New Jersey Devils Make Shocking Move With Rookie Seamus Casey

Maybe we could have seen it coming in recent days, but after he started his NHL career with a bang, scoring three goals in his first five games, 20-year-old rookie defenseman Seamus Casey was one of the biggest surprises of the New Jersey Devils' early season.

But that was before Saturday night, when his ice time took a big dip for the second consecutive game, to just 7:35 in their overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.

Now, his time on ice with the Devils will be zero for the near-term future, as he has been sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

The #NJDevils have assigned defenseman Seamus Casey to Utica (AHL), and have recalled D Daniil Misyul.
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) October 21, 2024

“Well it’s just, you know, he’s struggled for the last little bit, you know? Ryan McGill has a feel for the [defense] in the back,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe, as relayed by New Jersey Hockey Now.

“To me, it looks like the schedule’s eating him up. Not just him, but probably our whole team,” added Keefe. “I mean, we just played six games in 10 days. That’s a kid who’s not only not played in the NHL before, but he’s played a college hockey schedule. This is all unheard of (for Casey).

“He’s trying to make it all work. To me, [Casey] has done a really good job here. We’ve talked about it, how impressed I’ve been with him.”

Just not impressed enough for now.

Casey will now get a lot more ice time and a lot more responsibility to build his confidence even more as he heads down to Utica.

Overall, in the eight-game start to his NHL career, the second-round pick (2022 NHL Draft) has four points and a plus/minus rating of +2, while also blocking seven shots, all in just 11:58 average time on ice per night.

No doubt we'll be seeing him again in New Jersey later this NHL season.

Part of the calculus here, of course, is the fact that the returns of Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are said to be "imminent."