New Jersey Devils Stock Up/Stock Down: ‘We Came for Two’ Edition

How about that start to the season! Since our last New Jersey Devils stock up/stock down, the team plowed through a condensed preseason before setting off to Prague to start the season. Face to face against the former head coach Lindy Ruff, the Devils made it a Sabres sweep to open the season. By way of 4-1 and 3-1 wins, the Devils return home from Europe with all the confidence in the world.

Devils Stock Up/Stock Down

Stock Up

Sheldon Keefe

There was a lot of hype surrounding the hiring of Sheldon Keefe and his subsequent impact on the Devils, but through the opening two games, he’s shown that he can get this group to buy in. Keefe admitted that the preseason hadn’t gone the way he had hoped, but after a strong week of practice in Prague, the group was ready. It was evident from the opening puck drop that the Devils had bought into Keefe’s identity of puck pressure and sprinting to spots. They swarmed the Sabres for the majority of the 120 minutes of play, and as Keefe said, “We didn’t just come here for one. We came for two.”

“We didn’t just come here for one. We came for two.”#NJDevils | #NHLGlobalSeries | @prudential pic.twitter.com/Y4q4PIs1Jn

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 4, 2024

Stock Down

The Power Play

There wasn’t much to be down on after a successful weekend, but if there was one thing that needs improvement in the future, it’s the power play. They went 1-6 on the man advantage but failed to capitalize on good scoring chances. There are noticeable changes to how the power play is run: more rotation between players and no longer relying on the slingshot method to enter the zone, but it’s not crisp yet. It was the second PP unit that scored the goal, simply by getting the puck low to high and getting a shot off. Fortunately, it’s early, and the Devils have too much talent on the PP for it not to be successful.

Stock Up

Seamus Casey

No single player’s stock is higher than Seamus Casey’s. While injuries to other defensemen certainly helped, Casey put together a tremendous camp and rightfully made the opening night roster off merit. Throughout preseason and the opening two games, Casey displayed his masterful skating and puck skills that made him such a highly touted prospect. And after a good but quiet first game, Casey scored the Devils lone PP goal this weekend. A wonderful toe drag to open up space before firing a shot bar down tied the game at 1-1, and the Devils were in control from then on out. With Brett Pesce returning from injury soon, it remains to be seen if Casey stays in the lineup, but he’s certainly made the decision hard on Keefe.

Seamus Casey, welcome to the show 🔥

First NHL goal for the kid 🚨 pic.twitter.com/f0WDFCQjuJ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 5, 2024

Stock Down

Waiver Send-Downs

The Devils made their final round of cuts on Sunday, sending down the extra men that came with the team to Prague. Amongst those were forward Nolan Foote and Nick DeSimone. Those two, in particular, were squarely in the mix for roster spots, even if they were as depth, but now find themselves going through waivers and reporting to Utica. There was once hope for Foote and that he could develop into a big body for the bottom-six. However, his skating didn’t get to the level it needed to be, and his game didn’t adapt enough to play fourth line. As for DeSimone, he was a victim of Casey having a stellar camp. A subpar preseason didn’t help his case, but even as a seventh or eighth defenseman, there was hope for him. Chances are both men receive call-ups at some point due to injury, but it’s a tough blow for two guys who had the chance to win spots.

The #NJDevils' latest waiver transactions are indicative of Seamus Casey's future and the 23-man roster.

Here's how I see things shaking out, plus some clarification on some asking if Casey is a slide candidate or not⤵️https://t.co/WbxGnprWzM

— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) October 7, 2024

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