The New Jersey Devils have come out of the break with some unfortunate news, moving John Marino and Ryan Graves to injured reserve. The transaction allows them to recall Tyce Thompson and Tyler Wotherspoon from the AHL while their two defensemen continue to recover.
Marino was ruled out week-to-week just before the Christmas break, his second stint on the shelf this season. The 25-year-old has been a nice pickup through 32 appearances, playing more than 21 minutes a night and recording nine points.
Graves, meanwhile, will be out on a similar week-to-week timeline, though not much information has been released about his injury. The 27-year-old left a game against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 21 during his second shift. While he doesn’t carry quite the same level of responsibility, Graves is still an important piece of the Devils’ back end, averaging over 18 minutes and scoring nine points in 33 games so far.
Wotherspoon, 29, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season but has been good for the Utica Comets the last couple of years. It remains to be seen whether he will get into the lineup.
The more interesting recall, perhaps, is Thompson, who played a handful of games for the Devils in each of the last two seasons. The fourth-round winger has 13 points in 22 games for Utica this season and would be looking for his first NHL goal should he get into the lineup. The 23-year-old has just one point in nine career games at the NHL level.
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