The New Jersey Devils just keep winning games; nine of their last 12 to be exact. Unfortunately for them, it’s too little, too late. Even with this recent surge, they have just a 0.5% chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to Moneypuck.
With that being said, many of the positives from this stretch can carry over into next season. While the games may be “meaningless” standings-wise, they could prove crucial for the long haul.
Related: Devils’ Prospect Stock Market: Louhivaara, Silayev & More
In this edition of Devils News & Rumors, we discuss a rumor regarding Anton Silayev’s timeline, Nico Daws‘ latest record, and what we know about Arseny Gritsyuk’s injury.
Anton Silayev Not Coming Over Yet?
After the Devils drafted the 6-foot-7 defenseman Silayev at #10 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, excitement was aplenty. Since, he’s only seemed to move backwards in his development.
It’s almost impossible to tell how much of that is simply due to mismanagement by his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) team; his ice time (TOI) plummeted dramatically from last season. In the playoffs, his TOI has skyrocketed upwards, which just adds to the peculiarity of the whole situation.
It’s not uncommon for KHL players with interest in coming over to North America to have their ice time tinkered with when it shouldn’t be. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reported that “the Devils are working to have him available for 2026-27.”
However, a source familiar with the KHL claimed there’s “a very high chance” that he’ll remain in the KHL. Take it with a grain of salt, but that would be disastrous for the Devils, who need to get him over ASAP in order to make sure his development isn’t hindered further.
Per Artur Khairullin: "The rumors that Anton Silayev will sign with #NJDevils are just rumors. As far as I know, there's a very high chance that he will stay with Torpedo."
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) March 25, 2026
Nico Daws’ Record in Utica
With a tremendous 33-save effort in a 2-1 shootout victory for the Utica Comets, Daws became the Utica Comets‘ Franchise Wins Leader with 56 wins. For the American Hockey League (AHL) season, Daws is 13-16-10 with a 2.93 goals against average (GAA) and .888 save percentage (SV%).
Daws has always been a bit of a peculiar case in the sense that he seems to perform better at the NHL level than the AHL.
“I don’t know enough firsthand of what goes on at the AHL level there, but he’s done a nice job here [in the NHL],” said head coach Sheldon Keedfe earlier in the season. “I think our guys have done a good job of kind of simplifying the game (…) which perhaps suits him, and it’s more structured. The guys have defended him well, but at the same time between tonight and last season, I can recall numerous times where we have breakdowns and he’s got to come up with a big save in a key moment, and he’s done that. So I’m obviously most concerned about what happens when he’s here and in our net, and he’s done a good job.”
In his last 10 NHL games, Daws has a 1.37 GAA and .947 SV%. With Allen and Markstrom healthy, there just isn’t room for him at the moment.
Arseny Gritsyuk’s Injury
Gritsyuk turned in a nice performance in the Devils’ win against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, notching an assist with a plus-2 rating. However, he was injured late in the contest.
According to team reporter Amanda Stein, “will not play the remainder of the #NJDevils road trip, or the game vs [Carolina] on Sunday. [Head coach Sheldon] Keefe says they’ll have a better idea on a timeline once we return home, but for now is considered week-to-week.”
In their following contest — a win against Nashville, Lenni Hameenaho slotted into Gritsyuk’s spot on the second power play unit. With the expanded role, he saw 21 shifts in that contest — the second-most of any game in his young career, trailing only Jan. 29.
Gritsyuk was really starting to find his stride; the Devils will hope he returns sooner than later.
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