Defenseman Luke Hughes has seemingly become a bit of a polarizing figure for New Jersey Devils fans. The former fourth-overall pick from 2021 came to New Jersey with plenty of hype.
However, Hughes’ performance on the ice has shown mixed results. While the potential has been on display at times, his egregious blunders have led fans to question why the organization signed him to a seven-year, $63 million contract.
The game against the Carolina Hurricanes, in which Hughes was booed out of the building, comes to the forefront. As ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski noted at the time, Hughes seemed to have some sort of “entitlement to the way he’s been treated.”
"There's a certain entitlement to the way that he's been treated"@wyshynski and @JeffMarek discuss Luke Hughes' performance and why Devils fans booed him...
— The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) January 7, 2026
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Wyshynski noted that Hughes got dealt a different hand than Simon Nemec did. Be that as it may, the time has come for Devils’ fans to fully embrace Luke Hughes. Yes, there may still be some reservations about his overall play.
However, Hughes is just 22 years old. And, realistically, there will be growing pains there. He already has 223 regular-season games under his belt, something that should lead to Hughes becoming a legit top-pairing blueliner. The ceiling is still very much there, proving that Hughes is not a bust by any means.
As implausible as it may seem to some fans at this point, Luke Hughes is the anchor to the Devils blue line’s future.
Luke Hughes is cornerstone to Devils' blue line
When looking at the Devils’ blue line, it’s clear that Luke Hughes is its cornerstone. As it stands, Hughes is the only true, young piece of the corps. As such, New Jersey will be turning over its blue line in the coming seasons.
Dougie Hamilton, for example, is 33 and has two years left on his contract. Brett Pesce is 31. Brenden Dillon is 35 and an impending UFA.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Kovacevic and Jonas Sigenthaler are 29. That’s not exactly a young defensive corps. And while Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey will be coming up in the next couple of seasons, Luke Hughes will be the number-one guy.
Unless the Devils can lure Luke’s brother Quinn to New Jersey, Luke will be the guy the organization commits to. That decision became clear when Sunny Metha shipped Nemec to Calgary.
Luke Hughes’ offensive numbers are there. The rest of his game should continue to round out in the coming season. Bear in mind that defensemen take a bit longer to develop than forwards.
So, if what we’ve seen is Hughes’ floor, imagine what the ceiling could look like. A full, healthy 2026-27 season could see Hughes notch double digits in goals and top 50 points.
If he can do that while playing a decent all-around game, Devils fans should have nothing to worry about.
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