The New Jersey Devils continue to get banged up, particularly on the right side of the blue line.
Already without Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic, the team will also be down blue-liner Simon Nemec for Saturday's game against the Ducks, head coach Sheldon Keefe announced.
Dennis Cholowski is slated to step in on the third pair for Nemec.
Nemec was hurt in practice on Friday and is expected to miss time. "It's not day-to-day," said Keefe, per the team's reporter Amanda Stein.
Nemec, 21, has enjoyed his best season so far in his young NHL career. Through 31 games, he's posted seven goals and 11 assists while averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time a night.
The 2022 second-overall pick is just one point shy of matching his career-best point total of 19, which he set during the 2023-24 campaign.
Over his career, Nemec logged 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 118 games.
New Jersey also announced on Saturday that forward Timo Meier was placed on the non-roster list on personal leave, while Calen Addison was recalled from Utica of the AHL.
Addison, a 25-year-old right-shot defenceman, last played in the NHL during the 2023-24 season. In total, he's recorded 50 points (six goals, 44 assists) in 152 games.
