PuckSleuth
47New Jersey Devils · Defense · Shoots L
Declan Chisholm
Age 26 · 6'1" · 205 lb · Born in Bowmanville, CAN
Cap hit
$1.6M
1.5% of $104M cap
Term
1 yr
Through 2026-27, then UFA
Clause
None
Surplus value
+$2.564M
vs. $4.164M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2026-27 regular season
GP
1
Goals
0
0.0% shooting
Assists
0
0 primary
Points
0
0.00 per game
TOI/GP
14:32
PP 0:00 · PK 0:00
xGF%
54.6
5v5, +10.5 vs. last yr
Game Score
-0.09
per game, goals above average
Faceoff %
—
Plus/minus
0
Blocks 2 · Hits 0
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 vs PHI · W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14:32 | 0:00 | 0:00 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.09 |
| Mar 9 vs CGY · W 7-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:59 | 0:00 | 0:00 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | -0.02 |
| Mar 7 @ BOS · L 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:38 | 0:00 | 0:16 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.02 |
| Feb 28 @ MTL · L 6-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13:00 | 1:00 | 0:00 | — | 33 | 3 | 0 | +1 | +0.19 |
| Feb 27 vs VGK · W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10:59 | 0:00 | 0:03 | — | 33 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.25 |
GS = our Game Score, goals above average. FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 340 min · percentile vs. NHL defensemen
12th percentile
2nd percentile
12th percentile
43rd percentile
16th percentile
26th percentile
77th percentile
62nd percentile
20th percentile
16th percentile
55th percentile
81st percentile
77th percentile
10th percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleOffensive playmaker
Trait percentiles vs. NHL defensemen · 2025-26
Chisholm is a high-volume passer who creates chances through smart transitions and rush play, but struggles mightily in transition defense and rarely generates offense himself. His limited physicality and ineffective puck management leave him vulnerable to forecheckers and unable to cleanly exit the zone.
- Shooting volume
- 32
- Playmaking
- 80
- Zone entries(est.)
- 43
- Forechecking
- 14
- Physicality
- 30
- Defensive impact
- 4
- Puck management
- 3
- Speed
- 40
Where he shoots from
Slot 3% · Mid-range 21% · Perimeter 76%(29 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- Excellent playmaking (80th percentile) sets up chances for teammates
- Solid expected goals rate (44.0%) suggests positive impact on play momentum
- Above-average rush chance generation (43rd percentile) fuels transition offense
Watch-outs
- Poor defensive impact (4th percentile) allows too many chances against
- Weak puck handling (3rd percentile) loses possession in dangerous areas
- Minimal forechecking effort (14th percentile) fails to apply pressure
Similar style: Zeev Buium (VAN), Henri Jokiharju
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 26 GP · goals above average
Season total +0.1 goals, or +0.01 per game.
- Even strength offense
- -0.2
- Even strength defense
- -0.5
- Power play
- -0.1
- Finishing
- +0.3
- Playmaking
- +0.3
- Penalties
- +0.4
Game Score adds up a player's impact in goals compared with an average player given the same ice time: his share of expected goals for and against at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill, plus finishing (goals minus expected goals), primary assists, penalties drawn and taken, and faceoffs. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% | GS/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Winnipeg Jets | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 12:57 | — | — |
| 2023-24 | Winnipeg Jets | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 11:33 | — | +0.05 |
| 2023-24 | Minnesota Wild | 29 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -8 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 10.3 | 16:52 | — | +0.05 |
| 2024-25 | Minnesota Wild | 66 | 2 | 10 | 12 | -5 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 2.9 | 17:00 | — | -0.02 |
| 2025-26 | Washington Capitals | 26 | 1 | 6 | 7 | +3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5.0 | 13:44 | — | +0.01 |
| 2026-27 | New Jersey Devils | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 13:36 | — | -0.09 |
| Career | 5 seasons | 127 | 6 | 22 | 28 | -10 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 124 | 4.8 | 16:06 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team. GS/GP is our Game Score per game.
Usage
Last game: vs PHI, Oct 1
Pair 3 with Brenden Dillon (12:38 together at 5-on-5)
From the NHL's shift chart.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
- Abbotsford Canucks sign Kole Lind to one-year contract and announce opening night roster
canucksarmy.com · Oct 2
- Latest Devils News and Rumors & 2026-27 Player Projections: Declan Chisholm and Jonas Siegenthaler
Substack · Oct 1
- New Jersey Devils 2026-27 Player Projections: Declan Chisholm
The Hockey Writers · Sep 30
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.06 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2025-26, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 21.5 mph
- 43rd pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 10
- Hardest shot
- 91.2 mph
- 54th pct
- Distance
- 47.6 mi
- OZ time
- 40.2%
- 27th pct
- DZ time
- 42.3%
Age curve
NHL defensemen · production index
At 26, defensemen typically produce 98% of their peak (age 24).
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
1 season left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | NJD | $1.6M | 1.5% |
UFA after 2026-27. $1.6M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).