The New Jersey Devils hit the ice in North America for the first time since sweeping the Buffalo Sabres in Prague. The practice was unconventional, with head coach Sheldon Keefe separating the defensemen and goaltenders from the forwards. The defensemen and goalies went on the ice first, followed by the forwards.
For the first time this season, injured star defenseman participated in practice, wearing a non-contact jersey. Hughes is anticipated to return in early November after suffering a shoulder injury in the offseason. His presence on the ice is a promising sign, as he appears to be focusing on his conditioning ahead of his comeback.
Another encouraging development on Tuesday morning was the presence of Brett Pesce. The veteran Devils defenseman, who didn’t travel to Prague and missed the first two games of the season, participated fully in practice in a regular jersey.
The goal prior to Prague was to have Pesce ready for the season opener on October 10th, but the Devils’ head coach indicated that this is now unlikely.
“[Pesce and Hughes’] status is the same,” Keefe said on Tuesday morning. “They’re both continuing their work. They have different injuries, so they can do different things on the ice, but neither is ready to return yet.”
Tuesday’s Devils Practice Group 1
Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, Seamus Casey, Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec, Brenden Dillon, Luke Hughes (in a non-contact jersey), Dougie Hamilton, Jacob Markstrom, and Jake Allen were all part of the practice. Additionally, Adam Beckman participated separately from the defensemen and goaltenders.
Practice Group 2
Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Kurtis MacDermid, Nico Hischier, Nathan Bastian, Erik Haula, Paul Cotter, Stefan Noesen, Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt, Curtis Lazar, and Tomas Tatar are all on the roster.
For the time being, it looks like the Devils will maintain the same lines and defensive pairings they used during the Global Series in Prague. When the roster was announced on Monday, Seamus Casey remained with the team, and New Jersey is operating with 21 healthy players, while a few are on injured reserve.
It seems likely that Casey will continue with the team. Depending on the recovery timelines for the injured defensemen, including Santeri Hatakka, Casey’s stay with the main roster may be longer than initially expected.
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