Game showdown: New Jersey Devils (22-20-2) vs. Winnipeg Jets (16-22-5).
time: 2:00 p.m. (ET)
broadcast: TV – MSGSN. Broadcasting – Devils Hockey Radio Network
Hamilton scratched, Kovacevic back
That’s the big news today, isn’t it? Tom Fitzgerald, who has been criticized numerous times by Devils beat writers and now even hockey writers at large for his cap and roster management of the team, is walking the talk. Even though the Devils have the worst offense in hockey right now, the big joint plan between the two guys in charge of the team is to scratch Dougie Hamilton so that Johnny Kovacevic, Brett Pace, and Simon Nemec can play on the right side.
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Is there any responsibility for a highly paid forward like Ondrej Pratt who doesn’t score? No.
Do failed lockout defenders like Jonas Siegenthaler bear any responsibility? No.
Do two of the worst forwards in the league, Luke Glendening and Paul Cote, need to be held accountable? No.
Is Jacob Markstrom and his .878 save percentage to blame? No.
It would be better if there was no apparent coordination in their statements on the matter. Is this Keefe actually putting a guy on the bench to deliver a message that shakes up the room and getting some players back into the lineup from injury, or is this Fitzgerald trying to save one or two of their laggards by forcing Hamilton to waive his no-trade clause? Here is part of Keefe’s statement:
Here’s Fitz’s statement to Pierre LeBrun, itself an uncharacteristically hostile response to Dougie’s agent:
“As you know, we just put Nemec back into the lineup on Thursday. He’s a young guy and we’re hoping he can get back to playing and he was our best defender before he got hurt. Pace’s performance speaks for itself and he’s not going anywhere. And having Kovacevic back gives our lineup that spark we’re looking for, he was our best defensive back last year. That’s the lineup we want right now. It’s just Dougie being weird that our right wing is fully healthy for the first time this year and that’s the business of our lineup!”
I might even agree with it if I didn’t delve too deeply into what contributes to the New Jersey Devils’ complete lack of offense, which mainly centers on the non-Hamilton defense’s complete inability to initiate offense, while the forwards not only failed to finish off their opportunities, but had no anticipation and didn’t make enough defensive contributions when not scoring although Keefe’s ultra-conservative style of hockey is characterized by forwards working with defensemen at the point of possession for low-danger shot attempts, rather than activating defensemen to create high-danger chances in the offensive zone. There, I referenced HockeyViz’s shot-percentage chart, which showed that the Devils relied so heavily on center field goals that their midfield shots were likely to be stopped because their shots were too directly into the goalie, allowing the goalkeeper to maintain his shooting stance.
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When you remove Dougie from the equation, it’s even worse…worse. Go read that article and look at the first referenced lens chart. So please read on.
Considering that young offensive defensemen like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec have played very, very little time with Dougie Hamilton or anyone else this season, you might be justified in thinking that Sheldon Keefe needs to set up a puck system that can generate offense regardless of the defensive pairing on the ice. But that didn’t happen: The Devils only got high-danger chances when Douglas Jonathan Hamilton was on the ice. While Luke Hughes continues to show promise on the power play, he hasn’t been where he should be (although he scored on Dougie’s pass rush Thursday night), Simon Nemec has been their least effective power play quarterback and has been someone the coaching staff has been trying to return. So, it’s not just a five-on-five issue.
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Does this mean I’m not happy to see Johnny Kovacevic back playing hockey for the New Jersey Devils? No, absolutely not. Kovacevic was outstanding for the Devils last season.
However, my concerns are:
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Hamilton suffered his second knee injury of the season in 2025, and after Jack Hughes cut his hand at a steakhouse, his scoring and physical fitness dropped significantly upon his return.
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Pace injured his hand during a shooting contest in Colorado and has been making turnovers left and right since his sudden comeback in December when the team struggled.
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Nemec was injured in December and his schedule was pushed back from his initial hope of being before the new year. Nemec was thrust back into the lineup in a practice last week after a strong performance from Colton White, and on Thursday night Nemec quickly gave up a very poor goal against a player outside the zone (and Dougie helped create a PPG).
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Kovacevic is recovering from major knee surgery that occurred in May 2025, possibly on his ACL (although the exact circumstances have not been disclosed). Under a conservative ACL recovery timeline, he would return to NHL play sometime between February and May. They could have put him through AHL training to get his body used to game-level contact, but he didn’t.
I’m worried that Johnny Kovacevic won’t look like himself when he comes back this afternoon. This is one with no preseason, no training camp, not even scrimmages. He jumped out of rehab into a full-tilt game against another team lingering in the conference basement hungry for a win. I wish the best for Kovacevic, who was a solid defender next to Jonas Siegenthaler last season.
On a hockey level, Keefe is right, he’s very effective at stopping rushes and shutting down opposing offenses with his positioning and physicality. He was 100% correct that Kovacevic was strong there. The problem is, without Dougie, the Devils don’t have an above-average player on their blue line. The Devils blue line even No Dougie’s salary is very high, and Jonas Siegenthaler makes the least besides Nemec (who is still on an entry-level contract) at $3.4 million.
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But what if Kovacevic isn’t ready for the speed of the NHL game? It can get ugly.
For their jobs, Keefe and Fitz better hope the right back looks great today to get the win. If not, if they suit up for Kovacevic again tomorrow in a back-to-back game against Minnesota, Minnesota has traded one person He’ll be Dougie Hamilton’s replacement if a deal can be finalized…keep an eye out for the Devils when they return to Prudential Center next week. The Devils need to win these games to make the playoffs, but when Fitzgerald made that statement to LeBrun yesterday, he practically danced on a pile of broken glass.
Good news: Dadonov is back. Bad news: Noesen undergoes surgery
In addition to Jonny Kovacevic, Evgeny Dadonov will also return after a long absence from the team. We all remember Dadonov was injured early in the season, returned a few weeks later, and looked like he would be out for another month. Lo and behold, Dadonov was injured again and had only played in five games before this afternoon. He’ll finish in the top six behind Dawson Mercer, while Stefan Northam left the lineup to undergo knee surgery because of an issue that’s been nagging him At least This season, if not since last season, although he also underwent groin surgery late in the offseason. Northam, of course, provided the movement and leaping cover that set up Luke Hughes’ power-play goal on Thursday after catching a pass from Dougie Hamilton. Hopefully Dadonov is really ready to return this time and won’t be back on the shelves again. Despite his smaller size, the Devils desperately need his speed and willingness to go to the net.
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Today’s goal: win
The demons have no choice. Mere effort is not enough. They need to win for the table and jobs.
your thoughts
What do you think of today’s game? Will the team’s top brass respond positively to yesterday’s drama? Or will Tom Fitzgerald follow Chris Drury’s mistake across the river and further divide the team? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below and thank you for reading.