As summer wound down, Kevin Rooney found himself sifting through PTO opportunities from a couple of teams around the NHL.
When the 32-year-old saw the New Jersey Devils were one of those teams, he felt it was a “no-brainer” to sign a professional tryout with his former club.
“I have already been here, and I am familiar with the organization,” he told The Hockey News on Saturday. “With the uncertainty of not knowing where you stand, I wanted to go someplace where I would be comfortable because training camp is quick. It is two weeks where you have to show yourself.
“I am really happy to be back,” he continued. “It has been a great experience so far being back in New Jersey.”
Rooney began his NHL career with the Devils in March 2017. He appeared in 330 games with New Jersey before continuing his career with the New York Rangers, and eventually, the Calgary Flames.
Now, he is competing for a bottom-six role on the Devils for the 2025-26 season. The Massachusetts native has plenty of competition for the fourth-line center position with veteran Luke Glendening on a PTO as well.
On Friday, The Hockey News asked Devils’ head coach Sheldon Keefe for his thoughts on his players who are on professional tryouts at this juncture of his training camp.
“I think they have shown well,” Keefe shared. “They have both shown what we had expected in terms of what they can provide. We are going to continue to put them in different positions to show that and see how they fit in, and trying to use them in different situations with different types of lineups and different linemates and all these sorts of things.
“(We want) to see them in games when they don’t have a lot of support from our top guys, so they got to take on a lot more in terms of heavy lifting and match-ups and all of these sorts of things,” Keefe continued. “Then, a game like we played the other day, we have a lot of our top guys, so now it is a little bit more like their role would actually feel like in a regular game. That is what I am going to try to do the rest of the way here. The games are coming quick now, and we are going to try to keep putting them in different spots and seeing how the fit is.”
Off the ice, Rooney has spent time with Glendening as the two are staying at the same hotel during camp.
“It has been awesome having a guy like that here,” Rooney said. “He is a guy I have looked up to throughout my career. He is obviously a little older than me, but we have been going to dinners and stuff together. It has been awesome getting to know him.”
Throughout his career, Rooney has averaged 11:38 of ice time per game. As a depth player, he understands and enjoys his role, explaining what it takes to be effective in limited ice time.
“I think just staying in the game, you know? I mean (it could) be communication on the bench,” he said. “I am a guy who loves to talk to my linemates and talk throughout the game, letting people who are on the ice know if they have time with the puck and whatnot. It is just doing those little things that keep you involved in the game in a little bit different of a way.
“Obviously, you feel your best when you are playing 12 to 15 minutes, but that is not realistic every night,” he continued. “You have to find ways to contribute, whether you get eight minutes or 10 minutes. It is something that, over the years, I have just gotten better at.”
One thing that affects the ice time of players like Rooney is the TV timeouts during games.
“I don’t know if it is actually true, but it feels like the fourth line is always about to go, and then there is a TV timeout,” he said with a chuckle. “Then it resets.”
It is a small facet of the game that can go unnoticed not only to fans but to other players in the NHL, who are accustomed to more ice time on a nightly basis.
“I actually have a funny story. One of my really good friends is Adam Fox,” Rooney shared. “He played in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and wasn’t getting his normal 20 to 25 minutes (of ice time). When I was hanging out with him this summer, he said he had a better appreciation for guys like me who don’t play as many minutes. You know, it is harder, and it is cool to see a guy like that appreciate it.”
The Devils have four preseason games remaining with a split squad on Sunday. Half of the team will be at Prudential Center hosting the Washington Capitals, while the other group travels to Quebec City to play the Ottawa Senators.
There is still time for Rooney to make a positive impact on the Devils’ front office before the regular season kicks off on Oct. 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the center knows what is at stake and that he, in essence, has to seize the moment.
“When you get your opportunities, you really have to make the most of them, because it doesn’t come around often, honestly.”
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