In a twist of fate, New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith, who recently delivered a questionably high hit on rookie Connor Bedard, is now facing his own share of karma.
The Devils are taking steps to compensate for Smith's absence by calling up defenseman Santeri Hatakka from the Utica Comets. Hatakka, acquired through the Timo Mier trade last season, is now getting an opportunity to showcase his skills in the wake of Smith's injury.
Unfortunately for the Devils, this injury comes at an inopportune moment in the season. As teams typically strive to refine their play and secure playoff spots in the second half of the season, the Devils find themselves in a challenging position. However, the race for the playoffs is still within reach, with only a few points separating them from the three teams immediately ahead in the division.
Despite the setback, the Devils are witnessing promising performances, particularly from rookie goaltender Nico Daws. Daws, with a noteworthy 2.5 Goals Above Average according to Evolving-Wild's numbers, has been delivering standout performances since his recent call-up.
