Devils Seamus Casey Out 8-10 Weeks With Knee Surgery While Johnathan Kovacevic Returns To Practice
- New Jersey Devils defenseman Seamus Casey will miss the next 8 to 10 weeks following knee surgery after sustaining an injury during a preseason game against the New...
- He’s doing well in the sense that he got through surgery well.
- During the 2025–26 campaign, Casey appeared in only two NHL games and 29 American Hockey League games before his season was shut down.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Seamus Casey will miss the next 8 to 10 weeks following knee surgery after sustaining an injury during a preseason game against the New York Rangers last week. The 22-year-old blueliner now faces another lengthy recovery period, contrasting sharply with teammate Johnathan Kovacevic, who recently returned to full practices after missing training camp with his own knee injury.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe addressed Casey’s status following the procedure, noting the physical toll the young defenseman has already endured early in his professional career.
He’s doing well in the sense that he got through surgery well. It was from the injury sustained in that Rangers game. It’s about an 8-10 week recovery is what they’re saying at this point.
During the 2025–26 campaign, Casey appeared in only two NHL games and 29 American Hockey League games before his season was shut down.
Difficult for him. Of course, he’s fought some injuries and tough start to the season. In terms of how everything went, he’s doing well. His rehabilitation is set to begin, and our goal is to return him to the ice as rapidly as possible.
Sheldon Keefe
Johnathan Kovacevic Returns to Practice After Knee Injury
While Casey begins a multi-month rehabilitation program, teammate Johnathan Kovacevic moved in the opposite direction on Friday by joining the full group for practice for the first time. Kovacevic missed all of training camp and the preseason due to a knee injury.
Today was the first, I would say real competitive practice that he’s been a part of. He seemed to get through it well. He’s pushing himself. If you could categorize where he’s at, I’d say that this is his training camp. He’s trying to get up to speed.
His body is feeling good and healthy. Gradually increasing his activity level until the medical staff feels certain he is ready for actual game action is the current objective. He’s ramping up here right now. As long as there are no setbacks, we’ll keep pushing ahead. Hope it’s not too long into the future that he becomes available.
Sheldon Keefe