Holiday Surprise | 10 TAKEAWAYS

Truly, what could have been a greater holiday gift than the return of three very important players to the Devils' lineup?

On the final night of Hanukkah, the gift of additional light was delivered to the New Jersey Devils in the form of Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, and Arseny Gritsyuk, three players who are foundational pieces of this team. It’s not every day that, in one fell swoop, a club effectively gets back the equivalent of an entire top-six line, and the timing of it all felt like a perfect holiday surprise.

Getting that many impact players back at once, and just before a rare three-day break in the schedule, couldn’t have been scripted much better. The Devils are able to reinsert elite talent into the lineup while also allowing those players time to settle in, recover, and reset before the grind resumes. Instead of scrambling to ease one player back at a time, New Jersey suddenly finds itself whole, or at least much closer to it, at a pivotal moment of the season.

Beyond the obvious boost in talent and production, their return reshapes the lineup, brings more balance throughout the forward group, and injects a renewed sense of energy into the room. Suddenly, the Devils look far closer to the team they envisioned when the season began. Lines that had been stretched thin can breathe again, and the ripple effect is felt from the top of the lineup all the way down.

And the good news may not stop there. With additional players still heading toward returns from injury, the Devils appear poised to welcome even more reinforcements in the near future... another reason for optimism as the calendar turns. We’ll dig into what that could mean, and more, in this edition of 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster.

1.

Could it have been any more fitting that Jack Hughes riffled off the shot he did to make his grand return to the game?

After the game, I asked him if it was a reminder of how much he missed playing. And while I did let out a bit of a laugh when he talked about sitting on his couch being the time when you realize it most, Jack really meant it. And you could see it in the way not only he played, but how he responded to the question.

This is where he’s meant to be. A driving force of an NHL team. And doing it masterfully.

First game back, first shot back, first goal back.

It’s so very Jack Hughes of him.

2.

It’s remarkable to me (though unsurprising) just how loved and well respected Brenden Dillon is around the league. I saw one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen in a while when we were in Vegas (and you can see some remarkable things in Vegas!).

There’s quite a long walking and tunnel that players have to go through to get from the visitors room onto the ice for warmups and it requires quite a bit of security along the way. After I take my lineup picture on the bench, I leave the bench area and go stand off to the side to make the final edits and make sure everything is correct before I head up to the press box. Well, this time, I was standing at the end of the long tunnel and I could hear a gathering beside me of about five security guards talking about Brenden Dillon. They had forgotten that he was now with New Jersey and was likely on the ice for warmups.

All they could talk about amongst themselves was how much they loved him and wanted to make sure they said hello before the team left. Well, out comes Dillon from the ice and down the long tunnel, and next thing I know, there’s Brenden with his arms in the air, that classic grin on his face and saying ‘Fellas!’ to all the gentlemen waiting at the end of the tunnel. Remarkable really.

He stopped to give them each a hello, they all congratulated him on his 1000 games, and asked about his family, how they were doing.

Brenden did the same.

It was pretty amazing to see the levels of connection that Brenden creates with people all around the league.

3.

I forgot to share this great story about Cody Glass that truly made me laugh. When he was talking to me about his grandmother Judy, and growing up in her home as a kid, he spoke so lovingly about her, but also about how she had rules and she stuck to them. She was a fan, Glass said, of tough love.

I asked him if he remembered a time when he crossed her and suffered the consequences.

It spurred this memory... a story about strawberries:

“There was on time where I said, jokingly, that I hated her. That did not go well. I immediately saw it in her face that she was very disappointed. And I was basically sucking up to her for probably a good five hours, telling her I was so sorry, I’ll never say that again. She ended up giving in, but that was definitely the last time I crossed her. She was threatening… and it was the stupidest thing ever, to not give me… she used to give me strawberries with sugar, and she was like, ‘No sugar on your strawberries this time.’ and I was like ‘I hate you!’ and she was really, really going to give it to me. That’s one of the things I loved so much about her. She loved the tough love."

4.

Things that make me feel crazy old: When a player you’re covering talks about Mikko Rantanen being the player they “grew up watching”. I don’t even want to tell you how many years older I am than Rantanen.

Anyways, that happens to be the case for Devils prospect Lenni Hämeenaho.

Lenni has really started to find his stride in Utah after a slow-ish start. But it takes a lot for a player to come to a new country and make all the necessary adjustments to just feel comfortable.

As of early December, he’s found a bit more of stride in his game, and it’s clear he’s beginning to really grasp the North American game.

Here’s a good feature from the Utica Comets on Lenni and how he’s adjusting to life in North America.

5.

Nice little touch on the MSG broadcast on Sunday night… as part of the Jersey jersey, bye-bye tour, they switched up their in-game graphics:

6.

I had several people comment on my tweet earlier this week about the Devils taking a travel day to Long Island. Of course, I understood the jokes that come with it, but I also figured here would be a good place to explain how some of this works behind the scenes.

In the NHL, media availability is not required if players/coaches are not on the ice that day. And so, when considered a ‘Travel Day, ’ players are not on the ice, and thus it’s regarded as a day with no media availability. That’s not to say, however, that on those days, though not always, players aren’t at the arena, they often are, with the coaching staff holding team meetings, doing video work etc. So, it’s not necessarily to be considered a day off, so to speak… at least for the players! But it is for the media!

Just thought I’d provide a bit of that insight, which isn’t always clear to those on the outside!

7.

Brett Pesce’s answer to how did it feel to get back out there after nearly two months off? “Felt like I got hit by a bus.”

8.

Congratulations are in order for John MacLean who will be inducted into the New Jersey Devils Ring of Honor! That ceremony will happen on January 27th against the Winnipeg Jets.

9.

There’s something to be said for seeing injured players around the room in a different capacity than just in and out while rehabbing or grabbing treatment before disappearing down the hallway again. When they’re skating, sweating, and part of the same routine as everyone else—even in a limited role—it changes the energy. They’re not just observers on the fringes; they’re back in a rhythm of the group.

Johnny Kovacevic took part in his first practice with the team this season, last week, though head coach Sheldon Keefe cautioned it was more a product of a numbers game, with the morning skate being optional. Still, it was a good opportunity to get him back out there. Just as importantly, it meant Kovacevic came off the ice alongside his teammates and lingered in the room with everyone else. There was a noticeable lift in the room with him baxk in that mix. And while there’s plenty about the locker room that I don't see, being around after a practice or morning skate offers a glimpse into the easy banter and playful jabs players take at one another.

Kovy has a great spirit about him. And that energy of being part of the group is something that players really miss when they're rehabbing. Yes, they're seen around the locker room and are still in the vicinity, but they're schedules are counter to what the rest of the group is doing, you're kind of like ships passing in the night.

I bet getting that little taste was great for Kovacevic, who has been rehabbing all season long.

10.

One of those jabs you might hear on a regular basis is when a player sees someone’s number up on the board as an indication they’ve been requested to speak with the media. Basically, media put in their player requests of who they want to talk to, and those players numbers go up on a white board in the locker room so that they know to stick around. When guys walk in the locker room, it's one of the first things they look at -- either to relief or dismay! These guys poke so much fun at each other about it too... I’ve seen the occasional (joking, of course) switching of numbers, a guy going up to the white board and swapping out their number for someone else's.

Two defensemen in particular have a go at that. I’m not sure I want to out them, but maybe you can guess? They're both players with double digits.

It's all in good fun!