Hughes Doing it All for the Devils

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

When Jack Hughes was taken first overall by the New Jersey Devils back in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, much was expected of him.

At the time, the Devils were a struggling franchise looking to return to being a team that contended for the Stanley Cup every single season. Hughes, 21, was expected to get this franchise back to its glory days when they won three Cups in a span of eight years (1995, 2000, and 2003).

Hughes struggled in his first few seasons in the league. He had trouble producing, was easily knocked off the puck, and dealt with a few injuries.

With that said, Devils management saw something in him and knew that he would more than likely be everything and more for their franchise. As such, they went out and signed him to an 8-year, $64 million last season.

The contract extension seemed to jumpstart Hughes as his play went to another level last year, even though it was shortened due to an injury. In 49 games, he still managed to have 56 points on 26 goals and 30 assists.

Fast forward to this season, and Hughes has once again taken his play to an even higher level. As of this writing (Saturday, January 7), Hughes, a two-time All-Star, has his Devils second in the Metropolitan Division and fifth in the NHL with a 25-12-3 record and 53 points.

For starters, Hughes is leading his team in a big way when it comes to offense. He leads the club with 49 points on 26 goals and 23 assists, which puts him in the top ten in scoring in the league.

Hughes has not been afraid to shoot the puck this season. He leads the team with 184 shots on goal as he has been slicing and dicing NHL goaltenders this season with his quick shot and quick release.

He is also the team’s quarterback on the power play. He is third on the team with 14 points on the man advantage, as he has been able to find create a ton of offense by finding open teammates with great passes and excellent vision.

Hughes has also shown a flair for the dramatic this season. He is tied for second on the team with three game-winning goals, as it seems like whenever the game is on the line, Hughes is out there doing what he does best, which is creating offense.

At just 21 years of age, the sky is the limit for Hughes.

Stanley Cup Aspirations Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Stanley Cup Aspirations
  2. The Final Countdown
  3. Here Come the Playoffs
  4. Home Stretch
  5. Kevy Cooks

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

Leave a Reply

Adam Proteau

Catching up With Adam Proteau of The Hockey News

With the trade deadline behind us and teams pushing toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, I figured now was as good a time as ever to conduct an email interview with the great Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. Adam was kind enough to take time out of his busy writing schedule to give us his […]

Read More
Todd McLellan behind the bench

March Contiues to Be a Month That Sinks the Detroit Red Wings Playoff Hopes

March has been the part of the NHL schedule that has caused the Detroit Red Wings the most trouble in the past three seasons. In two of these three seasons, the Red Wings were led by former head coach Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings had a record of 3-11 in March of 2024 under Lalonde. […]

Read More
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes celebrates a first-period goal against the Minnesota Wild.

New Jersey Devils Take Down Wild in a Shootout to Sweep the Season Series

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the home-and-home season series between the two. Looking to end a three-game winless streak at home, the Devils put together another 60-plus minute effort that earned them a resilient and well-deserved win over a team […]

Read More