Devils Recall Nico Daws and Topias Vilen From Utica

Topias Vilen has spent the last three seasons playing for the Comets. This season, he has 24 points in 59 games, including four goals and 20 assists. Four goals are the most he has scored in a single season with the team.  

Vilen has yet to make his NHL debut, but this could change over the next few days. With Luke Hughes out of the lineup pending surgery, New Jersey could be looking for a new defenseman to get some ice time; Dennis Cholowski filled in for Hughes against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, a 5-2 loss. However, the Devils have not confirmed whether or not Vilen will travel with the team when they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. 

Daws has 53 games of NHL experience and has already played one game with the Devils this season. On Oct. 22, he only allowed one goal on 31 shots and earned a save percentage (SV%) of .968 in a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

As they near the end of the season, the Devils have a choice to make, as Daws will become a restricted free agent (RFA). Management might decide to play him for the next few games to help them decide whether or not to re-sign him, especially since the team has already been eliminated from the playoffs.

Daws and Vilen should get some playing time with only three games left. The Devils’ next game is against the Red Wings on Saturday before they return home to host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. Their final game of the season is on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.