New Jersey Devils’ 2025-26 Report Cards: Johnathan Kovacevic – The Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils’ 2025-26 season ended more abruptly than the team would have liked. They missed the postseason and had a final record of 42-37-3. After a commanding start to the season, the Devils collapsed when they returned from the Olympic break, which resulted in them missing the playoffs. The Devils will look to have an intense offseason to add depth, scoring, and strength on the blue line.

All season long, every player on the roster contributed one way or another, with some making a greater impact than others. This installment focuses on defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, who had an interesting season filled with both highs and lows.

Kovacevic’s 2025-26 Performance

Kovacevic didn’t start off the season on the ice right away. During the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes last season, he injured his knee in the third game and didn’t get to finish out the playoffs with the team. He underwent knee surgery during the offseason and had a long recovery time that went into the regular season. 

Kovacevic didn’t see ice time until his first game of the 2025-26 season on Jan. 11. He played 18:14 amongst 22 shifts and even recorded a shot. He played in the following game on Jan. 12, but then the Devils rested him for about a week, playing his next game on Jan. 17. Head coach Sheldon Keefe was giving him time to readjust to playing, especially after such a long time away from the ice. 

By the end of the season, Kovacevic played in 34 games and recorded eight assists. This was the lowest point total of his NHL career, but he also played in the fewest number of games of his career due to his injury. 

Even though he played 34 games and only had eight points, Kovacevic still had a neutral plus/minus, which is a great demonstration of his defensive prowess. The Devils had several strong defensemen on their roster and often had to rotate players out, another reason why Kovacevic didn’t have as much ice time, but he still managed to prove his worth to the Devils when he was playing. 

Kovacevic’s Impact on the Devils 

This was only Kovacevic’s second season with the Devils, after he was traded to New Jersey by the Montreal Canadiens on June 24, 2024. He recorded a career-high 17 points in his first season with the Devils and was a plus-10, which contributed greatly to his contract extension. 

This season wasn’t Kovacevic’s greatest, but that is not his fault in the slightest. He can only do so much when he is recovering from a major surgery from the postseason last year. He still ended up with a neutral plus/minus and shut down scoring chances for the opposing team when he was on the ice. He adds a necessary physicality to the Devils’ blue line. His impact next season, when he is healthy, will be palpable. 

Kovacevic’s Future with the Devils

This season was the first of a five-year contract for Kovacevic with the Devils. He signed a five-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million. He has another four seasons to go, making him an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2029-30 season when he turns 32 years old.

Kovacevic is locked in with the Devils, and now that he is healthy, he will be a great veteran presence on the blue line. In the last game of the season, he was paired with Topias Villen for his second-ever NHL game. He has proven that he can help the younger players train up to be in a better position for the future, so Kovacevic will be a great asset to the team in this regard. 

Kovacevic’s Overall Grade 

For the 2025-26 season, Kovacevic receives a B. This season did not go as he had wanted, after missing a large majority of the first few months with a residual injury from the 2025 Playoffs. When he was on the ice, he did a great job of making his presence known. He was a strong defensive presence on the blue line and proved he still could find his scoring edge with eight assists. 

Kovacevic will look to return in the 2026-27 season stronger and better than ever for the Devils.