Jack Hughes is climbing the NHL Network rankings, and the latest list says plenty about where his game stands right now.
The Devils star was placed 26th in the network’s Top 50 Players Right Now list, a five-spot jump from where he sat going into last season. For a player who has spent much of 2026 in the spotlight, it fits the moment. Hughes has been everywhere this year - back from injury, tied to headlines off the ice, scoring the Golden Goal, and then catching fire to finish the season with the second-most points in the NHL after the Olympics.
That momentum carried through the summer, even if Hughes himself stayed relatively quiet. He spent the offseason with his brothers, and that alone kept the rumor mill spinning, especially with Quinn Hughes still unsigned. Jack was back in the conversation again Monday on the 32 Thoughts podcast, where he talked about his relationship, or lack thereof, with Sunny Mehta.
Then the rankings dropped, and the debate picked right back up.
The NHL Network list puts Hughes at 26th, but the bigger story is what came before it. Last season, he was 31st entering the year.
In 2025-26, when he was healthy, he looked every bit like one of the league’s elite. From the end of the Olympic break through the finish of the season, only Connor McDavid had more points.
That surge didn’t drag the Devils into the playoff race, but it did underline the obvious: with Jack Hughes healthy, New Jersey is a completely different team.
This also looks like the last time Hughes will be outside the top 20. His injuries over the past few years have been strange and frustrating, including the one at a restaurant last year and the year before, when Jack Eichel knocked him out after tripping him from behind.
What he did at the end of last season made the bigger point. The injuries haven’t left a lasting mark. If Hughes plays even 70 games, he should be among the best players in the world.
And when he was on the ice last season, the numbers backed that up. In games where he wasn’t injured or playing with a cast on his hand, he had 61 points in 41 games, a 122-point pace.
The Devils were dominant with him out there. Goalies, defense, coaching - none of it seemed to matter.
Hughes on the ice turned New Jersey into a problem.
In Other News...
Jack Hughes Addressed The Devils Question Fans Wont Stop Debating
Jack Hughes used a recent interview with Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts to put a little more shape around where he stands with the Devils, and around the people making decisions upstairs. He talked about his relationship with former GM Tom Fitzgerald and current GM Sunny Mehta, while making clear he remains committed to New Jersey and energized by the teams recent moves. For a franchise trying to build around its young core, that kind of public alignment matters almost as much as anything happening on the ice.
The bigger conversation, though, has been the one fans will not let go of, with speculation still swirling around Quinn Hughes future and what it could mean for Jack Hughes down the road. Jacks ties to Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes help ground him in the present, but the outside noise keeps following him because the family storyline is never far from view. Even with his message of commitment, the debate around possible trade chatter and where this all leads next is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Have Found A Young Pairing Fans Will Want Soon
The Devils prospects game against the Islanders ended in a 5-4 overtime loss, but the result was almost secondary to what New Jersey may have seen on its blue line. Seamus Casey and Anton Silaev stood out for the way they moved together, with the pair drawing attention for both their skating and the chemistry they showed throughout the game.
For a team always trying to sort out its defensive future, that kind of early connection matters. Casey and Silaev are still on different development paths, and the Devils will have to weigh roster fit and readiness before anything becomes real at the NHL level, but nights like this at least offer a glimpse of a pairing fans could be eager to see down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Anton Silaev Gives Devils Fans Hope And One Clear Reason To Wait
Anton Silaevs first impression in a Devils sweater gave the organization and its fans a glimpse of why he has become such an intriguing part of the pipeline. In a prospect game against the Islanders, the top defense prospect stood out for his size and physical presence, the kind of raw material New Jersey believes can eventually be shaped into a shutdown defender. For a club that has been looking to deepen its blue line, that kind of upside matters.
Silaev is still very much a work in progress, which is why the Devils plan to let him develop with the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League this season. The next step is less about highlight moments and more about refining his defensive positioning and finding consistency from shift to shift. If that comes, the early promise could start to look a lot more like a long-term answer. [Read more 🡒]