Devils News & Rumors: Dillon Scratched, Evangelista & Brown Return, & More

The New Jersey Devils may be less than ten games into the 2026-27 season, but they’ve already earned a fascinating reputation for inconsistency. Special teams and 5-on-5 struggles persist, but they’ve also been an offensive juggernaut at times, paving the way for a 5-4-0 record. A silver lining is that they’ve scored the opening goal in their last four games — something they hadn’t achieved before their overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings.

They’ve already had to make adjustments without key players due to injury or illness. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has shuffled all four lines in response, yielding mixed results. 

This installment of news and rumors spotlights Brenden Dillon being a healthy scratch, Luke Evangelista and Connor Brown’s return to the lineup, and a few keys to improvement and consistency.

Dillon Scratched for Four Straight Games

Since joining the team as a free agent in 2024, Dillon has become a key veteran presence for the Devils, providing both physicality and grit. Entering the final year of his contract, the expectation was that he would skate on the bottom pairing, landing hits and blocking shots to help maintain stability on the blue line.

He skated alongside Declan Chisholm to start the season, after Johnathan Kovacevic missed time following knee surgery. Dillon played in all 82 games across two seasons with the Devils, so it came as a surprise when he was scratched for four straight contests upon Kovacevic’s return.

On Monday, Keefe provided an update regarding the decision, citing the importance of increasing Kovacevic’s workload, as well as developing Chisholm into an everyday player. “Dillon’s a guy that’s worked extremely hard in his career to establish himself in the league. He’s an important leader on our team, so to not have him involved wasn’t an easy discussion,” Keefe stated.

Another interesting development came from Elliotte Friedman on The FAN Hockey Show, where he reported that Dillon utilized his no-trade clause to veto a proposed trade in 2025-26. This season, his contract features a ten-team no-trade list, meaning his situation could change in the near future.

Evangelista & Brown Return

Last night’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche marked the return of Evangelista, along with Brown’s season debut. Evangelista missed three games due to illness, and Dawson Mercer skated on the top line in his absence. Brown, on the other hand, has been sidelined all season with a lower-body injury he sustained at practice in late September.

Both players looked sharp in their return to the Devils’ bench, but it was Evangelista who stole the show early on. He scored the opening goal 6:40 into the first period, firing a wrist shot past Scott Wedgewood. Evangelista added to his tally halfway through the second, assisting Chisholm’s goal that gave the Devils a 2-1 lead.

Brown spent 7:25 on the fourth line with Jesper Boqvist and Cody Glass against the Avalanche. Even though the trio recorded the least amount of ice time, the Boqvist-Glass-Brown line still made a significant impact. Brown even assisted Boqvist for an empty-net goal, allowing the Devils to take a three-goal lead.

Overall, fans should be excited to see what Brown can bring to the lineup this season. His first campaign in New Jersey resulted in tying his career-high of 43 points — even after missing seven games — and the hope is that he will become a reliable bottom-six scorer.

Keys to Consistency & Improvement

While it’s definitely not time to hit the panic button yet, there are plenty of things that the Devils must improve in order to become a tougher opponent. Whether it be landing more hits, winning puck battles, or easing pressure in front of their own net, the team must develop better habits early on this season.

Let it be known that generating scoring chances is not their issue. The Devils currently rank third in the league in shot attempts (665), but they’ve allowed 30 goals against compared to 29 for, per Natural Stat Trick. However, 5-on-5 is where they struggle to convert these scoring chances into goals — an all too familiar issue that has plagued the Devils for the last few seasons.

Their 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals was a perfect example. Even though the Devils scored the first goal, they were unable to claw their way back from a deficit, instead allowing their opponent to score four straight. Keefe said it best in his postgame conference, telling the media, “I don’t know if we won a puck battle the entire second period…We’re just on our heels in terms of one guy allowing someone to beat us and get by us.” 

No lines or pairings today for #NJDevils. There was a ton of drills and plays forcing players to be aggressive on pucks, ending plays quickly and taking out bodies in the corners. All the things HC Keefe said were severely lacking in Washington.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 19, 2026

To ramp up urgency, the team ran extensive drills at practice on Monday, with the goal of raising overall aggression. Luckily, their hard work paid off, resulting in a 4-3 win over the Avalanche on Tuesday night. Even when their opponent struck twice in the final minutes of the game, the Devils were defensively assertive, holding on for a much-needed win.