from Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice,

The Devils could be hearing from the NHL – if they haven’t already – after some of their players held an informal practice on Dec. 26 on their Prudential Center practice rink.

A source said more than two thirds of the Devils’ players were on the ice for the informal practice, which did not include any members of the coaching staff.

Multiple Devils’ players confirmed there was an informal skate Friday. One said “not that many” players went on the ice, though, and, “obviously, there were no coaches.”...

Another Devils’ player indicated some players who didn’t skate used the team facilities Friday to work out off the ice.

Dec. 26 is a mandated day off by the collective bargaining agreement as part of the NHL’s three-day Christmas break. If any Devils official was involved in organizing or encouraging the informal practice, this might be considered a violation of the CBA and could result in a fine for the organization.

So far, it doesn’t appear the Devils did anything illegal or are in any trouble with the NHL. A league spokesperson confirmed that the NHL is looking into “a few” teams that held informal Dec. 26 practices, but said it is “unclear if any were more than captain’s skates, which wouldn’t be prohibited.”

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said via email there was “nothing I know of on the Devils."

A source said the Rangers were among the teams already questioned about their Dec. 26 activities and were not found to have done anything illegal.

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