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Earlier this afternoon, New Jersey Devils Their schedules were announced in advance. The team announced the 2024-25 preseason schedule. The team will play seven games from September 22 to (oddly enough) October 3. Here is a quick rundown of the dates, times and opponents. According to the Devils’ announcement, broadcast information has not yet been determined.
- Devils vs. New York Islanders – Sunday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. ET
- Devils vs. Montreal – Tuesday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. ET
- Devils vs. Washington – Wednesday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m. ET
- Devils vs. New York Islanders – Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. ET
- Devils vs. an opponent we hate – Monday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. ET
- Devils vs. an opponent we hate – Tuesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. ET
- Devils vs. Philadelphia – Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. ET
As far as the preseason schedule goes, I like it. There are no grouped game dates. All games are held at the teams’ respective arenas; no neutral sites or smaller venues. Some may be frustrated that the Rock only has three games, and only one is on the weekend. They are exhibition games; there isn’t a lot of oomph to begin with, and they don’t really matter. As in past years, the Devils play mostly local games, with the exception of one game in Montreal. There are two back-to-back games, followed by a few days off, which are perfect days for layoffs.
What’s curious is the final game in Philadelphia. The New Jersey Devils will open the season with back-to-back games against the Buffalo Sabres on October 4 and 5 in Prague. Traveling will make it hard for players to play back-to-back games. Even if they can rest up on opening night, it’s still too much to ask a player to play in a second game after playing a game on another continent 48 hours earlier. As a result, I think the Flyers will play the Utica Comets in Game 3, and the Devils will make a lot of paper trades before the Oct. 4 game. NHL rules do require some veterans to sit out the preseason. Any player on the PTO or on the fringes of the roster (I’m looking at you, Max Wellman and Kurtis McDermid) will probably play that game instead of traveling to the Czech Republic. Considering these are exhibition games, I don’t think the Flyers will mind too much. If they mind, so be it. This is just Philly.
Also noteworthy in the announcement are the dates for training camp. These were also announced along with the schedule. Rookies must report by Wednesday, September 11. Veterans will report a week later on September 18. In other words, there are less than 90 days until training camp opens.
For those who need to see the Devils take the field sooner, you only have to wait a few more weeks. The Devils will hold a development camp after 2024 to prepare promising players. NHL DraftShumi Babayev confirmed this, A Russian hockey agent who represents Devils rookie Daniel Karpovich, who is currently in training camp. It’s a little odd to do this right at the start of free agency, but it’s meant to give the staff an idea of who has improved and what they can work on in the months leading up to the start of the hockey season.
I expect the full schedule to be released sometime next week during the NHL Awards and NHL Draft. The league typically releases the schedule then.
Finally, yes, I get it. The Devils won 7 games last preseason, followed by a disastrous 2023-24 season, whatever you want to call it. Those games don’t count, so I think the Devils need Lose a few of them. But if they do, so be it – they still don’t count.
That’s it for this edition of PM News and the ensuing PM Reactions. Now I want to know your thoughts. What do you think of the Devils’ 2024 preseason schedule? Would you sit out any of the three games? How do you think they’ll use the schedule to cut down players for training camp? Leave your thoughts and other ideas about the 2024-25 preseason in the comments. Thanks for reading.
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