The New Jersey Devils have dealt with several injuries this season. 33 games into the season, it is time to check in with the injured players to analyze what has changed, when they will return, and explore any other updates.
The current list of injured players ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights featured eight players.
The list was as follows.
Nemec (lower-body)
Gritsyuk (upper-body)
J. Hughes (finger)
Pesce (upper-body)
Dadonov (upper body)
Kovacevic (knee)
McLaughlin (undisclosed)
MacEwen (upper body)
Simon Nemec will miss some time with a lower-body injury, per the team. Head coach Sheldon Keefe shared an update on the injured defenseman with NJD.tv.
“Nemec got injured in practice and missed the last half of practice,” Keefe said. “(Nemec’s timeline) is still being determined. It’s not day-to-day. The exact timeline, we’ll have to get that sorted.”
Arseny Gritsyuk was ruled out for the weekend with an undisclosed injury, per Keefe on Friday.
Gritsyuk shared an update on his recovery via Telegram.
“Although I haven’t been fully examined yet, I’m certain I’ll miss the next two games. I am confident that everything will be fine with my health and our results. As they say, we’ll come back stronger.”
Arseny Gritsyuk Ruled Out For The Weekend
The <a href="vhttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils#google_vignette">New Jersey Devils </a>announced that rookie Arseny Gritsyuk would be inactive this weekend with an upper-body injury.
Jack Hughes hasn’t played since November 15th, when it was announced that he suffered a ‘freak injury’ at a team dinner. It was announced by the team that Hughes had successful surgery on his hand and would be out for a minimum of six weeks.
Hughes is still on the injured list, although he was seen skating during practice this week. Head coach Sheldon Keefe gave an update on the forward after practice on Tuesday.
"What I’m told, which isn’t much because he’s far away enough that I’m not getting daily updates, he’s on schedule to get re-evaluated after Christmas," Keefe told NJD.tv. "We’ll take it from there. It’s encouraging that everything has gone to plan and he’s able to do that but he’s not close to joining the group yet."
Brett Pesce is expected to rejoin the lineup tonight after being placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LITR) after blocking a shot on October 26, 2025. Pesce suffered an upper-body injury and has not been active since. He was seen on the ice on December 16th for practice, and all signs point to him returning tonight.
After Tuesday's practice, head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media and NJD.tv about Pesce's return.
"Pesce helps the energy of the group. It’ll be a lot more energetic on the plane. The guys will welcome him back and feel good about his presence," Keefe said. "It’s not just the on-ice piece. That’ll take some time to get going. It helps the mood of the team. The mood of the team, the vibe and morale of the group is very important. We’re approaching the dog days here now as we’re approaching Christmas. It’s nice to see him back."
Evgenii Dadonov was placed on Injured Reserve with a wrist injury on December 11. Dadanov had a whirlwind of a start to his season, missing 17 games after dealing with a hand injury in the season opener.
He returned to the lineup, but not for long, before he suffered another injury (wrist) that has sidelined him since.
Keefe shared an update on Dadonov's timeline for return.
"I haven’t gotten an update on him in a while so that tells me he’s ways away," Keefe said. "He’s skating with a stick but no puck. That’s an indication of where he’s at."
Jonathan Kovacevic hasn’t played a game yet this season. At the end of last season, Kovacevic injured his knee, and it was revealed he would miss the start of this season following surgery. He has yet to see any time
Marc McLaughlin has been on injured reserve since October 6th. McLaughlin was injured in an exhibition game and has not appeared since.
On Tuesday, McLaughlin skated with a blue no-contact jersey for an early portion.
Zach MacEwen has played only three games with the Devils this season.
He started as a healthy scratch for the opening game. In his Devils debut on October 11, he was injured during the game and subsequently missed nearly a month on Injured Reserve. MacEwen returned to the lineup on Monday, November 10. However, during the game on Wednesday, November 12, he was hit just over 12 minutes into the first period, left the game, and did not return. The Devils announced in a statement that they had placed MacEwen on injured reserve.