No Vacancy | 10 TAKEAWAYS 1.9.24

There is no more vacancy at the Devils Infirmary. That, at least, is the vibe I'm putting out into the universe. There is no more room, so no one else can even consider knocking on the door. It's full. Now it's time to empty it.

But that is how it goes sometimes during a hockey season, a pileup of injuries requiring a team and players to fill an unexpected void. It's just something a team has to contend with and make the best of, with the latest addition being Jonas Siegenthaler after his foot was broken against the Canucks.

But it wasn't all tough news this past week for New Jersey, there's been lots of celebrate as well and things to make you laugh and smile. So let's have a look back on the week that was in this week's 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster.

1.

It was difficult to see Jack go down with injury again, especially when the play he was clearly injured on looked so innocuous. That's just the way it goes sometimes, unfortunately.

For Jack, Lindy Ruff said it's going to be a matter of weeks missed, not months, which is certainly encouraging. And what we know about Jack through his past injuries is that his drive to return and his insatiable desire to play never overrules getting fully healthy again. He takes care of himself, the team takes care of him and that, in the end, is always what will drive the timeline.

2.

With the way the schedule is playing out, there are only nine games between today and the All-Star Break. That could be a huge blessing at the end of the day when players recently hurt start getting healthy again. That takes us to 47 games played this season and 35 remaining.

Based on what Ruff said on Tuesday, Ondrej Palat and Tomas Nosek aren't exactly near a return, but Timo Meier is the closest of the injured players. So hopefully we see Meier, who has started skating on his own, rejoin practice in the near future.

3.

I happened to pass Jack on my way out of Prudential Center today. He's in good spirits, had his usual big smile on his face, and really that's all you can ask for from a player who is going through a recovery process. Have to take everything in stride.

4.

I wish I could have been there, but Brendan Smith's Kan Jam looked like such a fun time! I really cannot reiterate how important and how touched Smith was that all his teammates took one of their off days to support him. It really can't be underestimated what that means to someone, especially with how valuable those days off are.

From all the comments I've seen, it looked like the fans who were part of the event also had a great time, especially, I would imagine, the duo that was paired with Nathan Bastian, who took home the tournament championship!

5.

Watching this shift by Jonas Siegenthaler in person was insane. You could hear the clap of the puck striking his foot from all the way in the press box, it was loud and hammering. I don't think my initial thought was his foot must be broken, because he stayed on the ice for another 44 seconds until the shift ended (although he did try to get off, but the play ended up backing him into the defensive zone further). Your stomach kind of drops when you watch the replay and realize at the very tail end of the shift, he basically required the support of Elias Pettersson's body to try and stay upright. The second Pettersson skates away, Siegenthaler takes one stride with his skates, and the second his full weight was on his left foot he instantly collapsed and that was it.

When you watch it again and realize all he tried to do while on a broken foot, you instantly gain all that more appreciation for what type of athlete hockey players are.

6.

On the same night Jonas broke his foot, there was an incredible video about Siegenthaler that was featured during the game. It really is worth the watch, as he tells his story about being the first NHL player of Thai descent and the time he has spent throughout his life in Thailand.

Make sure you watch it here:

7.

There are only a few days left to help round out the 2024 NHL All-Star Roster! There are 12 spaces still up for grabs. Voting ends on Thursday and so far, there’s just one New Jersey Devil listed as a top vote-getter. That’s Luke Hughes with 192, 627 votes, good for 13th among skaters.

There are eight spots left on the All-Star roster for skaters, so get those fingers voting between now and Thurs. Jan 11 at 11:59 p.m. to try and send some of your favorite Devils to Toronto for the big showcase!

8.

Not directly Devils-related, but Martin Brodeur now has a new No. 2 to name.

Last week fellow Quebec goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury won his 551st NHL game, tying Patrick Roy for second most wins by a goaltender in NHL history. Of course, Marty holds the record with 691 and with one more win Fleury will overtake sole possession of No. 2 all-time.

Fleury may very well be the last goaltender in history to give Brodeur a ‘run for his money’ (whatever that means in the context of actually trying to reach 691 wins, Fleury needs 140 to get there and is 39 years old) for the record. Given the way the goaltending role has changed so dramatically over the last few decades, it’s become reliant on being a duo that the idea of anyone ever getting close to even Fleury/Roy at this moment seems like a real long shot.

The most wins of an active goaltender behind Fleury? That’s Jonathan Quick with his 384 wins. I’m going to take a wild guess and say even 551 isn’t going to happen again.

9.

Luke Hughes is keeping pace in the Top 3 for rookie scoring - and is tops amongst rookie defensemen - with 23 points this season. He’s behind Adam Fantatti (24 pts), Marco Rossi (24 pts) and Connor Bedard’s league-leading 33 points.

The next closest rookie defenseman in points to Luke is Minnesota’s Brock Faber sitting in 8th with 19 points.

And when it comes to being a Hughes and the other defenseman in his family, his eldest brother Quinn, Luke is keeping up the pace through the first 40 games of their careers. Quinn had two goals and 27 assists in his first 40 regular season games, while Luke has a total of 25 NHL points in his first 40 games with eight goals and 17 assists.

10.

John Marino is always the first player to leave the locker room to get ready to go on the ice for warmups. He's often standing there, focusing by himself, for at least a couple of minutes before anyone else appears.

So when he makes his way out of the locker room at Prudential Center, he's the first of the players to be greeted by the kids from the High-Five tunnel. They're waiting there with bated breath for the first sighting of a player - it's always John and he gets a rousing applause every time he steps out.

The funniest thing happened last week watching the moment Marino leaves the locker room... There were a couple of younger kids who were so excited to see John and as John was standing there, having already given high-fives, one of the kids tried to start a conversation that literally left me in tears.

"Hey Marino! How old are you?!"

The kid left zero time for John to even answer before the fan said "Are you 45?!"

The look on John's face was priceless. Tough crowd for Johnny.

I had to chime in that I'm definitely closer to 45 than John is!