Casey is going to be sidelined until at least the beginning of December after sustaining a knee injury during a Devils’ preseason game against the New York Rangers. This injury is a serious momentum killer for Casey, who had strung together impressive showings in the Devils’ Rookie Showcase and Training Camp in the weeks leading up to his injury.

2026-27 is a pivotal year for Casey as it’s the final year of his ELC, and the organizational plan for his future is unclear with Sunny Mehta now leading the Devils’ front office. The pressure is mounting for Casey to specifically round out some of the defensive warts in his NHL game. Given the consistent offensive production we’ve seen from Casey at every level in his career thus far, reliable defensive physicality seems to be the final piece needed for Casey to cement himself as an every night defenseman in the NHL.

Once Casey is fully recovered, it’s possible he’ll get an opportunity to log some minutes at the NHL level with Devils right-handed defensemen Johnathan Kovacevic out for 4-6 months. His play upon return from injury will play a huge role in his future in the league. The best outcome for his individual productivity is that he plays his way into a trade to another team with more even-strength and powerplay opportunity up for grabs. In the case that the Devils extend him, he’ll likely never see first power play with Luke Hughes currently coming into his own, and won’t see impactful even strength minutes while Dougie Hamilton is still in New Jersey.

Casey made the jump to professional hockey last year and made it look easy. As an undersized defenseman, the expectation was that he would struggle in professional competition. While there were some moments where Casey was exposed, he looked like an impact player more often than not. With the Devils, Casey scored four goals and eight points in 14 games, excellent numbers for a defenseman in his first professional year. On top of that, Casey added 18 points in 30 games for the Utica Comets. What Casey will be is a power play quarterback who can hold his own at five-on-five but likely will not get penalty-killing time. With the Devils’ loaded offensive weapons on defense, with Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and potentially Simon Nemec ahead of Casey on the power play depth chart, Casey may be better served as trade bait and get a larger role on a different team that is not as loaded on the back end right now.

Casey got his first taste of the NHL, where he immediately slotted in as a third-pair, second-power-play-unit defenseman. In his few games, he showed clear and consistent high-end ability with the puck, using his pristine edge-work and elite ability to walk the blue line to create space for himself and his teammates. Defensive inconsistencies have been and will continue to be an area in which he needs work, but the offensive brilliance is on display on a nightly basis. With a bit more time logging heavier minutes in the AHL, he has the potential to turn into a top-scoring defenseman.