The Devils announced Monday afternoon that the team has assigned blue-liner Santeri Hatakka to AHL Utica, indicating that Jonas Siegenthaler could be ready to return Tuesday after missing over two weeks with a concussion.
The move brings an end to Hatakka’s fourth recall of the season. Picked up from the Sharks in last year’s Timo Meier trade, Hatakka has provided New Jersey with some solid minutes when called upon to fill depth roles due to a rash of injuries on defense. The quick-footed left-shot defender has a solid 49.8 CF% at even strength, 1.9% better than his teammates without him, and two assists in 12 games this season. However, he hasn’t controlled possession quality despite some favorable offensive usage, logging a -1.7 expected rating.
Even with Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton unavailable, Hatakka’s role had dwindled over the past few days. He played just over five minutes in his last appearance on March 24 and was scratched in three of New Jersey’s last four games.
Hatakka had been on the NHL roster since March 13, when he was recalled under emergency conditions. On March 18, he was papered down to Utica for a brief period, and six days later, his emergency recall was converted into a standard one. That transaction burned the second of four allotted post-trade deadline standard recalls.
Barring further injuries, Hatakka will likely finish out the year in Utica. There, he has four goals, 13 assists and 17 points in 41 games with a +1 rating. He’ll provide reinforcements to a Utica team that’s three points out of a playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division, trailing Laval with two games in hand. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract and will need a new deal before July to avoid reaching restricted free agency.