Blue Line Controversy? Devils Seamus Casey Making Early Calder Trophy Case

 Matvei Michkov. Macklin Celebrini. Logan Stankoven. Those are the names of some top candidates that are expected to compete for the Calder Trophy throughout the 2024-25 season. Not many, if any, chose New Jersey Devils rookie Seamus Casey to be in that race before the 2024-25 season got underway. Perhaps, they should have.

Casey has been a revelation for the Devils. Even head coach Sheldon Keefe admitted that earlier this fall, Casey started slow at the Prospect Challenge, but as training camp and the preseason progressed, he really came into his own.

READ: Seamus Casey Impresses Devils Superstar & Coach in Roster Spot Bid

So much so, that Casey grabbed hold of a Devils roster spot to start the 2024-25 season. There was a little help along the way as Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes remain sidelined with injuries. However, with that came an opportunity. And Casey has certainly run with it.

The Devils rookie defenseman sits atop of the rookie scoring race through the first five games of the season with three goals and four points. Two of those goals came on the power play, and the Devils’ head coach has even favored him in some instances over Dougie Hamilton.

Casey’s in a three-way tie with Stankoven (four assists) and fellow defenseman, Lane Hutson (four assists) in the rookie scoring race. None, however, have scored more goals than the Devils rookie defenseman.

Who knows, this could all just be a hot start. After all, it is just five games. But, something about Casey’s game exudes brilliance, both with and without the puck. He may not be the first round picks L. Hughes and Simon Nemec were, but it’s beginning to look like the Devils have another young stud on the back end.

“He looks really comfortable out there. I mean, he’s obviously a great player,” captain Nico Hischier said Monday after a 3-0 victory over the Utah Hockey Club. “He’s a guy who if you’re a winger, if you make a run at him, it’s gonna make you look bad. He’s really smooth out there, makes great plays and obviously has a great shot.”

Finding your way to the scoresheet is one thing. There are a lot of NHLers, even defensemen, who are gifted with offensive talent, yet they may not be very good in the other two zones or in transition, which ultimately places them outside the NHL. But for Casey, he’s wise beyond his 20 years of age, making plays that you don’t typically see from a first year pro.

“He’s very smart. I think that’s the first thing that I see from playing behind him, he’s very smart on the ice,” Jake Allen explained. “The first place he looks is the middle, and not many guys look that [way] at that age. He’s got the poise to look in the middle and then find his options. And obviously he’s got the gift of offensive touch. We can see that with his goals so far this year. And he’s got great deception with his release, but also with his footwork. He’s obviously off to a great start. Hopefully he keeps on this place, but at the same time, I’m just happy with his poise and the way he’s carrying himself.”

So, what happens when one of or both L. Hughes and Brett Pesce are ready to return? Well, for starters, the Devils are only carrying 21 players at the moment. That’s because Luke and Pesce are technically on the roster, just sitting on injured reserve as opposed to long-term injured reserve. In other words, no one will need to be sent to the minors to make room. After all, that was the likely plan before puck drop on Oct. 4th.

Plans change.

At this point, there’s no update on Pesce’s status, and we’re still at least two weeks away from Luke returning to game action according to the Devils’ initial injury timetable.

However, two weeks will be here before you know it, and only six defensemen can play, barring some unusual 11/7 deployment.

So there’s a defensemen controversy brewing. Casey is playing so well that even Keefe is taken a bit back by it. It’s a good problem to have, but a problem no less.

“[Casey’s] been really good, it looks like he’s having a lot of fun,” Keefe explained. “The pucks kind of fallen to him in good spots, and he’s making good on it, showing his ability to score. But yeah, his play without the puck, that’s what… as much as the goals and everything are great, if his game defensively is a mass, and it’s a fire drill when he’s out on the ice, he’s not going to be able to stay here. But his defensive game, he plays with great intelligence.”

Keefe reflected on what he’s seen from Casey, almost in disbelief. The look on his face was of a coach who has seen this kind of talent before, but perhaps not from someone so young, and perhaps of his size at 5-foot-9.

“And for an undersized defenseman, he uses his body so well,” Keefe continued. “He doesn’t complicate things for himself or his teammates. I’ve seen a lot of undersized defensemen try to make their way in the NHL. Not many of them have the intelligence and awareness to not complicate the game and to try to use their offensive skills. He picks his spots and when he gets his opportunity, he makes good on it. He doesn’t complicate the game in the process. It’s been fun to watch, and that’s been very impressive for a young guy.”

Hutson is another undersized rookie defenseman who was passed on in the first round of his draft year, and taken in the second round, much like Casey. Their stories are very similar thus far. And perhaps we’ll see a fun race at the end of the season between the two undersized defensemen for the Calder Trophy. It’s still too early to tell if this will last.

Yet, there’s an even more important storyline coming out of Casey’s play. Who is the odd-man out when the Devils are completely healthy? Certainly, it won’t be Hughes, nor Pesce who they’re paying $5.5 million per year for the next six years.

Could it be Casey if he stays this consistent? One would imagine Keefe and general manager Tom Fitzgerald would just want to ice their best roster. If Casey keeps this up, it’s hard to fathom why he’d sit out.

Or could it be the likes of Simon Nemec who is still on a two-way entry-level contract and hasn’t exactly come hot out of the gate this season.

There’s still plenty of time for things to change, but even Johnathan Kovacevic or Jonas Siegenthaler could end up as the odd man out.

Casey admits, he hasn’t always been a goalscorer. Yet, he attributes his success to his simplistic approach to the game right now. And if this is simple, what’s the rookie going to be like if he turns things up a notch?

“I mean, I haven’t always been like a goalscorer in my life,” Casey said. “So to start with three goals is super unexpected, but I’m just trying to play simple and take chances when I get them. I’m finding them backing out right now, which is nice.”