Though the New Jersey Devils received good news that Šimon Nemec returned to New Jersey for more tests after his shoulder injury during Olympic qualifiers, they also got bad news at the same time.
Luke Hughes is expected to miss all of training camp, the preseason, and between the first two weeks and the first month of the regular season after injuring his left shoulder during offseason training, and will miss between six and eight weeks, per an official announcement from the team.
It’s tough for both him and the Devils, as Luke Hughes finished third in the Calder Trophy voting last season behind runner-up Brock Faber and winner Connor Bedard. Luke Hughes led all Devils defenders in scoring, with 47 points (9 goals, 38 assists). Luke Hughes is just one of two rookie defensemen who played all 82 games last season, alongside Faber. He’s on the final season of his entry-level contract, meaning he’s eligible to sign an extension anytime during the regular season, though it may likely be a pricey one.
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Luke Hughes is a Top Defender on the Devils
Luke Hughes was on his way to becoming a crucial piece to the Devils along with his brother, Jack. Luke Hughes is a solid offensive piece, but he still has work to do defensively, as he had the third-worst plus-minus rating on the team, at -25, but in sheltered offensive usage, he encased a 55% shot attempt share rate, and a 52.3 expected goals share at five-on-five. There are signs that he can turn into a top option on the D-core, with his 48 points in 39 games during his 2023 season with the University of Michigan to help them to a Big 10 championship that year.
When healthy, he is a second-pairing defender, which allows more time for a stay-at-home defenseman like Jonas Siegenthaler to complement the team’s top defenseman, Dougie Hamilton, on the top pairing. Siegenthaler is the likeliest option, but head coach Sheldon Keefe has plenty of options, though a shutdown pair of Brenden Dillon and Brett Pesce could nicely back up Hamilton and Siegenthaler.
As Luke Hughes is not eligible for the long-term injured reserve, there may be complications with the Devils, as they may be cap-strapped after they came to an agreement with restricted free agent Dawson Mercer. That means that in such a case, New Jersey cannot carry an extra defenseman until he returns to the everyday lineup. Either way, there will be an extended window of opportunity for Johnathan Kovacevic, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens as the projected seventh defenseman on the team.
There’s No Update on Nemec’s Status
On a semi-related note, even with Kovacevic slotting into the lineup, there’s also another hole in the defensive core, as there’s no update on Nemec, as his injury is not known, and the duration of how long he will sit out is also unknown. If he is good to go, eh can do a lot of what Hughes already does, driving the offense and leading a power play.
However, if he’s not ready to go, with Kovacevic already in the lineup, this can open the door for Seamus Casey to slot in. He’s going to get a lot of buzz during training camp, having led all defensemen in scoring with the University of Michigan last season, with 45 (7 goals and 38 assists). His strengths include his stick-handling and his passing, as shown by his 38 assists with the Wolverines. He can impress coaches during training camp, and it would be very nice if he joins the Devils before Hughes (and possibly Nemec) returns.
He will get those chances during the preseason, which will increase the value of the games in terms of getting everything sorted out with the lineups. If Casey does make it to the roster, the defensive core gets a great player to help out the scoring department.
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