Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 15. Jack Hughes
We went so long before we had to see those black jerseys, but here we are. Jack Hughes is the greatest thing the Devils have going right now. He’s their superstar and proved it in the 2021-22 season. The 2019 first-overall pick in the NHL Draft had a slow start to his career. He was pretty bad his rookie season, only putting up 21 points in 61 games. The season ended mercilessly when the Devils couldn’t even make the 24-team playoffs.
In his second season, he looked like a different player. He spent a 10-month offseason building muscle after being pushed around his rookie season, which made a difference. His sophomore campaign was spent taking over games and really making an impact every night. Then, the entire team dealt with a COVID outbreak, and everyone seemed a little worse after that.
This past season, Hughes became a superstar. He broke the Devils franchise record for points in a season, beating Patrik Elias’ record that stood for more than two decades.
Hughes might be the best player on this list in just a few years. He definitely had the best season from an offensive player ever. He crushed it from all angles as the Devils returned to the playoffs. Hughes was often the best player on the ice as the Devils eliminated the New York Rangers. That alone brings Hughes higher on the list, and more eliminations of the team’s biggest rival will put his number in the rafters soon after his retirement. Hopefully, that is in 15+ years.