Things are getting real again.
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils versus the New York Rangers
The Time: 1:00 PM ET
The Broadcast: Local TV — MSGSN, Devils Hockey Radio
Camp Battles?
The biggest thing worth following in the preseason, other than hoping for good health, is determining which players on the team earn depth spots. The New Jersey Devils are playing this preseason with some question marks in their forward group. Discussed most commonly among fans, these games will help Sheldon Keefe pick his preferred fourth line center, as it seems the team currently plans on having Cody Glass play on the third line, while Dawson Mercer is at wing in the top six.
Out of that first practice group, Marc McLaughlin is the candidate to make the roster as a depth center. In the AHL last season, McLaughlin had five goals and 15 assists in 50 games between the Providence Bruins (34 games) and the Utica Comets. In the NHL, he had two goals and an assist in 14 games between the Bruins (12 games) and Devils. McLaughlin has never been a big scorer, topping out at 30 points in Providence in 2022-23. Now 26 years old, McLaughlin has to prove that he is better than the guys on PTOs despite his limited offense.
Group Two features the three other obvious candidates for fourth line center, though I would say there are two more on the wings who should get a shot. Juho Lammikko (the youngest, coming off the most playing time in Europe), Luke Glendening (the best faceoff man, and a righty), and Kevin Rooney (the former Devil, a bit younger than Glendening, and a good penalty killer) are vying for that fourth line role to start the season. Additionally, Angus Crookshank and Thomas Bordeleau have played center professionally before, so I would hope that the team considers them, as well, despite their more skilled and offensive games. Amanda Stein also said that Sheldon Keefe confirmed this second group is the closest practice group to the players you will see on the ice today. So, we are really getting right into it.
Defensively, things should be simpler. The Devils will have their starting six once Luke Hughes is signed. But who will be the seventh defenseman while Johnny Kovacevic is recovering from his long-term injury? Seamus Casey is certainly the most talented, but I am not sure whether the team would see it as the best idea to have him ride along in the press box on most nights rather than play 22 minutes a night in Utica. Out of Practice Group 1, you would have Topias Vilen and Mikael Diotte trying to show what they can do to earn a depth role. Out of Practice Group 2, excluding Casey, seventh defenseman candidates include Dennis Cholowski, Ethan Edwards, Colton White, and Calen Addison.
Last season, I was not impressed with Cholowski in a Devils uniform, though hopefully things will be different now that it is his second year with Sheldon Keefe. I have high hopes for Ethan Edwards, who seems to play a lot bigger than his frame, and with plenty of speed. However, Edwards may be in the same territory as Seamus Casey in terms of benefiting more from ice time in Utica rather than holding a press box role. I enjoy seeing Colton White on occasion, and I never feel like he embarrasses himself, so I think he would be a good option as a depth defenseman. And Calen Addison showed a lot of promise as a third-pairing, second power play option in Minnesota a few years ago, so he may be a good reclamation project for the team.
The Rangers Side
Like the Devils, Mike Sullivan will has said that he does not plan on icing many veterans in the game this afternoon. The Rangers just made cuts from their camp roster yesterday, so this game may very well help them determine who else can move on to their AHL camp. Vince Mercogliano also reports that Artemi Panarin has been out a couple days with a lower-body injury, so Sullivan has an extra reason to hold his veterans out of these pre-season games.
The Rangers keeping their veterans healthy should be their top priority. Their core is one of the older ones in the league, and they are fighting this year to avoid a repeat offense of missing the playoffs. Depth-wise, they are looking for Juuso Parssinen to take a step forward, possibly as a third-line center. Parssinen had a nice run with five points in 11 games as a Ranger last year, but has 53 points in 137 career games, mostly with Nashville. Peter Baugh noted that Sullivan has marked Zibanejad for the wing this season, so Parssinen’s development is rather important to them.
Whoever lines up for the Rangers today, I hope that the Devils play fast hockey and light the lamp plenty of times. There are a lot of guys in the Devils’ expected lineup today who are fighting for jobs, and some (Rooney, Glendening) possibly fighting for the continuation of their NHL careers on their PTOs. And, if Nico Daws ends up in net, I hope he has an excellent game. He is very much an NHL backup-caliber goalie, at the very least, and he needs to play his way into whatever situation is best for him at this point as he enters what should be his athletic prime. If that means the Devils have to trade him before the season begins, so be it — I am simply unsure of whether someone like Daws could pass through waivers. Last season, he had a .939 save percentage in six games and four starts in the NHL, earning one shutout with a 3-1-0 record. If we see that Daws today, I would be thrilled.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of today’s game? Will you be watching? Who are you rooting for to make the team? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.