Luke Hughes is back on the ice, and that matters for the Devils in a way that goes beyond one summer workout clip.
After missing training camp in 2024 because of a shoulder injury and then sitting out almost all of camp last season while working through a long-term contract, Hughes had already been through two straight years of getting left behind when the most important practices of the year opened. That is especially tough for a young defenseman in Sheldon Keefe’s system, where the expectations are changing and the details matter from day one.
Keefe, heading into his third season behind the New Jersey bench, has been reshaping the staff and the defensive approach around him. New GM Sunny Mehta backed him this offseason and helped bring in former Harvard head coach Ted Donato, while last year Keefe moved on from Ryan McGill and replaced him with former Philadelphia Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw. The bigger point is the same: Keefe wants his defensemen playing a different game than they did under Lindy Ruff, one built less on run-and-gun hockey and more on responsibility.
That is exactly why Hughes missing camp has been such a problem. He has had to try to absorb major defensive changes without the full runway the Devils wanted him to have.
Now, at least, there is a clean sign that the shoulder surgery that ended his 2025-26 season is no longer keeping him off the ice. On Thursday, Hughes was seen skating, and he looked fluid doing it. For a player whose offseason had already carried real concern, that was the sight people needed.
Frankly, Hughes was not good last season. He never really got rolling after missing training camp and playing zero preseason games, and the season felt like a long catch-up exercise.
It was a lost year for the Devils’ future on the blue line. He missed the Olympics, New Jersey missed the playoffs, and his future has been cast in a more uncertain light than anyone expected.
Still, the biggest fear attached to him right now appears to be gone. He is on the ice, skating freely, and that is the first step toward making sure this season starts differently - with training camp, preseason, and the chance to set the tone the right way from the beginning.
In Other News...
One Devils Trade Helped Build A Cup Winner
The Devils path to their first Stanley Cup was shaped by more than the stars at the top of the roster. One of the quieter but more important moves came on Aug. 28, 1992, when New Jersey sent a 1993 second-round pick and forward Bobby Holik to Hartford in exchange for goaltender Sean Burke and defenseman Eric Weinrich, a deal that looked useful in the moment and became even more meaningful as the years passed.
Holik went on to become a key part of the Devils identity, especially as a member of the hard-nosed Crash Line during the 1993-94 season, and the draft pick New Jersey received turned into Jay Pandolfo, another player who fit the teams championship mold. It was the kind of trade that rarely gets remembered as a franchise-defining moment at the time, but in hindsight it helped build the depth and style that carried the Devils to their first title in 1995. [Read more 🡒]
Arseny Gritsyuk Enters A Devils Battle That Could Change His Role
Arseny Gritsyuk is heading into his second NHL season with a clearer sense of his place in the Devils plans, even if the exact fit is still unsettled. The 25-year-old winger put up 31 points in 66 games as a rookie, then signed a three-year contract extension in July, a sign the organization sees real value in what he can bring as he continues to establish himself in New Jersey.
After spending time rehabbing from a shoulder procedure, Gritsyuk is now working back toward full form with training camp set to sort out the details. Cody Glass has already voiced confidence that Gritsyuk can grab a top-six spot, but where he ultimately lands in the lineup for the 2026-27 season is still up in the air, making camp a meaningful next step in what could become a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]
Ilya Kovalchuk Still Sparks One Devils Debate Fans Never Settled
Ilya Kovalchuks Devils tenure was brief by franchise standards, but it left a long afterlife in New Jersey conversations. He arrived as a major scoring threat, spent three and a half seasons with the team and still finished 44th on the clubs career points list, with his 2010-11 goal total standing out as one of the defining marks of that stretch.
What keeps the debate alive is everything around the numbers. Kovalchuk signed a 15-year, $100 million deal, then left after the 2012-13 season to play in Russia with 12 years left on the contract, a turn that still colors how fans remember him. Even with the production he delivered, he is not generally placed among the top five forwards in Devils history, which is why his legacy remains one of the franchises more interesting arguments. [Read more 🡒]