Jack Hughes opened the season by doing what the Devils needed most: finishing the job.
He scored the overtime winner in New Jersey’s 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on ESPN Thursday night, and his younger brother Luke Hughes also found the net in the win. It was a strong start for the Devils - and for Jack Hughes personally, since he also handled an in-game interview between the first and second periods.
That conversation took an awkward turn when ESPN’s A.J. Mleczko brought up the finger injury Hughes suffered last season during a team dinner. The cut required surgery, cost him 18 games, and clearly was not something he was eager to joke about.
“Well, it’s great to see you healthy,” said Mleczko. “Let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. Does that sound good?”
Hughes didn’t exactly play along.
“I mean, I think that’s a weird joke midgame,” he said before skating away.
The moment didn’t seem to bother him once the puck dropped back into play. Hughes still came through with the game-winner, and the Devils left with the opening-night result they wanted.
And for Hughes, it’s just the latest strange chapter in a busy stretch. He scored the game-winning goal in the Olympic gold medal game and then gave an interview with a bloody mouth.
He also went to the White House, had a disagreement with the Hall of Fame and appeared on “ Saturday Night Live.” On top of that, he dated and then broke up with Tate McRae.
Against that backdrop, a freak accident at a team dinner may have been the least delicate subject on the table.
In Other News...
Dawson Mercer Enters A Critical Devils Season For One Big Reason
The Devils spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, and the ripple effects have landed squarely on Dawson Mercer. With additions such as Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista changing the depth chart, Mercer is no longer being viewed through the lens of the breakout 2022-23 season that raised expectations around him. Instead, he enters this year in the bottom six, a different kind of assignment for a player whose value once seemed to be trending steadily upward.
That shift gives Mercer a chance to prove he can still matter even without the same offensive runway. He is expected to skate with Arseny Gritsyuk and Evan Rodrigues, a lineup spot that could help stabilize his game and show the Devils he can contribute in a lesser role. If the production does not rebound, though, the questions around his long-term fit in New Jersey are only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Face A Costly Long Term Test As Cap Space Climbs
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Cody Glass, Declan Chisholm, Jonas Seigenthaler, Anthony Mantha, Dawson Mercer and Amadeus Lombardi all fit somewhere in that conversation, whether as current contributors or players who could matter more down the road. Sunny Mehta and the front office now have to balance those rising contract expectations against the need to keep the cap flexible, which makes the next stretch of negotiations a potentially expensive test of how the Devils want this roster to look long term. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Have One Early Problem With This Revamped Lineup
The Devils are heading into the season with a noticeably different look after a busy offseason that brought in Anthony Mantha, Luke Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, Amadeus Lombardi, Jesper Boqvist and defenseman Declan Chisholm, while Simon Nemec and Jacob Markstrom are gone. Even with all that turnover, the bigger short-term challenge may not be talent so much as timing, because this roster is being built to sort itself out on the fly.
New Jersey also plans to use a three-goalie rotation, and every one of its four forward lines is expected to feature at least one new face. That kind of overhaul can work, but it rarely clicks instantly, and the Devils may need several weeks before the chemistry settles in and the best version of the lineup comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]