attend. He has 44 points in 38 games, putting him on pace to finish with 95 points. Bratt has been the Devils' best player after Hughes, and you could even argue he's been better based on his five-on-five play.
There's also a good argument for Nico Hischier, who has 19 points in 20 games since returning from an upper-body injury he suffered against the Buffalo Sabres in late October. Either way, the Devils have a couple of good choices to replace Hughes if he's still out with an injury.
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