Another day, another injury on the New Jersey Devils blue line, or so it seems. This time the injury is to Santeri Hatakka. The 23-year-old left Wednesday’s night pre-season against the Montreal Canadiens and did not return.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke about Hatakka’s injury after the game.
“We still don’t have the final diagnosis for him,” said Keefe. “But you know, he’s out of the mix, at least temporarily here.”
Hatakka now joins Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, who are watching from the press box due to injuries.
Related: Devils’ Brett Pesce Considered Week-to-Week
The only silver lining for Devils fans is that this could mean that Seamus Casey makes the opening night roster. Keefe also spoke on how he has done at camp so far.
“This is his first go around here, and he’s just getting better and better,” said Keefe. “Obviously, I knew who he was coming in and knew his abilities and what he’d accomplished in college. But it’s a whole different beast when you get out here. As a coach, you’re just watching, and you’re learning, and, you know, you are looking for guys to jump out at you and looking for guys to continue to make progress and improve. He has done that.”
He also mentioned Colin White and Johnathan Kovacevic as two other defensemen who have stood out to him.
Related: Devils Provide Injury Update on Young Defensemen
There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the next two weeks for the healthy defensemen to grab the open spots. For Devils fans, though, you have to be excited about the possibility of Casey being on the opening night roster, no?
Source Agencies
