During this past off-season, the New Jersey Devils acquired defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. At the time, this was viewed as simply a move to improve the Devils' defensive depth.
However, there is no question that Kovacevic proved to be more than just that during his first season with the Devils. The 28-year-old defenseman had himself a nice breakout season and emerged as an important part of the Devils' blueline in the process.
In 81 games this past season with the Devils, Kovacevic scored a goal and set new career highs with 16 assists, 17 points, 99 blocks, and 102 hits. Overall, the right-shot defenseman provided a bit of everything for the Devils this past season and was easily one of their top additions from last off-season because of it.
Due to his impressive play this season with the Devils, Kovacevic earned himself a five-year, $20 million contract extension back in March. With this, he will be a long-term part of the Devils' blueline as they look to become legitimate contenders.
It will now be fascinating to see what kind of season Kovacevic puts together in 2025-26 after his strong first season as a Devil from here.
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