The Devils are struggling without Jack Hughes
No NHL team wants to see their star player go down, but most would hope to deal with it better than the New Jersey Devils have handled the loss of Jack Hughes. Since the 2019 first-overall pick went on the mend due to an unfortunate dining accident on November 14th, the Devils have gone 4-8, and they’re currently riding a five-game losing streak after falling 4-1 to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
New Jersey has dropped out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, and are just one point above the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils’ offense has dried up without their top-line center. In the 12 games since Hughes’ injury, they’ve averaged 2.17 goals per game, which would rank dead last in the NHL by a good margin as a season-long average. With Hughes not expected back until at least the new year, New Jersey will have to find a way to turn things around without their marquee player.
On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed the level of concern there should be around the Devils’ recent struggles.
Tyler Yaremchuk: The Devils are still going to be without Jack Hughes for another month plus at this point. It might leak closer to the Olympic break. They’ve lost five in a row, they’re outside of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Another part of this Quinn Hughes conversation is if you’re the Devils, you’re obviously getting Quinn Hughes to extend him and keep him for a very long time. And listen, they’re a point out of the playoffs, I’m not saying they’re punting on the season or anything like that. But if things continue to go south for the next month here, and Jack Hughes isn’t in the lineup, you could make the argument that hey, does it even make sense to go spend a bunch of assets on an in-season trade if you can’t overcome the injury to one of the Hughes brothers.
Carter Hutton: It looks ugly when you see the standings in the division, but when you really break it down, they’re right there. Outside of a few teams here, it’s going to be a dog fight. That just shows you how tight the parity is. I don’t think it’s total panic mode. You’ve got to think that the Devils will come around. I think they’re too good of a team not to, in a division like the Metro where a 4-0 run gets you right back into it. What is concerning when you look at their last five losses, is one goal in the last three games, which is a little bit concerning. This is a team that is offensively talented. They can create a lot, they buzz in the offensive zone. They’re not known for defending as well, though I think they’re getting better.
There is a little bit of concern when you talk about the New Jersey Devils and the lack of Jach Hughes and his leadership. When he comes back, where is he going to be? That’s the other factor of this. It’s easy to look at a surgery or a player and say, well he’s out six to eight weeks. But when do we get Jack Hughes back, the talented player. This isn’t a defenseman that just chips the puck off the glass and blocks shots. His style is an art, and there’s a timing to it. So it is concerning in that sense. But again, I think what they have going in their favor is in the Metro, I feel they’re going to get in. It’s just a matter of getting their game to peak at the right time.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…