Devils found gem with breakout defenseman since trade

Even Devils coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t expect the way defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic has started his season.
The Devils traded a 2026 fourth round pick to the Canadiens for Kovacevic. The 6-feet-5, 225 pound defenseman was in a log jam of defense prospects in Montreal and couldn’t break through. The Devils wanted him for extra depth, but when injuries forced him into the starting lineup, what they got was a budding star.