3 New Jersey Devils Who Must Step Up Without Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier
The New Jersey Devils lost Jack Hughes on Friday night after already dealing with a Nico Hischier injury. Now, the rest of the team must step up.
The New Jersey Devils had a terrible night on Friday. Not only did they lose to the terrible St. Louis Blues, but they lost star Jack Hughes in the first period. Right now, we have no idea how long he’ll be out. It could be a shoulder injury, a concussion, or a collarbone injury. We got no update from Lindy Ruff or the national reporters. All we know is Saturday is a big day to see the severity of it.
The word on Jack Hughes is it might take a day or two to figure out how serious things are/aren't
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 4, 2023
Things aren’t looking good. Nico Hischier is already missing this road trip, so he won’t be back for another two games. With the Devils two top centers and biggest stars out for who knows how long, other players need to step up. Who’s at the top of the Devils list to replace the top scorer in the NHL?
Erik Haula
With the Devils losing its top two centers, New Jersey will look internally at who might be able to play with the stars on this team. Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt can drive play. They just need to have someone who can get them the puck. Michael McLeod is already playing in Hischier’s spot, and he’s doing an admirable job. However, he’s built to replace Hischier’s effectiveness at a much smaller level.
Nobody on the Devils roster can replace Hughes. He’s leading the league in points. 20 points in 9.3 games is insane. Now, the Devils must look at who can do any fraction of that. Erik Haula has been put in this position before, playing center on the top line for part of last season.
Haula has been really good this season. He has five goals in nine games. He’s been doing it in a third-line role. Now, he needs to be in between two superstars. It’ll likely be Timo Meier and Tyler Toffoli, as the Devils will want to keep the lines together. Can Haula keep the scoring going while Hughes is out? Honestly, he just needs to keep winning faceoffs and getting possession for Meier and Toffoli.
Dougie Hamilton
Dougie Hamilton has also been great this season. He has four goals and three assists this season. He’s a major reason why the second unit of the power play hasn’t lost a step from the first. Hamilton will be key to keeping the PP rolling with Hughes on the sidelines. They don’t need the power play to score at a 40 percent clip, but to keep it as one of the best units in the league, Hamilton needs to be at his best.
It might mean switching Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. Hughes’ space on the first power play made the most sense when his brother was on the same unit. Without Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton makes the most sense on unit one.
Besides that, Hamilton has to be at his very best at 5v5. He needs to score. That is without a doubt a no brainer if the Devils want to stay high in the standings. Hamilton might be the team’s biggest star with Hughes and Hischier out of the lineup (although Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier would have an argument).
Any extended time with Hughes out of the lineup is going to be hard to survive. Hamilton playing at a Norris Trophy level could certainly help.
Jesper Bratt
Jesper Bratt is the second-leading scorer on the Devils, but he is the third-leading scorer in the NHL. Only Jack Hughes and Elias Pettersson have more than Bratt’s 18 points. Can he keep at this pace without Hughes? He needs to if the Devils are going to get out of this still in an enviable position in the standings.
Bratt legit looks like a much better player this season. He’s dominating his ice time. His puck possession is next level, and he’s starting to shoot the puck more.
However, Bratt went pointless for the first time since Opening Night on Friday. The Hughes injury definitely loomed large. Although, the Devils weren’t without their opportunities. A few net-front shots didn’t get passed Jordan Binnington. Bratt has to pull a Hughes, taking over the game and scoring ridiculous goals or making ridiculous passes that lead to goals. Bratt has the talent and ability to replace the production.
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The hope has to be that Hischier and Hughes return soon. The Devils can’t survive too long without the both of them. Bratt can help. Hamilton and Haula can help. However, without an outside option, the Devils will be in trouble if this is all they can rely on for weeks or months.