Devils’ Seamus Casey to miss 8-10 weeks after knee surgery

The New Jersey Devils will be without defenseman Seamus Casey for the foreseeable future as they look ahead to their second game of the season against the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

On Friday, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Casey suffered the injury in a preseason game and underwent surgery, which will keep him out for 8-10 weeks, potentially into December.

Casey didn’t see the ice for New Jersey on Thursday, as the Devils opened up the 2026-27 season with a 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. If he’s out eight weeks, he could return Nov. 27 on home ice against the Calgary Flames; if it takes 10 weeks, he could return Dec. 8 in a road clash with the New York Rangers.

Missing from the lineup, the Devils turned to Declan Chisholm on the third defensive pairing alongside Brenden Dillon, with the top two pairings made of Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, as well as Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton.

Last season, Casey posted a goal and 18 assists for 19 points in 29 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets and played twice in the NHL, bringing his NHL total to four goals, four assists and eight points in 16 regular-season contests.

This year is the final season of a three-year deal with the Devils, which carries a $950,000 average annual value, for a total of $2.85 million over the contract.

Expected to return before the new year, Casey will need to produce quickly to put himself in the best position to contend for a new deal as he looks to secure his future in an increasingly lucrative NHL.

After Saturday’s contest against the Islanders, the Devils will look towards a three-game home stand against the Utah Mammoth, Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators, playing four of their first five games on home ice to open the campaign.