New Jersey Devils: 3 Options To Replace Jack Hughes

The New Jersey Devils are facing a terrible situation after Jack Hughes went down with an injury on Tuesday night. He was crunched against the boards by Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy. The hit was not the best, but it’s hard to get too up in arms about it. One thing that is clear is Hughes was in some serious pain, and he thought something was wrong.

The Devils did not give an update on Hughes’ condition as of this writing on Wednesday. Head coach Lindy Ruff said that Hughes is “day-to-day”, but we’ve heard that before. His injury could be short-term or long-term, there is nothing to tell us what the Devils are dealing with right now. If this is a short-term deal, then the Devils can get through it. If it takes a few weeks, then the Devils need a better plan than the one they have right now.

So the first practice without Hughes, the Devils just moved Michael McLeod in his spot. That should work for a game or two, but the drop in skill and production would be enormous if the Devils did it for weeks on end. McLeod is in a perfect position when the Devils have their full lineup. Moving him to play 18-20 minutes per night might exasperate his flaws.

So, what can the Devils do? It all depends on the severity of Hughes’ injury. They can either find someone to get them through a stretch, but if he’s out for months, they need to find a solution to keep their winning ways alive. Hughes has been ridiculous to start the season. His production will be missed, but they can make some small moves to help in the interim.