The New Jersey Devils' trade deadline plans got a big old monkey wrench tossed in them. On Monday night, defenseman Luke Hughes left the game midway through the second period.
The initial reports suggest the news is no bueno. Hughes purportedly sustained a dislocated shoulder. While new reports say Hughes could return this season after he chose rehab over surgery, it appears Hughes will be out for a while.
As Pucks and Pitchforks' Jon Bailey noted, the Devils will need to rely on trade target Dougie Hamilton to step in and pick up the slack. That situation has now painted the Devils into a corner. By needing Hamilton in the lineup now, moving him would become a tough sell.
That situation means the Devils' trade-deadline plans have suffered a significant setback. Trading Hamilton now is senseless unless the club can fetch a serviceable NHL defenseman in return. They were originally negotiating from a position of strength, with seven healthy NHL defensemen. Now, they are back down to six.
While there’s no easy replacement for Luke Hughes, at least getting a solid NHL blueliner would be a major need.
But that doesn’t seem like something that could happen in a single trade. The Devils would likely need to move Hamilton and then target another rearguard as part of a separate trade. That’s a situation that could keep Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald up at night.
The easier path forward, depending on Hughes’ prognosis, is to push back from the table and keep Hamilton. The team can revisit a trade during the summer.
If Hughes remains on the shelf short-term, the Devils might be able to push through with a trade of Dougie Hamilton. But that won’t be clear until there’s an official timeline on Hughes. There's still a chance he could miss the season if rehab doesn't go well.
The worst thing that could happen is Hughes requiring surgery. If that’s the case, he could be out for an extended period, likely the remainder of the season.
Any way you slice it, it’s been a tough season for the Devils and the Hughes brothers. First, Jack’s freak accident led him to miss time with a severed hand. Now, Luke goes down in a seemingly innocuous play.
Regardless of how things ultimately play out, one thing is certain: Trading Dougie Hamilton has now become that much tougher for the Devils.