The New Jersey Devils concluded their 2025 preseason on Sunday in a 4-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Through seven games, the Devils posted a 3-2-2 record. Next up on the schedule is the regular season opener in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes. So, what might the roster be, and what will the lineup look like on October 9th?
READ MORE: Devils’ Star Defenseman Spills on Quinn Hughes’ Advice, Teaming Up
The Devils still have some decisions to make between now and then. General manager Tom Fitzgerald and head coach Sheldon Keefe will need to sit down and sort who remains at the varsity level, and who will head down to the American Hockey League. Plus, let’s not forget about those three players on a professional tryout contract (PTO). As of Saturday, 39 players remained in training camp.
Keefe has been quite open, thorough, and honest all training camp. If you’ve been listening, you could probably assess what the lineup card will look like when the puck drops on Thursday.
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Evgenii Dadonov | Jack Hughes | Jesper Bratt |
| Timo Meier | Nico Hischier | Dawson Mercer |
| Ondrej Palat | Cody Glass | Connor Brown |
| Paul Cotter | Luke Glendening | Arseny Gritsyuk |
| Shane Lachance*** | Season Opening Injured Reserve* | Stefan Noesen* |
| Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | Dougie Hamilton |
| Luke Hughes | Brett Pesce |
| Brenden Dillon | Simon Nemec |
| Dennis Cholowski | |
| Long-Term Injured Reserve** | Johnathan Kovacevic** |
| Goaltenders | |
| Jacob Markstrom | |
| Jake Allen |
Notable Final Cuts: Lenni Hameenaho, Nathan Légaré, Ethan Edwards, Nico Daws
***Per Arthur Staple
Devils’ Top-Six
There are no surprises in the Devils’ top-six. Led by Jack Hughes, he’s flanked by whom he’s been surrounded with throughout training camp in Jesper Bratt and Evgenii Dadonov. The trio of forwards has shown building chemistry, flashes of skill, and there’s plenty of speed to burn.
Everyone knows what they’re getting in Hughes and Bratt. The hope is that Dadonov can be like what Tyler Toffoli was two seasons ago, and finish the chances created by the Devils’ elite players. The Devils’ top-line combined for a goal and six assists in three preseason games.
On the second line, this looks familiar as well. Nico Hischier and Timo Meier are inseparable at this point, and they’re flanked by Dawson Mercer. Hischier is an elite two-way forward with 30-plus goal capability, and shutdown defensive prowess in the other two zones. Meier is the motor, transitioning the puck and controlling the pace of play. He also has 30-goal capability, while also digging pucks out of the dirty areas and plays a disruptor at the top of the oppositions crease.
Mercer is an intriguing mix of Hischier and Meier’s capabilities, winning defensive matchups, but also has a nose for the net and can clean up rebounds. New Jersey’s brass certainly hopes for a breakout season from the 23-year-old forward, who nearly tucked 30 goals in 2022-23.
The Devils’ second line combined for four goals and four assists in three preseason tilts.
Devils’ Third Line
This is a brand-new look for the Devils, and it’s shown well in the preseason. The Devils will roll with Cody Glass centering Ondrej Palat and Connor Brown. This line brings a little bit of everything. The newest Devil on the line, Brown, has the speed and skill to be effective in all zones. He’s a former multi-20-goal scorer with speed to burn and is a plenty capable checking forward. He’ll be the motor that drives the line, while Glass covers most of the defensive responsibilities. The Devils are hopeful that Glass, a former sixth overall pick in the NHL Draft, has some untapped offensive potential to contribute this season.
At this point, Palat’s $6 million average annual value no longer looks so bad with the rising cap. He’s an effective checking forward that, if he can provide 15 goals from the third line, will offer enough value in all three zones it could justify his worth. There is speculation that he could be a trade candidate in the future, but until then, he’s built some solid chemistry with Glass and Brown, and the trio could certainly be one of the more impactful third lines in the NHL if they each reach their potential.
We’ll see how Stefan Noesen factors in here once he returns from injury.
Devils’ Fourth Line
This is the line that everyone is both excited, yet skeptical about. I saw skeptical because Arseny Gritsyuk makes up 1/3 of this line. He’s built obvious chemistry with Paul Cotter, who is on the other wing, and is centered by Luke Glendening who puts a nice defensive touch on the exciting new trio.
Outside of the skepticism over whether Gritsyuk will move up in the lineup or not, Keefe has already expressed his excitement to deploy this “unique” trio, with the thought that they could draw some mismatches due to their scoring ability. And yes, we’re working here under the assumption that Glendening wins a contract on his PTO.
READ MORE: How the Devils’ New-Look Fourth Line is ‘Unique’ & Making an Impact
Familiar Defense
Like the Devils’ top-six, if this looks familiar, that’s because it should. Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler are back together as the Devils’ top line. Last season, Siegenthaler spent most of the year with Johnathan Kovacevic as his partner, and they created one of the top defensive pairings in the entire NHL.
Yet, Kovacevic is likely headed for LTIR, and isn’t expected back until after the New Year.
Thus, the duo of Siegenthaler-Hamilton is back, providing a healthy mix of defensive responsibility, and offense from the blueline.
Luke Hughes finally ended the holdout, so he’ll line up next to his usual partner from last season, Brett Pesce. That is, if Pesce doesn’t miss any time after he became injured in the Devils’ last preseason game against the Rangers. He skated on his own on Friday, but no update has been provided on his status since.
And last, but certainly not least, is Brenden Dillon skating with Simon Nemec. Dillon has been a solid veteran presence next to Nemec who has boosted his value tenfold. The Slovakian blueliner has come into camp looking confident and sharp. He’s made quick, effective decisions since day one, looks physically bigger and stronger, and no longer appears to be questioning himself on the ice. It’s a huge development for the Devils as they have a potential partner for top blueline duties with Hughes in the future.
Dennis Cholowski makes the cut as the most veteran seventh defenseman available. Seamus Casey’s status remains hanging in the balance, but Keefe explained we might not see him on skates for a while as he nurses a lower-body injury. Unfortunate, as he showed well in the preseason. As for Ethan Edwards, he’ll be better served skating top-pair minutes in Utica, and recalled as needed.
Devils’ Goaltending
C’mon, you already know what this is about. The Devils’ goaltending hasn’t been so well positioned in years, and there’s nothing that’s going to change it up aside from an injury.
Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen return as the reliable netminders who border on elite status. The duo can steal games and help the Devils get deep into the postseason.
Nico Daws is a waiver claim candidate, so we’ll see if he makes it through.
Look out for Georgii Romanov, who also impressed the Devils’ management in training camp. A two-way contract should be no surprise here.
