Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

5 New Jersey Devils Players Who Could Steal A Playoff Roster Spot

By Nick Villano

Luke Hughes #43 of United States breaks his stick during the game against Czechia in the IIHF World Junior Championship on August 17, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Photo by Andy Devlin/ Getty Images)
Luke Hughes #43 of United States breaks his stick during the game against Czechia in the IIHF World Junior Championship on August 17, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Photo by Andy Devlin/ Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
New Jersey Devils, University of Michigan Hockey
Michigan defenseman Luke Hughes (43) (Syndication: Detroit Free Press) /

Luke Hughes

This is the one everyone is waiting for. Luke Hughes could come out of the University of Michigan on fire and make the Devils roster right away. We’ve seen it happen before. Chris Kreider joined the New York Rangers in 2012 and played exactly zero NHL regular season games. Coming out of Boston College, he was a superstar. So, they added him to the postseason roster sight unseen.

Kreider ended up being a huge contributor for them, scoring five goals on their run to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. (Remind me, what happened in that series?) Luke Hughes could do something similar.

The Devils have not been committed to anyone on the bottom pairing left side all season. For the most part, they’ve tried to make it work with Brendan Smith or Kevin Bahl. However, Lindy Ruff is not terribly committed to either of them. If Luke Hughes comes up after a stellar run in the NCAA Frozen Four, he could be an NHL player right away.

dark. Next. Proposing A Controversial Line Combination

However, the issues are the same as Nemec. Hughes is just 19 years old. He’s prone to mistakes despite his immense offensive upside. Still, the Devils would be foolish to not at least test the waters with Hughes. Unlike Kreider, the Devils should have a chance to give Hughes regular season games prior to a postseason run. That could be huge in helping him prove to Ruff and Co. that he’s playoff ready.

Home/Editorials