Jack Hughes gave the Devils exactly the kind of reminder they didn’t need to be reminded of Monday night: even in preseason, even in a game with no standings attached, he can tilt everything. His game-winning goal was another flash of how central he is to New Jersey’s identity.
But that’s not really the question hanging over this Devils team anymore. The bigger issue is whether they can keep winning when Hughes is not the driver, or not even available at all.
For the past three seasons, when Hughes has been hurt or off his game, the Devils have had a habit of falling apart. When he’s rolling, they can look like one of the best teams in the Metropolitan Division and one of the better teams in the NHL. When he isn’t, the whole thing gets shaky fast.
That’s why this offseason mattered so much. The Devils built with a different idea in mind: a roster that doesn’t have to revolve around Hughes. Not because they want to diminish him, but because they want to be dangerous even if he’s missing.
The hockey world still hasn’t settled the Hughes debate either. Is he a Hart Trophy type?
A top-10 player? Top 20?
And, maybe most important for New Jersey, is he the kind of star who can carry a team deep in the playoffs?
He has the skill. Nobody questions that.
The question is whether his game can bend with the moment the way the league’s true playoff engines do. Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby have shown that ability on the way to Stanley Cups, and McDavid adapted to help the Edmonton Oilers reach the Final in back-to-back seasons.
For the Devils, though, the answer may not be that Hughes has to be the guy in the playoffs. The better version of this roster is one where Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and the rest of the core can absorb the pressure when the game tightens up and gets more physical. Hughes can still matter offensively, but he can’t be the only star they lean on.
That thinking fits first-year general manager Sunny Mehta, who arrived from the Florida Panthers, a team that didn’t need one player to do everything. If Sam Bennett had an off night, Sam Reinhart could take over.
If Aleksander Barkov’s line wasn’t going, Matthew Tkachuk’s could. Mehta is trying to build something similar in New Jersey, even if the pieces are different.
The Devils have also spent the summer trying to fix the specific problem that has hurt them most when Hughes goes down: depth. The roster was too thin, especially up front, and too much of the burden fell on the top six. The top line was built around Hughes, with Jesper Bratt often next to him, so when Hughes was unavailable the whole structure got exposed.
That’s where the additions of Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista come in. Mantha brings a scoring profile that should travel no matter where he plays.
Evangelista offers playmaking skill that can work alongside Hughes or Hischier, but he isn’t dependent on a center to create everything for him. The idea is simple: if Hughes is out, the Devils shouldn’t be stuck scrambling.
It also gives New Jersey a better chance to survive an injury and still stay in the playoff picture. That’s a real shift from where they’ve been before, and it’s part of why they enter the season with more confidence.
The upside is there too. If the Devils get into the playoffs, they believe they can be a tough out for Eastern Conference opponents. Hughes may not be the one carrying the whole run, but he still can be a major offensive factor, and the Olympics showed what he can do on a big stage.
And if the postseason turns into a grinder, the Devils believe they have more than one player who can rise with it. Evangelista, Mantha, or Evan Rodrigues could be the new faces who make noise. Meier, meanwhile, is built for that kind of setting.
For all the bigger-picture talk, though, the Devils still have to clear the first hurdle. They need to prove they are a playoff team. And that starts with the question they’ve spent all offseason trying to answer: can they win without Hughes?
They’d prefer not to find out the hard way. But if they have to, they believe they’re ready.
In Other News...
Devils Beat Rangers But One Early Concern Still Stood Out
The Devils preseason win over the Rangers gave New Jersey plenty to like, with Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jack Hughes each finding the net in a game that also showed the kind of defensive structure the team wants to carry into the regular season. They controlled most of the shot attempts and spent long stretches dictating the pace, a good sign for a roster trying to sharpen its habits before the games start counting.
Still, the night also carried an early reminder of how quickly preseason can turn. Rangers forward Adam Sykora left after taking a hit from Mikael Diotte and did not return because of a lower-body injury, a sequence that put the focus back on health even in a game otherwise shaped by solid Devils pressure and chances. For New Jersey, the result was encouraging, but the broader takeaway was that the physical edge is already here, and it can alter a game in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Just Gave New Jersey Fans A Perk Theyll Actually Use
The Devils and NJM Insurance Group have added a new layer to a partnership that feels built for the fan base as much as the arena. Under the multi-year agreement, NJM becomes an Official Partner of both the Devils and Prudential Center, and the deal includes a benefit program called New Jersey, New Jersey for Devils Black and Red Members.
The jersey update perk is the kind of detail that tends to resonate with fans who invest in a name and number, then watch the roster shift around them. NJM also will present the teams post-win locker room speeches social series, along with a new player-focused content series, giving the partnership a footprint that stretches from game nights into the online content the Devils have been leaning into more and more. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Put Pressure On The Wilds Long-Term Plan
Quinn Hughes has given Minnesota a little more to think about, not because he is unhappy, but because he is in no hurry to lock himself into the Wilds long-term picture. The defenseman said extension talks have not started, and he is comfortable taking his time while keeping the door open on what comes next, even as he emphasized that he is happy in Minnesota.
For the Devils, the timing is worth watching from afar. New Jersey has been linked to Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but cap space remains the obvious obstacle for any major move, and a player like Hughes lingering on the market only adds another variable to the kind of long-view planning every contender has to do. If the Wild cannot get ahead of the situation, the conversation around his future could become one of the more intriguing roster threads in the league. [Read more 🡒]