5 reasons New Jersey Devils are Stanley Cup contenders again
By Nick Villano
2. A Jack Hughes Masterclass is incoming
Jack Hughes was oh so close to hitting 100 points for the first time in New Jersey Devils history in 2022-23. He broke the New Jersey Devils points record with 99 that season. This season, he will break that record again, finally hitting triple digits as a Devils player.
Hughes is going to have an interesting season, as the current line combinations don’t seem to favor him. Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt played incredibly well with Nico Hischier. So, that leaves a choice of Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula, Ondrej Palat, Stefan Noesen, and Paul Cotter as choices for linemates. When we predicted the Devils lines, we went with Cotter and Mercer.
This will actually be the catalyst for Hughes’s best season so far. Cotter can be that “protecter” the Devils have been looking for, but he’s not unskilled. He can be in the right place at the right time in the offensive zone, playing in the top six at times with the likes of William Karlsson and Mark Stone while in Vegas.
Dawson Mercer, while still unsigned, is going to be a major contributor to the Devils this season, and if he can stick with Jack Hughes, that will only help both parties. Mercer might have had an awful season in 2023-24, but he had two great ones prior to that. He has the ability to be great, and consistency under Sheldon Keefe and with Jack Hughes will help.
Hughes will get the most out of these two young players, helping them drive offense and relieve defensive pressure from each player.