Brenden Dillon sits again as Devils ride Chisholm

Keefe didn't dodge it Monday. He gave the reasons straight, and he said what nobody in Dillon's skates wants to hear: it isn't done yet.

Amanda Stein

@amandacstein

Keefe pointed to the return of Kovacevic and getting him “up and running” while also wanting to give Chisholm some runway to being an every day player. Dillon will be out vs Avs. "I don't know how many more we're going to have him on the sidelines, but he won't play tomorrow," Keefe says.

Amanda Stein@amandacstein

#NJDevils HC Keefe spoke at length about sitting Dillon. "The conversation's not easy. Dillon's a guy that's worked extremely hard in his career to establish himself in the league. He's an important leader on our team, so to not have him involved, it wasn't an easy discussion."

That's the whole thing in 1 tweet. Kovacevic made his season debut against Detroit after having a minor procedure on his right knee in the offseason and being limited in training camp. He went right onto the 3rd pair with Chisholm, and Dillon was the guy who came out. Dillon was a healthy scratch for the 3rd straight game Saturday in a 4-2 loss in Washington that dropped New Jersey to 4-4-0, and now he's out vs. Colorado too. "I don't know how many more" is about as open-ended as a coach gets.

The awkward part is who's sitting. Dillon isn't some depth guy fighting for a contract. He's a veteran Keefe calls a leader in the room, and Keefe clearly didn't enjoy telling him.

Anthony Corona

@ACoronaNJD

Sheldon Keefe on conversations with Brenden Dillon: "The conversation’s not easy. Dilly’s a guy who’s worked extremely hard in his career to establish himself in the league, and he’s an important leader on our team. To not have him involved wasn’t an easy discussion. He’s not a guy who I think needs daily check-ins as we’re going through this. He can continue to work hard and be a good teammate. It’s a lot harder to do so when you’re not in the mix and playing every day, but that’s just the reality of where we’re at. Kovacevic’s coming back in, and we want to keep him up and running and get him back in the swing of things here fully. As we’ve said many times, we’re wanting to really try to develop Chisholm into being an everyday player here, so we’ll give him some runway with that. At the same time, with those two guys and Dillon, we’re going to work at keeping them all involved as things move ahead. Dillon’s already sat three in a row. I don’t know how many more we’re going to have him on the sidelines, but he won’t play tomorrow." #NJDevils

Look past the respect and you get the line that matters: "that's just the reality of where we're at." Keefe also says Dillon doesn't need daily check-ins, which is coach for: we trust you to be a pro about this, and we're not changing course. The Chisholm piece is the real tell. According to the beat, the decision is less about what Chisholm has already done and more about what the Devils think he can become, mainly a guy who skates the puck out in transition and keeps it moving on the back end. That's a bet on upside, and when a coach is betting on upside, the veteran is the one who pays for it.

Keefe was also asked whether this came from above him. He didn't pretend otherwise.

Anthony Corona

@ACoronaNJD

Sheldon Keefe when asked if scratching Dillon was an organizational decision: "Yeah. Sunny and I talk every day, and we talk about all these things. When it comes to the lineup and deployment of the group, you meet as a coaching staff, get a sense of how you want it to go, and then you talk with Sunny about what you’re thinking. He gives his perspective, and we move ahead. Everywhere in the league, I would think coaches and managers are talking about these things on a daily basis." #NJDevils

So this isn't a coach going rogue. The staff and Sunny are on the same page. That's the part Dillon should worry about, because organizational decisions tend to stick longer than a coach's hunch. With a healthy blue line, Dillon and Kovacevic could end up taking turns as the extra defenseman, or Chisholm could eventually get sent to Utica. Neither is happening Tuesday.

What to watch: how Chisholm plays against a fast Colorado team that will test exactly the puck-moving skills he's in the lineup for. If he gets caught or loses minutes, Dillon's scratch streak probably ends soon. If he handles it, a respected veteran on a team sitting at.500 could be spending a lot more nights in the press box, and the Devils have some uncomfortable calls ahead.