Three things the New Jersey Devils should be thankful for

There is a lot for the Devils and their fans to appreciate this year.

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The St. Louis Blues blanked the New Jersey Devils in a boring and uneventful game Wednesday night.

Nobody wants to read about it – heck, I don’t want to write about it! – so we’re going to shake things up.

Instead, let’s take a closer look at three of the many things the Devils should be thankful for this holiday season.

The Canadiens gifting Kovacevic 🎁

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes called Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald during the off-season and asked if he had any interest in Kovacevic, looking to donate him to a team in need. It’s a real thing that happened.

The Devils happily obliged, sending a 4th round pick in 2026 to Montreal for Johnathan Kovacevic’s services. A 4th round pick that is unlikely to translate into a player who dresses in a single game in the NHL, let alone become a full-timer.

Fast forward a few months and Kovacevic is a mainstay for a team that sits 2nd in points and 6th in points percentage.

He’s not just treading water in his minutes. He’s dominating them. The Devils have controlled 57.83% of the expected goals, and outscored opponents by eight, with Kovacevic on the ice at 5v5.

This is despite Kovacevic spending the bulk of his time against the best offensive players opposing teams have to offer.

Kovacevic ranks 14th among all NHL defensemen in Net Rating and slots 3rd when isolating defensive impact, trailing only Jonas Siegenthaler and Mikey Anderson.

It’s not a stretch to say Kovacevic has been an integral part of arguably the best shutdown pairing in the league. And the Devils essentially landed him for free.

Thank you, Kent Hughes.

Reliable netminding 🥅