Devils Recall Former First-Round Picks in Wake of Injuries

On Tuesday morning, the New Jersey Devils announced they’ve recalled a couple of reinforcements.

In the wake of Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler’s injuries, the Devils bring center Shane Bowers and defenseman Cal Foote. The Devils place Siegenthaler on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

The Devils have not placed Siegenthaler on long-term injured reserve which could certainly be indicative to his potential return to the lineup.

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The Devils signed Foote this past summer to a one-year, two-way contract. Foote’s contract is worth $800,000 at the NHL level and $350,000 at the American Hockey League level, $450,000 guaranteed, for 2023-24. The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Foote in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 17th overall. In two-plus seasons with the Lightning, Foote played in 117 NHL games scoring four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

In 24 games with the Utica Comets this season, Foote’s scored two goals and nine points and is a minus-14.

The 6-foot-5, 224 lb defenseman’s draft profile reads, “a gifted gifted defender who is consistently tasked with and does an excellent job of shutting down the top attackers.” The hope is Foote can bring a little bit of that presence in Siegenthaler’s absence.

The Devils acquired Bowers in a trade this summer in exchange for prospect defenseman, Reilly Walsh. The Devils forward is a former 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators at the 2017 NHL Draft.

In 57 games between the AHL Colorado Eagles and Providence Bruins, Bowers accrued eight goals and 13 assists. The Halifax native hasn’t quite panned out the way a first-round selection is normally projected to be. However, Bowers has faced some unfortunate injury history.

In 2023-24, Bowers has seen a clean bill of health. With Utica, Bowers faired well in the faceoff dot and is part of their special teams units. In 29 games this season, Bowers scored six goals and seven points.