Kyle Palmieri Out for 4-6 Weeks with Broken Foot

This is why we can’t have nice things. While Travis Zajac’s return was a positive turn for the Devils, the injuries continue to pile up as Kyle Palmieri will join Mirco Mueller and Marcus Johansson on the IR list.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Devils fans:

He suffered the injury late in Monday’s game against the Minnesota Wild after taking a heavy Matt Dumba shot off of his foot. Palmieri left to the locker room but came back shortly after and played out the rest of the game.

In the short term, this means that Hayes and Noesen will see more ice time and a call-up from Binghamton is not immediately needed but Palmieri is a significant impact player. His absence was already felt in the seven previous games he missed this season and this second quarter of the season will be difficult without him.

Here’s a more calculated timeline in regards to the implications of this injury:

Optimistically, he can return around Christmas and pessimistically, it will take until 2018. The Devils right wing depth will be tested to keep them around, and one would hope that Johansson is close to a return. This could be a good opportunity to give John Quenneville or Joseph Blandisi a chance to come up and show what they’re capable of, albeit in a stunted role than what would have been preferred. Again, it’s not necessary as Noesen and Hayes are available, but some extra depth for road trips never hurts.

Your Thoughts

Who has to step up the most for the Devils to get past this latest unfortunate injury? Will there be a call-up? Let us know in the comments.