Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Has knee surgery Thursday
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Kovacevic underwent knee surgery Thursday and won't be ready for the start of training camp, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Kovacevic's timeline hasn't officially ruled him out for Opening Night of the Devils' 2025-26 campaign, but this update certainly doesn't bode well for the blueliner. The Ontario native is coming off a career year in which he set new personal bests in games played (81), assists (16) and points (17). Even if Kovacevic is ready for the start of the season, he may be hard-pressed to push for the 20-point threshold, especially considering he has yet to reach that mark in his career.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Likely headed for surgery
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Kovacevic is dealing with a knee injury that will probably require surgery, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports Thursday.
Kovacevic missed the Devils' last two games due to his knee injury and could be in danger of being sidelined for the start of training camp in the fall. Fortunately for the 27-year-old defenseman, he signed a new five-year deal with the Devils in March, otherwise, he'd be heading into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent with a questionable knee.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Won't play in Game 5
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Kovacevic (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup for Tuesday's Game 5 versus Carolina, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Kovacevic suffered his undisclosed injury in Game 3 on Friday and will now be shelved for his second straight contest. Considering the 27-year-old defenseman is stuck in a 14-game point drought, his absence is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy managers. Still, with Luke Hughes (upper body) and Brenden Dillon (lower body) also sidelined, the Devils have had to dig into their depth on the blue line.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Ruled out Sunday
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Kovacevic (undisclosed) will not play Sunday in Game 4 against Carolina.
Kovacevic will miss Sunday's contest after suffering an injury early in Friday's Game 3. With Kovacevic, Luke Hughes (upper body) and Brenden Dillon (lower body) all sidelined, Dennis Cholowski is expected to slot back into New Jersey's lineup on the third pairing.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Questionable for Sunday
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Kovacevic (undisclosed) is questionable for Sunday's Game 4 matchup versus Carolina, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Kovacevic sustained an injury early into Friday's 3-2 double-overtime win over the Hurricanes in Game 3. He hasn't earned a point in three outings this postseason while posting two shots on goal and eight hits. If Kovacevic is out for Sunday's game, Seamus Casey or Dennis Cholowski could draw into the lineup.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Injured early Friday
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Kovacevic sustained an undisclosed injury in Friday's Game 3 versus the Hurricanes, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Kovacevic was hurt early in the double-overtime contest, which the Devils ultimately won by a 3-2 score. The 27-year-old can be considered day-to-day ahead of Game 4 on Sunday. If Kovacevic can't play, Seamus Casey or Dennis Cholowski would be top options to draw in.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Set to return for playoffs
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Kovacevic (rest) practiced Friday and should be ready for Sunday's Game 1 against Carolina, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Kovacevic sat out Wednesday's regular-season finale against Detroit, but he should be back in action for the start of the playoffs. Over 81 regular-season appearances this year, he recorded a goal, 16 assists, 102 hits, 99 blocked shots and 72 PIM while averaging 19:49 of ice time.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Ruled out against Detroit
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Kovacevic has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Red Wings for rest purposes, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Kovacevic appeared in each of the Devils' first 81 games of the year, recording a goal, 16 assists, 102 hits, 99 blocked shots and 72 PIM while averaging 19:49 of ice time. He'll get a night off to close out the regular season, but he should be back on the ice when New Jersey begins postseason play.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Grabs helper in loss
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Kovacevic notched an assist, two shots on goal, four blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Flames.
Kovacevic snapped a four-game point drought with the helper. He has four assists over 10 outings in March, as well as a plus-1 rating, 12 blocked shots and 11 hits. The 27-year-old blueliner is not a standout on offense by any means, but he's handled a top-four role well for much of the campaign. Kovacevic is up to a career-high 17 points with 67 shots on net, 90 hits, 91 blocks, 51 PIM and a plus-12 rating over 70 contests.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Lends helper in Philadelphia
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Kovacevic logged an even-strength assist, one hit and a plus-1 rating in 21:39 of ice time in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Flyers.
After inking a five-year, $20 million contract extension with New Jersey on Friday, Kovacevic is quickly proving his worth -- he has recorded a primary assist in back-to-back games since signing the deal. The right-shot blueliner has provided one goal, 15 helpers and a plus-12 rating over 65 appearances in 2024-25. Kovacevic is currently skating with newcomer Brian Dumoulin on the second pairing.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Dishes assist Friday
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Kovacevic tallied an assist, two shots on net and two hits in Friday's 6-1 loss to Winnipeg.
In his first game since signing a five-year, $20 million contract extension with New Jersey, Kovacevic had a strong performance offensively with the primary helper on Dawson Mercer's goal. The 27-year-old Kovacevic is up to 14 assists, 15 points, 60 shots on net, 85 hits and 81 blocks in 64 games this season. With Dougie Hamilton (lower body) sidelined for an extended period, Kovacevic should see an increased role at even strength. Kovacevic's assist Friday helped him tie his career high in points. While he still has room to improve offensively, Kovacevic has some value in category leagues and is an all-around blueliner who should be a staple with New Jersey for the next few seasons.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Inks five-year extension
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Kovacevic signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with the Devils on Friday.
Kovacevic was slated to become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason, but his deal will keep him under contract with New Jersey through the 2029-2030 season. The 27-year-old is on pace for a career-best season this year, as he's logged a goal, 13 assists, 83 hits, 81 blocked shots and 49 PIM while averaging 19:43 of ice time.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Ends drought with helper
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Kovacevic notched an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Saturday's 3-1 win over Utah.
The helper snapped a 13-game slump for Kovacevic, who posted a minus-3 rating, 21 hits, and 17 blocked shots in that span. The 27-year-old blueliner has been a moderately effective shutdown defender in 2024-25. He has recorded 14 points, including a career-high 13 assists, while adding 58 shots on net, 79 blocked shots, 82 hits and a plus-12 rating across 61 appearances. He needs just two points to set a new personal best.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Records helper in overtime loss
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Kovacevic notched an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs.
Kovacevic remains more of a shutdown defenseman, but he has three helpers over 10 outings since the holiday break. The 27-year-old blueliner is up to 13 points through 47 contests, matching his production from 62 games last season. He's added 44 shots on net, 58 hits, 62 blocked shots, 35 PIM and a plus-14 rating in 2024-25 while playing in a top-four role.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Notches assist Monday
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Kovacevic picked up an assist and blocked two shots in Monday's 3-2 win over the Kraken.
Kovacevic helped out on Paul Cotter's second-period tally. The 27-year-old Kovacevic has just three assists to go with 21 hits and 24 blocked shots over 16 contests since the start of December. That highlights his skills as a physical, top-four defenseman, but his limited offense won't help most fantasy managers. Overall, he has 12 points, 37 shots on net, 54 hits, 57 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a plus-16 rating over 43 outings, so he should be able to top his career high of 15 points from 2022-23 with the Canadiens.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Gathers helper in win
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Kovacevic notched an assist and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.
Kovacevic entered the holiday break on a nine-game point drought before snapping that slump Friday. The 27-year-old defenseman led all Devils skaters with 22:56 of ice time in this contest and has routinely seen top-four minutes this season. He's up to 11 points, 36 shots on net, 50 hits, 49 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 38 contests. Kovacevic's modest across-the-board production limits his fantasy value to deep formats.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Slumping but still in top-four role
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Kovacevic has registered just one assist over 10 contests in December.
Kovacevic is still averaging 19:44 of ice time per game this month, and he has a plus-3 rating, but his stable defense hasn't led to more offense. The 27-year-old blueliner has been a fixture on the Devils' second pairing this season. Kovacevic has a total of 10 points, 50 hits, 47 blocked shots, 36 shots on net, 33 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 37 appearances in his first campaign with the Devils.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Two helpers in Monday's win
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Kovacevic pocketed two assists while adding three shots on net, three hits and a plus-3 rating in Monday's 5-2 win over the Predators.
The 27-year-old blueliner hadn't had a multi-point performance since the first game of the season, but Kovacevic had a hand in the Devils' first and last tallies of the night Monday, setting up Erik Haula in the first period and Justin Dowling for an empty-netter in the third. Kovacevic is on track for a career-best campaign, and through 24 appearances he's collected a goal and eight points with 33 hits, 28 blocked shots, 25 shots on net, 20 PIM and a stunning plus-15 rating.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Gathers assist in win
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Kovacevic notched an assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Ducks.
The helper ended a four-game slump for Kovacevic. The 27-year-old blueliner has maintained fairly steady usage even with Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes healthy, though Kovacevic is unlikely to be a power-play option moving forward. For the season, he's produced a goal, five assists, 14 shots on net, 16 hits, 13 blocked shots, 11 PIM and a plus-5 rating over 12 appearances.
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Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Nabs helper Tuesday
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Kovacevic produced an assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
Playing in a second-pairing role to begin 2024-25, Kovacevic has impressed with a goal and three assists over six contests. The defenseman had a total of 28 points across 139 games in the last two seasons combined with the Canadiens. Kovacevic has added nine hits, seven blocked shots, six shots on net, four PIM and a plus-1 rating this year. He's been an excellent fill-in, but Kovacevic is likely to see a reduced role once Brett Pesce (lower leg) is cleared to play.
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