James Nichols
Besides clinching a playoff spot, Simon Nemec’s deployment will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch down the stretch of the New Jersey Devils’ season. He remains with the varsity squad despite having been eligible for reassignment, like Seamus Casey was. Yet, he remains with the varsity club, and a clouded future. How will this play out?
More on that in the links.
Elsewhere, Brad Marchand goes through a series of emotions, a shocking NHL suspension, and did Mikko Rantanen lead on Carolina?
Let’s do that hockey.
Devils News
New Jersey Hockey Now: It wasn’t surprising to see general manager Tom Fitzgerald extend Johnathan Kovacevic a contract extension. It was, however, surprising to see how much term he handed the 27-year-old. Now that Kovacevic is in the fold for the next five years, and the rest of the blueline on the right side is locked up as well, it puts Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey’s Devils future in question.
New Jersey Hockey Now +
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Luke Schenn’s preference at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline was to be moved to a contender. Instead, he was moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins. So just how did Kyle Dubas manage to pull off reeling him in, and then upgrading the pick he dealt for Schenn in the first place?
Boston Hockey Now: It was certainly an awkward sight when Brad Marchand wore colors that didn’t represent the Boston Bruins. Accepting his new reality, the ex-Bruins captain stood in front of Florida Panthers media and laughed, cried, and reflected on his past, present, and future.
Florida Hockey Now: Speaking of the Florida Panthers, some breaking news on Monday night shocked the NHL world. Cats defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended a whopping 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He then put out a statement owning up to the innocent mistake.
Courtesy of the @NHLPA, Aaron Ekblad explains his violation of the NHL's performance enhancing substance program: pic.twitter.com/WnTd15elbc
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 10, 2025
Sportsnet: Well, this was a wild turn of events. From the moment he was traded from the Colorado Avalanche, Mikko Rantanen knew exactly where he wouldn’t want to be long-term, and Carolina was one of those teams.
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