Devils have work cut out for them after Jack Hughes’ injury

The New Jersey Devils will be without star center Jack Hughes for approximately eight weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a cut to his hand that occurred in a “freak accident” at a team dinner in Chicago.

Hughes is a phenomenal talent who had racked up 20 points in 17 games to start this season to help stake the Devils to a lead atop the Metropolitan Division, but unfortunately for New Jersey, playing without their first-line center is nothing new.

The Devils fell in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round last year with Hughes out, and the 24-year-old has not yet played a full 82-game season in his career, whether due to injuries or shortened seasons because of the pandemic.

On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Hughes’ injury and the challenges that now face New Jersey offensively without their star.

Tyler Yaremchuk: It was bad news for the New Jersey Devils. Jack Hughes out six-to-eight weeks after cutting his hand in an off-ice incident. The team saying it’s nothing more than a freak accident. However he got hurt, it doesn’t matter, the bottom line is the Devils are without their best player now for the next two months. He was having a hell of a season. It’s another year derailed by injuries for Jack Hughes; you feel for the guy.

Carter Hutton: I hope he can come back and regain it. My concern is now with the Devils, can they sustain it without Jack Hughes? This is a year where… that Metro Division looks open. It is a chance for them to push to try to get to that Eastern Conference Final. Obviously Carolina’s going to be in the way. There’s going to be other teams pushing, but without a healthy Jack Hughes it really plays an effect.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…