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This afternoon, the Devils made a minor move to add some depth to the team at forward by picking up Kenny Agostino off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens.
#NJDevils news:
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 11, 2019
New Jersey claimed F Kenny Agostino (@kennyagostino) off waivers from Montreal. Agostino is a local kid from New Jersey, born in Morristown and played at @Delbarton High School.
As a corresponding move, club has assigned D Ryan Murphy to @BingDevils (AHL). pic.twitter.com/MfL9IoXEDl
Agostino, as indicated by the team and reported by many others, is a native of Morristown, NJ and played high school hockey at Delbarton. As reported by Mike Morreale of NHL.com, Agostino and Kyle Palmieri actually played one another back in high school when Palmieri was at St. Peter’s Prep.
#NJDevils Kyle Palmieri and Kenny Agostino faced each other during the 2006-07 NJ high school ice hockey season in the Gordon Conference. Palmieri for @SPPAthletics and Agostino for @DelbartonHockey
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) February 11, 2019
Agostino, now 26 years old, has just 58 NHL games under his belt. Notably, though, 36 of them have come this season in Montreal, so this is the first time he has really stuck for an extended stretch. In his 36 games, he has put up two goals and nine assists for 11 total points.
Prior to this season, per Elite Prospects, he spent a vast majority of his time in the AHL, with the exception of a cup of coffee in the NHL with a few different organizations (he has been with the Flames, Blues, Bruins, and Canadiens orgs the past four years). His most notable season is probably 2016-17, when he put up an impressive 83 points in 65 games for the Chicago Wolves (Blues’ AHL affiliate at the time). Before he advanced to the AHL, he played college hockey at Yale, putting up solid numbers in each of his four years there.
Despite the impressive lower league numbers, this probably isn’t a move to get too worked up about. It has the feel of a Brian O’Neill type acquisition. Big success in the AHL doesn’t necessarily translate to much at the next level, particularly for players in their mid 20’s and beyond. You never know, though. The Devils are a team that can afford to throw some stuff at the wall at this point, so that’s pretty much what they’ve done here. Plus the added detail of him being from New Jersey makes it a sensible match between team and player. If it works out and he becomes a serviceable bottom-six player, great. If it doesn’t, well, no harm, no foul.
What are your thoughts on the move? Like it? Dislike it? Completely indifferent? Sound off in the comments if you are so inclined, and join me in welcoming Kenny back to New Jersey.