Devils Notebook
Devils Notebook: Brown Works With Hughes; Injured Forward Return Nearing
A Devils forward appears nearing a return, Connor Brown skates with Jack Hughes, which is a noteworthy development to keep an eye on.
The New Jersey Devils got back to work on Monday after an off day Sunday following their victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
READ MORE: 3 Early Red Flags For Devils Despite Strong Start
The Devils are 4-1-0 to start the season, and have put themselves in the conversation as an early wagon candidate. Yet, they still have a few kinks to work out, which has been emphasized by head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Practicing taking few penalties and starting games faster is, perhaps, not all that possible. Yet, it was another business-like approach on the ice a day before the Devils face the Toronto Maple Leafs in a quick road matchup before they return home to face the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
On Monday morning, it appeared as though one of the Devils’ injured forwards return could happen this week. Stefan Noesen worked exclusively with New Jersey’s fourth line alongside Luke Glendening and Paul Cotter. That spot was previously filled by Brian Halonen, who took reps as the extra defenseman alongside Dennis Cholowski.
Otherwise, no surprises in the early goings of practice. Here’s how the lines looked:
Devils Lines Oct. 20th
Forwards
Ondrej Palat – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer
Arseny Gritsyuk – Cody Glass – Connor Brown
Paul Cotter – Lucas Glendening – Stefan Noesen
Defensemen
Luke Hughes – Brett Pesce
Dougie Hamilton – Jonas Siegenthaler
Brenden Dillon – Simon Nemec
Dennis Cholowski – (Brian Halonen)
Goaltenders
Jake Allen
A Development to Keep an Eye On
There was one interesting development to keep an eye on during power play drills. The forward group was working in a unit of five, with just four defenders on the ice. However, the blueline was Brenden Dillon and Simon Nemec, while the forwards were Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Connor Brown.
We’re not suggesting that means anything yet, other than perhaps a late-game trio of forwards who could be on the ice to preserve a lead.
But, it’s certainly noteworthy to see Brown elevated with Hughes and Bratt on the first line.
