Recently, the New Jersey Devils released their “final” 23-man roster for the start of the season. It actually had 27 players on it. Let’s dive into what that is, why some of your favorite players might not be on there, and who will really make the team when all things are said and done.
Injured Reserve
The Devils are starting the season with four players on the injured reserve (IR). These four players are Tyce Thompson, Ty Smith, Damon Severson, and Miles Wood. This doesn’t necessarily mean that those players will miss a lot of time. It is even possible most, if not all are ready for opening night this Friday. Wood and Severson have the best chance to be ready. That’s why New Jersey is carrying players such as Marien Studenic and Frederik Gauthier to start.
The Actual Roster
The above roster is split into three categories below. These being, “actual roster players,” “here because of injury,” and, “could stick around.”
Actual Roster Players:
Forwards:
#11 Andreas Johnsson, #13 Nico Hischier, #16 Jimmy Vesey, #17 Yegor Sharangovich, #18 Dawson Mercer, #20 Michael McLeod, #37 Pavel Zacha, #59 Janne Kuokkanen, #63 Jesper Bratt, #86 Jack Hughes, and #90 Tomas Tatar
Defenseman:
#7 Dougie Hamilton, #33 Ryan Graves, #71 Jonas Siegenthaler, and #76 P.K. Subban
Goaltenders:
#29 Mackenzie Blackwood and #45 Jonathan Bernier
Analysis
There are really only two players on the above that warrant discussion. Dawson Mercer is the first. He had a fantastic draft plus-one season last year scoring 19 goals and 36 points in 23 games. This year he has impressed right out of the gate and just kept it going. Well deserved for Mercer who might be one of the smartest 19-year olds in a long time. The other player is Jimmy Vesey, who appeared to have a solid camp. According to an interview with general manager Tom Fitzgerald, management has talked withVesey about shifting roles into a different type of player. One that will kill penalties, block shots, finish checks, get to the net, etc.
Here Because of Injury:
#38 Freddy Gauthier, #2 Colton White, and #83 Christian Jaros
Analysis
These are all guys who performed okay in camp. Probably not good enough to earn a consistent roster spot, but good enough to make it when you have as many injuries as the Devils do. They will all likely get sent down when the team is back to full health.
Could Stick Around:
#67 Marian Studenic, #55 Mason Geertsenand, #41 Scott Wedgewood
Analysis
It appears the Devils are carrying three goalies for a couple of reasons: Mackenzie Blackwood’s vaccination status and the team may want to give the AHL net to Nico Daws and Akira Schmid. If these reasons linger on, that means that New Jersey can only keep one extra forward and one extra defenseman. This is why Geertsen in this category rather than in the “Here Because of Injury,” category. Geertsen is a utility player, which means that he can play both forward and defense. This could come in handy when you want to carry a third goalie rather than an extra forward or defenseman.
As for Studenic, he is a serviceable less than 10-minutes a night bottom-line forward. He’s further along in his development than Jesper Boqvist, who would hurt more from sitting in the press box most nights. Most importantly though, Studenic would need to be exposed to waivers where New Jersey could risk losing him.