New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes will miss eight weeks after present process finger surgical procedure, the crew introduced. Hughes reduce his finger in a “freak accident” at a Thursday crew dinner, based on Sportsnet.

The Devils mentioned Hughes can be re-evaluated in six weeks, and anticipate him again across the eight-week mark. Sadly for the Devils, Hughes is not any stranger to prolonged absences. Because the begin of the 2021-22 season, he is performed greater than 62 video games simply as soon as.

Shedding Hughes, among the finest gamers within the league, is an enormous blow. Nevertheless, the lack of Hughes hurts a bit of further this yr as a result of he seemed to be absolutely wholesome for the primary time shortly, and his sport mirrored that. Earlier than the damage, Hughes was on tempo for 96 factors, which might’ve been the second most of his profession.

Thanks largely to Hughes, New Jersey is off to a superb begin in 2025-26. The Devils lead the Metro Division with a 12-4-1 document, they usually have the substances for a deep playoff run.

Now, sustaining that division lead can be a a lot greater problem, and it ought to immediate some sort of transfer from basic supervisor Tom Fitzgerald.

How the Devils can fill the void left by Hughes

Let’s begin by acknowledging — cliché as it might be — that there is no such thing as a one participant who can exchange what Hughes brings to the Devils. Having mentioned that, this was a crew poised to make a giant splash even earlier than Hughes’ damage. Now, Fitzgerald must be much more aggressive to verify his crew can hold rolling whereas Hughes is out.

With out Hughes, the middle depth in New Jersey will get notably worse. Having Nico Hischier to fit in on the highest line is a pleasant luxurious, however after that the crew will lean on Dawson Mercer, Cody Glass and Luke Glendening. Mercer has been good this yr, however all of these gamers could also be taking part in a much bigger function than they need to.

That being the case, the Devils must discover all their choices down the center. The highest two choices that come to thoughts are Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames and Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators.

Given the Flames’ putrid begin to the season, they need to begin promoting sooner somewhat than later, and Kadri is one among their extra interesting property. The hurdle right here could be the cash. Kadri is owed $7 million per yr by means of 2028-29. Which means Calgary might must retain some wage, however Kadri nonetheless has playmaking potential with 67 factors final yr, and he ought to be capable of fill in for Hughes on the facility play fairly properly.

O’Reilly solely has one yr left on his contract past this one, and he is at a way more cheap $4.25 million worth level. He is additionally been one of many few issues which have labored in Nashville thus far. The veteran has six targets and 7 assists in 19 video games, and whereas he is not the bona fide No. 1 middle he as soon as was, O’Reilly nonetheless brings a high quality two-way sport that may be good on New Jersey’s second line.

If Fitzgerald actually wished to swing for the fences, might he name the Vancouver Canucks and ask about Elias Pettersson? Once more, which may be a state of affairs the place the Canucks must retain wage, however Pettersson’s worth ought to nonetheless be fairly low coming off a 45-point marketing campaign in 2024-25. Pettersson might have a recent begin, and Vancouver could be open to giving him one. Might New Jersey capitalize on that?

The factor to recollect is that, barring a disastrous setback, the Devils will get Hughes again in mid-January. If Fitzgerald can pull off a giant transfer now, New Jersey might have the most effective middle depth within the NHL, and that kind of benefit normally pays off from April to June.