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Conduct, Kinkaid, Tatar, and Prospects Roster |
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Good afternoon Devils fans. Before we jump into the hockey side of things, I wanted to take a moment and talk about my last article. As you may or may not know, I do try to keep up with comments for constructive criticism, growth as a writer, and news about things I missed. During the last article’s comments, I flagged a comment I found to be in poor taste. I understand that heated debate and disagreement is a part of this vehicle and in my personal and professional views, censorship should be extremely limited to only necessary instances. However, I stand by my decision. Going forward, I ask of you all to keep helping to improve the Devils Hockeybuzz community through the fantastic hockey debates I’ve seen in the past few months. If you have any disagreements with what I’ve said, please reach out to me and I’ll be happy to talk to you about it.
This morning, the Devils announced the acquisition of Keith Kinkaid as well as their roster for the Rookie Camp. First, let’s take a look at the Kinkaid Deal, his stats, role with organization, and peculiar contract circumstances. Kinkaid, a 34 year old New York native, made a name for himself playing for Union College. After going undrafted, he signed an ELC with New Jersey for the 2011 season. Bouncing between Albany and Newark, he earned 151 games, with a record of 64-55-17, a save percentage of .906 and a GAA of 2.90. He tended the net for the Devils’ only playoff run under GM Ray Shero, being bounced out by Tampa Bay in 2018. He began a journeyman path, playing limited time for the Canadiens, Rangers, Bruins, and Avalanche, with a focus more on their AHL affiliates. His new contract with New Jersey is a 1 year, 2-way worth $775K. Most likely, he will be a support player for the AHL while Nico Daws recovers. Strangely, the Devils did negotiate this with the Chicago Wolves, his previous AHL affiliate team who became an unaffiliated team after severing ties with Carolina Hurricanes.
Meanwhile, a former Devil found a new home this week as Tomas Tatar signed a 1 year contract with the Colorado Avalanche for $1.5M. The 32 year old Czech winger called New Jersey home for two seasons, playing in 158 games, tallying 35G-43A-78P. His lone playoff goal for the Devils came in the final game against New York with a rebound from a backward John Marino pass. As an expiring UFA, many questioned where he would fit into the Devils after the Toffoli contract with strong forwards chomping at the bit for a chance from Utica. This is a good pickup for Colorado and I wish Tomas nothing but the best. Thanks for the past two seasons.
This week, the Devils released their rookie roster for the training camp. Per NHL.com, the players included this year are:
Forwards: Cole Brown (UDC), Graeme Clarke (Signed), Filip Engras (AHL), Josh Filmon (Signed), TJ Friedman (AHL), Brian Halonen (Signed), Michael Horth (T.O.), Timur Ibragimov (AHL), Jace Isley (T.O.), Erik Middendorf (AHL), Xavier Parent (UDC), Cam Squires (UDC) and Chase Stillman (Signed)
Defensemen: Colin Felix (AHL), Santeri Hatakka (Signed), Luke Hughes (Signed), Will MacKinnon (AHL), Daniil Misyul (Signed), Simon Nemec (Signed), Oscar Plandowski (T.O.) and Topias Vilen (Signed)
Goaltenders:Tyler Brennan (Signed), Riley Mercer (T.O.), Isaac Poulter (AHL)
The tryouts this year are Michael Horth, Jace Isley, Oscar Plandowski, and Riley Mercer. Horth went 28G-17A-45P in 66 games with QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. Isley played four years for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels before joining the University of Saskatchewan. Per Brent Sutter, his former coach, he did receive some praise regarding IQ, ethic, and grit. Plandowski, originally a 5th round pick by Detroit, has played for three QMJHL teams (Charlottetown, Drummondville, and Moncton) and received notice for his skating prowess and stick handling. Mercer’s tenure with Drummondville last year yielded a record of 13-7-1 with a near .500 record for the Canadian minor league’s first round of playoffs. The key prospects to keep an eye out for will be Hughes and Nemec on the blueline, Clarke and Filmon attacking up front, and goalie battle between Brennan and Poulter.
What are your thoughts? What kind of a year will Kinkaid have in the AHL and will we see him come up to the NHL level? Are you surprised by the Tatar contact? Who are you looking forward to see in the Prospect Camp?
Leave your thoughts and comments below. Raise Hell,
-Josh Biringer
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
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