Get to Know Newest New Jersey Devil: Johnathan Kovacevic

Hours before the NHL free agency kicked off on July 1, New Jersey Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald made another trade on Sunday night.

In a deal with the Montreal Canadiens, the Devils acquired 6-foot-5, 223-pound defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2026.

Last season, the 26-year-old native of Grimsby, ON, played 62 games, scoring six goals and 13 points with 42 penalty minutes. He finished the campaign with a plus-11 rating, which is impressive since Montreal had a goal differential of minus-53.

At 6-foot-5, Kovacevic will be one of the tallest players in the New Jersey lineup. Let's learn more about the newest acquisition to don the red and black.

Kovacevic Was a Winnipeg Jets Draft Pick in 2017

The Winnipeg Jets selected Kovacevic with the 74th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Despite suiting up 136 games with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL over three seasons, his successes in the AHL did not translate with the Jets, where he played just four games in 2021-22.

However, the Canadiens picked up the former Merrimack College defender, who holds a civil engineering degree, off waivers in 2022. The opportunity to play in a new market was a significant change in his professional career that he didn't let slip away.

In 2022-23, Kovacevic spent the entire season in the NHL, dressing in 77 games, collecting 15 points, and finishing the campaign with a plus-3 rating.

He also had 92 shots on goal, dished out 93 hits, and had 86 blocks. However, Kovacevic was sloppy with the puck, having a takeaway/giveaway difference of minus-44 while averaging 17:25 a night.

Last year, he was less physical with only 75 hits but maintained his block total (83) while still producing a minus-41 in the takeaway/giveaway category.

Kovacevic comes to New Jersey, where Fitzgerald has been remodeling his defensive unit with big guys in front of newly acquired Jacob Markstrom, becoming one of the more challenging teams to play against in the Eastern Conference.

PuckPedia says his current deal, which pays him $767,000 in 2024-25, has one season left.

Heading into free agency, the Devils have roughly $19 million available to sign more reinforcements. Trading for Kovacevic was a brilliant move on Fitzgerald's part because he got a solid bottom-pair defender who teammates like on a modest salary.

Hopefully, everything works out in New Jersey for Kovacevic, who can land a bigger payday in 2025 with a good campaign helping the Devils navigate the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division.