The New Jersey Devils brought Johnathan Kovacevic in as injury insurance and to be the 7th/not every night defender. So far, he’s gone above and beyond to where he now finds himself a regular.
As part of their offseason transformation, the New Jersey Devils prioritized making their defense bigger and more skilled. Part of the goal with that would be to have an NHL level defender as a healthy scratch rather than a borderline NHLer or a young player/prospect. With that in mind, the Devils went out one day after the 2024 Draft ended and acquired Johnathan Kovacevic from the Montreal Canadiens. The cost? The best of the three fourth round picks the Devils currently own in 2026; that’s right, a mid-round selection two years from now.
The Devils intended to start the season with a healthy Dougie Hamilton, free agent signee Brett Pesce and sophomore defender Simon Nemec on their right side. Kovacevic was essentially injury insurance/the guy who could rotate in as needed. Thankfully for the Devils, having injury insurance paid off. As it became more and more apparent that both Pesce and Luke Hughes would not be ready when the Devils opened their season, Kovacevic would become a regular for the Devils. His play? Well…
…honestly, I don’t know if anyone thought he would be as good as he’s been.
Johnny, as the team’s broadcasts have let us known he prefers to be called, has been a steadying force on the back end. His plus 13 is best on the team, and as I always warn, it’s not the most reliable stat, but for a guy who doesn’t play on the power play, it does give some insight into how good he’s been on the ice. His SAT percentage could be better (tied for fourth among Devils defenders at 50.5, yet only .2 behind Hamilton who’s third), but he’s still moving the puck in the correct direction at least half of the time he’s on the ice. The Devils as a whole aren’t doing so great in the SAT department, so I find it hard to hold that against a guy like Kovacecvic who is at least above 50%.
The “Kovechkin” nickname that he was given earlier in the season hasn’t stuck, mainly due to him being goalless since game one of the season, and held without a point in his last nine. All kidding aside, points are not why Kovacevic was brought in. He’s here to take the body, to clear the crease, to get in the way of shots and to get play moving in the correct direction. While he may not be the best, or highest rated player on the Devils in any of those areas, he’s doing the work. He’s fourth on the team in blocked shots with 23; he’s tied for second(!) with 10 takeaways and he’s also recorded 27 hits. Sure, he can do some things better as well. He turns the puck over too much, as he’s second on the team in a category you don’t want to be second in. The positives are heavily outweighing the negatives here though on a third pair guy who makes under $800,000 that only cost a fourth round raft choice.
So give Kovacevic his flowers because he’s been better than advertised. Nemec was sent to the AHL to get regular minutes due to how well Johnny has played. In today’s NHL, you need solid players who can deliver results above their contract value. Kovacevic has done that and then some. Again, no one is going to mistake him for a superstar defender, but he’s playing effectively and he’s helping the Devils to be a better team than they were last season. Right now, that’s what they will continue to need if they want to play meaningful hockey deeper into the year.
What are your thoughts on the play of Johnny Kovacevic so far; has he been better than you expected he would be? Do any of his stats surprise you, be it in a good way or a bad way?