As has evidently become the custom over the last few seasons, the New Jersey Devils lose, even when they win.
On Monday night, defenseman Luke Hughes suffered what has been reported to be a dislocated shoulder after playing just 9:31 in a 2-1 overtime win over the Rasmus Andersson-less Calgary Flames. If that report is true, Hughes's 2025-26 season is in grave danger, especially considering that this is not his first rodeo with shoulder injuries.
After all, Hughes just underwent shoulder surgery at the end of last season, and that was after missing the start of that same season with a separate shoulder injury. The latest would mark three in the span of just two seasons.
Anyway, with Hughes out, an offense-starved Devils team will have to turn to a defenseman they tried to shove out the door a week ago in Dougie Hamilton, who has been in and starred in this movie before himself.
The Devils' season, as bleak as their playoff chances already were before this happened, hangs in the balance. They cannot and should not trade Hamilton, and the fan-favorite vet deserves the opportunity to earn his spot back on the top power play unit and show his stuff.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Devils, with Hamilton on the ice, produce 10.85 expected goals per hour in all power-play situations, which narrowly bests Hughes's mark of 10.15 expected goals per hour; that leads all Devils defensemen, excluding Johnathan Kovacevic and his 30 seconds of power-play ice time.
It's also worth noting that, while the Devils cede more chances with Hamilton running the power play, their on-ice shooting percentage is 13.75%, compared to 11.21% with Hughes.
Luke Hughes' injury makes Dougie Hamilton too important to trade
The reality is that the Devils are more dangerous and less predictable with the big right-hander on the point on the power play, even if Hamilton is not quite as dangerous a shooter as he was before his pectoral injury.
The 32-year-old has played 20 fewer minutes than Hughes on the power play this season, but has still produced better results; the Devils have scored 11 power play goals with Hamilton and 12 with Hughes despite the considerable gulf in ice time, which equates to roughly 10 full power plays.
Hughes simply is not a threat as a shooter, especially compared to Hamilton. And we can cut Hamilton some major slack, given all the trade rumors and attempted trades that came to light recently and went on behind the scenes, affecting his mental state and performance on the ice.
For the betterment of both parties, each side has to stick that in the past... for now, and commit to doing what is best for the New Jersey Devils in the crucial second half of this season.