With Season On Life Support, Devils Must Reassess Hughes’ Injury Risk
NHL culture dictates that most injuries remain mysteries to the public, particularly if a player is scuffling through them. If he’s on the ice, he’s assumed to be good to go.
However, those who watch the games closely can find telltale signs that all is not good with Devils All-Star center Jack Hughes, even if any attempt to narrow down a diagnosis would be pure speculation. We may never know for sure, just like at the tail end of New Jersey’s second-round series loss to Carolina last postseason—we relied on unconfirmed reports that Hughes was dealing with a shoulder injury.
If anything, this season’s malady surely must be an upper body injury, for Hughes’ wheels have looked spry all season—his dynamic skating alone has allowed him to be a point-per-game offensive force even after two incidents that cost him an aggregate 16 games missed this season.
The first five came after he crashed into the end boards in St. Louis on November 3. Until that game, New Jersey’s tenth of the season, Hughes had put up a ridiculous 5 goals and 15 assists for a league-leading 2.22 points per game. His shooting percentage was a healthy 14.7%, in line with his marksmanship from the last two seasons. The Devils had been rolling at 6-2-1.
Hughes was always bound to regress some, with or without the injury. Following his return against the Rangers on November 18, there were some stellar outings, like his hat trick versus Columbus, so it was always assumed that his increasing gaffes, such as the blind drop pass in a 3-on-3 overtime that went right to Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett for a game-winner, were outliers, as if the team’s general inconsistencies were contagious.
Then Hughes took an awkward spill crossing the offensive zone blue line at Chicago on January 5. Again, no one could tell from the video what area within the “upper body” was injured—maybe a hand or the shoulder from the twisting fall. The only ascertainable fact was that Hughes was out for another 11 games, during which the Devils went 4-6-1 and fell out of a playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
And for those hoping Hughes’ second return on February 8 could propel New Jersey back on track, it hasn’t happened. Not that it’s been solely his fault, but instead of otherworldly, he’s been merely pretty good, averaging 0.9 points per game.
Only the Devils have always needed Hughes to be more than that—as Hughes’ production has curtailed, the team has gone 7-12-1 in their last 20 games following Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Vegas to conclude a 1-3 road trip. Overall, New Jersey, an offensive machine last season, is ranked 24th in goals per game during this stretch, scoring just once in each of their last three defeats. The lowlight for Hughes came when he mishandled the puck while moving in on goal on a penalty shot with two seconds remaining at lottery-bound Anaheim on March 1 that cost the Devils a valuable point in a 4-3 regulation defeat.
Sorry, but you can’t convince me that Hughes has been playing at full strength. Though not one who ordinarily partakes in physical play, he just seems extra cautious these days in engaging in wall battles. His shot has been relatively toothless, converting on just 6.3% of his attempts on goal since February 8. Want to argue that it’s just normal small sample variance? OK, then why hasn’t Hughes taken a single faceoff in the last 20 games, according to NaturalStatTrick.com? He hasn’t even jumped in when an Erik Haula or Nico Hischier has been thrown out, in any zone, left side or right side. Jesper Bratt took a draw on Sunday with Hughes stationed on the wing.
Both prior Head Coach Lindy Ruff and interim Travis Greem have gone out their way to keep Hughes away from the center position that he has played since his youth. At first, the spin that the team’s change in structure in their own end required a more defensive-minded presence in the middle who would be more adept at helping out down low made some sense. Now, it seems clear that the coaching staff has been sheltering Hughes.
If there really is a danger to Hughes should he take a hit to the suspected injured area, why continue to take the risk? The Devils (32-32-4) may be six points behind Detroit for the East’s final Wild Card seed with 14 games remaining, but they’re in 13th place, meaning they’d have to leap over five other teams as well. Between the common matchups, the three-point games, and New Jersey’s own inability to string together wins, it would take a miracle to earn a second consecutive playoff berth from this position in the standings.
I know it also goes against hockey culture to give up before you’re officially eliminated, but the Devils are doing themselves and Hughes no favor by continuing to run him out on the ice with practically nothing to play for.