The New Jersey Devils have recently been focused on adding legitimate depth. Since the trade deadline, they’ve acquired seven players who logged ice time in the NHL last season and have Stanley Cup Playoff experience. With injuries being commonplace throughout a season, being able to replace holes in the lineup with legitimate talent could make a massive difference. Many players who do not make the opening-night lineup could still end up playing an important role in the team’s success. Here are some of them.
Chris Tierney
The Devils signed Tierney to a one-year, two-way contract on July 14. He has played in 597 career games over nine NHL seasons and is still only 29 years old. At 6-foot-1, he is a disciplined center who has received votes for the Lady Byng Trophy in the past.
From 2017 to 2020, he scored 40, 48, and 37 points, respectively, and has 40 games of playoff experience. He’s struggled to find consistency post-pandemic, and playing on some poor teams hasn’t helped. Even so, he’s been a serviceable fourth-liner and can hopefully hit a different gear now that he’s back on a contending team.
If anything were to happen to Michael McLeod or Erik Haula, expect Tierney to slot in as a center on the fourth line. He’s no stranger to scoring greasy goals, as he does not shy away from the dirty areas. He also has underrated playmaking ability. Barring injuries, he should start the season with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL). Having a player under 30 with 236 career points waiting in the wings is a great insurance policy for the Devils.
Curtis Lazar
The Devils acquired Curtis Lazar at the trade deadline from the Vancouver Canucks. The 28-year-old forward has established himself as a fourth-line role player, which is a big reason as to why he continually ends up in playoff lineups.
He is a defense-first forward who can get the job done on the penalty kill and plays with a physical edge, despite his size. His 138 hits last season would have finished second on the Devils behind Timo Meier.
He has never scored more than 20 points in a season, but like Tierney, he is very disciplined. He skated in six playoff games for the Devils last season and will be a solid depth option if Nate Bastian or McLeod go down. Lazar is the type of player who serves virtually no purpose on a poorly performing team, as he does not often impact the scoresheet. However, on a contender like New Jersey, he can thrive in his role, knowing that his counterparts will get the job done offensively. He’ll be with the big club to start the season, but barring injuries, he will likely be a healthy scratch.
Cal Foote
The Devils signed 24-year-old defenseman Cal Foote (brother of Nolan) to a one-year, two-way contract on Aug. 9. He stands at an intimidating 6-foot-5 and 224 pounds. He won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022, playing 13 postseason games with 18 shots and 24 hits.
He has never been a minus in any of his three NHL seasons, with a plus-21 in 141 career games. Last season, he was sent to the Nashville Predators at the deadline as part of the Tanner Jeannot trade.
He does not bring much offense to the table, but if his services are needed, he’ll slot in on the third pairing. Dougie Hamilton, John Marino, and Colin Miller are the obvious 1-2-3 punch on the Devils’ right side, but Simon Nemec needs more time to develop in the AHL, leaving Foote as the next man up. He should start the season in Utica, potentially even playing with his brother Nolan.
Related: Devils Will Face Unfamiliar Pressure in 2023-24 Season
A solid depth defenseman with over 140 career games and playoff experience is invaluable come playoff time, especially in case of injuries. Foote was a first-round selection in 2017, so maybe there’s more to his game. The Devils have been notoriously good at turning under-the-radar defensemen into bona fide studs — just look at Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler. This move is definitely a low-risk, high-reward scenario.
Graeme Clarke
Unlike the others listed here, Clarke has yet to make his NHL debut. The Devils’ third-round draft pick in 2019 broke out with Utica last season, scoring 25 goals and 33 assists in 68 games and adding six points in six playoff games.
The Devils have a hole on the right wing, but former first-round pick Alexander Holtz will likely get first dibs. This is a make-or-break season for Holtz, and if he cannot display improved speed, it’s possible that his NHL days (at least with the Devils) are numbered. If that is the case, Clarke can step in and add a lethal wrist shot to the third line with Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula. The Devils called him up in February and again when the playoff rosters expanded. He did not appear in any games, but having him join the team shows that management has some confidence in him.
His AHL production has been slightly better than Blake Coleman’s once was. Clarke could fill a role similar to Coleman’s in 2017-18 but with more offense and less defense. Palat and Haula picking up the defensive responsibilities would allow Clarke to thrive at what he does best: scoring.
Santeri Hatakka
The Devils acquired Hatakka from the San Jose Sharks in the Meier deadline deal. He was essentially a no-name AHL throw-in who had no place on the big club. However, I can see why general manager Tom Fitzgerald has high hopes for him. He is a very fast skater with great passing ability. At only 22 years old, he was derailed in his development by an injury last season, playing in only eight AHL games. If he can refine his defensive skills, he could be a great third-pairing defenseman.
Although Kevin Bahl is likely to make the team out of camp for the third left-side spot, there should be some healthy competition with Hatakka and Brendan Smith in the mix. Hatakka got some NHL time with the Sharks in 2021-22 and sometimes played alongside Erik Karlsson. He had two assists in nine games, with one of them coming off a superb breakout pass to Logan Couture.
He impressed enough at development camp that Fitzgerald sent this text to his brother Scott, the Sharks’ director of Player personnel:
‘Why did you give us this guy? He looks good!”
– via New Jersey Hockey Now
Devils’ Exciting New Depth
The 2023 Vegas Golden Knights showed us that it is not always the most talented group that wins a championship but the group that has the most depth and fills its role adequately.
This year’s camp will showcase some all-time high compete levels, and cuts will be different with the new talent the team has added. Although none of these players will likely make the Devils’ opening-night roster, they all have the potential to become key pieces in a deep playoff run. There’s no such thing as too much depth, and New Jersey plans to use theirs to their advantage in 2023-24.
