After signing his $63 million deal before the season, the New Jersey Devils expected Luke Hughes to step up his game. Through 13 matchups, he's fared well, sharing the lead in points among Devils blueliners alongside Dougie Hamilton and Simon Nemec with seven, all of which are assists.
But with so many injuries, including those to blueliners like Brett Pesce and Jonathan Kovacevic, it's Hughes' chance to step up and show he's worth every bit of that contract he signed.
That means he needs to step up even more in the offensive zone and help the Devils create more scoring chances, as an 8.5 on-ice shooting percentage at even strength isn't good enough. Nor is a career-low 50.3 percent in the Corsi For going to cut it, especially with 61.0 of all of Hughes' starts coming in the offensive zone.
Hughes, however, has has looked better defensively. So far in 2025-26, he has an on-ice save percentage of 94.2 at even strength, which is phenomenal, considering the Devils are a so-so 14th in the league in goals allowed with 40. That's a far cry from what we saw from Hughes last year in that same situation, when he posted just an 89.6 on-ice save percentage and was on the ice for 58 goals allowed.
Luke Hughes is solid, but he needs to be spectacular with recent injuries
It's become clear that the Devils are putting their faith in Hughes, as he has averaged nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game starting with the Devils' 4-3 overtime win vs. the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 26. In the first eight games of the season, in which the Devils started off 7-1, Hughes put up just under 21 minutes of average ice time, and five of his seven points also came during that run.
Neither Hughes nor the Devils have been as hot as they were over their previous five games heading into Thursday night. They are 2-3-0, and Hughes has two points in that stretch despite the increased ice time. But, as opposed to seeing this as doom and gloom, and that Hughes is already behind the eight-ball, it's an opportunity for him to take what has been solid but unspectacular play up another notch.
The opportunity couldn't be sweeter, as the Devils kick off a three-game homestand on Thursday. Right now, they're 5-0-0 at home and have yet to allow more than three goals on their home ice in any game. This stretch will give Hughes a launchpad of sorts to work from and regain some momentum from that 7-1-0 start in October.
How can Luke Hughes transform into that $63 million impact player right now?
Hughes must do a better job playing to his strengths as a more offensive-minded defenseman. Seven assists in 13 games isn't bad, and it's putting him on pace for between 44 and 45 this season. But he needs to do a better job helping the high-octane Devils create more scoring chances at even strength to truly become an impact player at the position.
Defensively, he's been making more of an impact than expected, as his goals allowed rate at even strength is also on a trajectory for between 44 and 45, or 14 fewer than the 58 he was on the ice for last season. Mind you, Hughes only played in 71 games last year, so that number could have climbed to between 66 and 67 when spread across 82 contests.
He also needs to cut down on turning the puck over. With 18 giveaways this season, Hughes is averaging 1.38 per game, which can lead to an ugly 113 to 114 across 82 games if he doesn't find ways to get his turnover issues under control.
Hughes has all the talent you can ask for to be an impact player on an injury-riddled team. He can put up points, and the numbers show he's been better defensively. But he must help the Devils create even more chances, keep making more than an expected impact defensively, and quit turning the puck over so much to do so.