Seamus Casey’s AHL Demotion: An Opportunity in Disguise

Photos by Andrew Maclean, Tom Horak and Getty Images

After making the Devils main roster out of training camp and playing eight games in the NHL to start his rookie season, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has made the decision to send Seamus Casey down to the Utica Comets of the AHL.

In his place, Daniil Misyul, who stands 6’3 and weighs ~200 pounds, has been called up to New Jersey. Misyul who was drafted by the Devils 70th overall (3rd Rd) in 2019, has played 231 professional games between Lokomotiv (184) in the KHL and the Comets (47) in the AHL. Yesterday was a great day for Misyul, who also celebrated his 24th birthday along with the call up.

“A great birthday present,” he said in the locker room following Monday’s practice, his first with the team. “It’s a good opportunity for me, a good chance. I’m excited,” the Belarus native said. “I need to play hard every shift, hard, smart and simple.”

After starting off on fire in the NHL, with four points, including three goals, in his first five games, Casey has seen his overall game take a dip. Through six games Casey was averaging around ~13 minutes of ice time per game. The next two games would see him log just 10:03 and 7:35 of ice time and being benched for multiple stretches in the Devils last game against the Capitals.

Following the game against the Capitals, where the Devils lost 6-5 in overtime, head coach Sheldon Keefe talked about the difference between the schedule of a 35-40 game NCAA season and an 82 game NHL season.

“He’s struggled the last little bit,” Keefe said. “To me Case has done a really good job here, we’ve talked about it, how impressed I’ve been with him. To me it looks like the schedule is eating him up. Not just him, our whole team, we just played six games in ten days. That’s a kid that’s not only not played in the NHL before, but he’s played a college hockey schedule, so this is all unheard of.”

Casey being sent down to the AHL isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Eventually with injured players like Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce, whose return to action “imminent”, this was always going to be Casey’s fate being waiver eligible. But this demotion will wind up being somewhat of a promotion for Casey.

“In terms of Casey, the decision was made to get him down to Utica, get him comfortable and rolling there,” Keefe said. “He’s filled an incredible role for us. He did a great job, really helped us in the early going with the injuries that we’ve had. To be able to overcome that and be off to a decent start as a group is a credit to Seamus and the job that he’s done. He’s scored big goals, made big plays for us.

The Utica Comets have struggled in their first four games, allowing 18 goals and scoring just five goals as the team remains winless. Casey will now have the opportunity to play as a bonafide number one defensemen under Comets head coach Kevin Dineen playing 20+ minutes a night, being used both ways on special teams and will be able to work on his game in the defensive zone.

“For a young defenseman like him it’s important to get down to the American League, really round out his game and be a big part of the team.” At the end of the day when Casey calls himself a full time NHLer, he will look back on this moment in his career as a blessing in disguise.