Waking up to see the New Jersey Devils in the first wild card spot this morning certainly is a tough pill to swallow.
The Devils came into the 2025-26 season with raised expectations, and in the early goings of the season, they met, and perhaps exceeded said expectations.
They turned their opening night loss into an eight game win streak, and banked a bunch of points early. It’s frightening to think where they’d be had they not collected 16 points in a row to start the year.
It was beginning to look like the Devils were finally realizing their potential.
In fact, the word maturity was thrown around like pucks in a warmup. The media was saying it, the locker room was saying it, however, the coach didn’t buy it quite yet.
Thus, here we are again.
Jack Hughes is hurt again, albeit, in a much different fashion this year. Still, he’s missing significant time, and it’s reflecting in the Devils’ game.
Brett Pesce’s absence, too, is hindering the Devils, too, thus, contributing to the “same old Devils” narrative.
Amid the Devils’ 3-0 shutout loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, MSG Networks aired a terrifying graphic.
Since Jack’s injury, the Devils are one of the worst teams in the offensive zone.
With the Devils’ top offensive and defensive player out, one might think, “of course they’re struggling.”
However, New Jersey’s long been plagued with injuries which has derailed their plans in each of the last two seasons, and they’re hoping it won’t be a third.
Fortunately, Jack and Pesce are due back this season, and in the relative near future. Johnathan Kovacevic will be back at some point, too.
But the problem lies in the key absences.
Of course, any team wouldn’t be as good without their key players. Of course, with Jack Hughes and Brett Pesce in the lineup, the Devils are a better team.
Yet, to lose their identity altogether in their absences presents a bigger problem.
It was evident on Wednesday against the Stars. The Devils didn’t have any juice, thus, keeping them to the perimeter and accruing very little in high-danger areas.
Nico Hischier and Timo Meier have been going well of late. Yet, they couldn’t find the scoresheet on Wednesday, and thus, the Devils were promptly shut out.
It’s further evidence that when the Devils’ top players aren’t going, no one is.
“You know, for them, you’re looking for momentum,” Sheldon Keefe explained. “You’re looking for other guys to step up and get some pucks to the net and look to create some things. But again, we just didn’t have a lot of juice tonight, so it’s tough.”
One of Tom Fitzgerald’s top priorities this summer was to acquire depth scoring. Well, Evgenii Dadonov can’t stay healthy. Connor Brown has one goal in nine games since returning from injury, Paul Cotter has one in his last 20, Cody Glass has two in his last 10, Ondrej Palat has two in his last 13, Stefan Noesen has no goals in 17 games, Luke Glendening has no goals all season, and Juho Lammikko has not one single point this year.
That’s… a long list.
And as struggles commence in the bottom-six, the top-six isn’t without its hardships.
Jesper Bratt hasn’t found the back of the net in 13 games, and Dawson Mercer has cooled off greatly, with just one tuck in his last 10 games.
Further, Mercer’s hot start has not been replicated since he’s been forced to shift to center.
“Everyone wants more ice time, everyone’s wanting more opportunity, power play time, whatever it is when you’re missing the bodies we’re missing,” Brenden Dillon said. “This is a clear-cut opportunity for guys to do that. You’re not gonna replace a Jack Hughes. You’re not gonna replace these guys we have out of the lineup. So [we might not get] those highlight-reel goals. Bring something greasy, you know, rebounds, throw stuff to the net, or crash the net [to score]. We’re just not seeming to do that right now, and we’re going to have to change gears on that quick.”
Couple the offensive difficulties with the inconsistencies in goal, and the over-reliance of a 21 and 22-year-old defensemen as top pair players, and you can see why the Devils have dropped three in a row at home, and are 4-6-0, averaging 2.5 goals per game in their last 10 games, which is exactly how long Jack Hughes has been out for.
It’s simple. The Devils have a Jack Hughes problem. They’re one of the best teams in the NHL with him in the lineup. When he’s missing, they struggle to keep their heads above water.
Pair that with your best stay at home defenseman’s absence, too, and the result is a mediocre hockey team.
The good news is, their best players will be back. Further, the Metropolitan Division remains wide-open, and they are by no means out of contention.
However, the Devils have long struggled to stay healthy. Who is to say the injury woes aren’t over?
Right now, the Devils are proving they’re only as good as Jack Hughes is. And without him in the lineup, they’re no good.
It’s same old Devils, but there’s plenty of time to flip the script. Hopefully, sooner than later.
James is the New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on Sportsnaut and the PHWAs New … More about James Nichols