The New Jersey Devils are waiting with bated breath for an update on injured superstar forward Jack Hughes — and head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an unsatisfactory one on Tuesday afternoon.
“We don’t know the full extent of it yet,” Keefe told team reporter Amanda Stein. “We’re expecting an update as a result of some tests that he’s had done, but we don’t have those results quite yet. Obviously, it didn’t look good. We’re going to have to take our time to know the full extent of it.”
The former No. 1 overall pick was tripped into the boards by Vegas Golden Knights forward — and 4 Nations Face-Off teammate — Jack Eichel in the third period of a 2-0 loss on the strip on Sunday. He skated slowly off the ice while favoring his right shoulder.
Hughes has already been ruled out for Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, and it’s very possible he will miss a lot longer than that.
The 23-year-old is irreplaceable; he leads New Jersey with 27 goals, 70 points and seven game-winning goals. He’s also tops in shots on goal with 229, and second in assists (43) behind only Jesper Bratt, who has 51.
Devils cannot afford to lose Jack Hughes long-term
“It was for sure scary. It was definitely a tough one,” captain Nico Hischier said of the injury, per Stein. “We were all a bit shocked. But talking to each other helps calm each other down. Trying to focus on playing for these guys who would love to be here and play in important games. We’re all brothers here. We were all a bit in shock at the beginning. Obviously for [brother] Luke [Hughes] it was tough to see too. He knows what he’s has been through and how bad he wants to play. We all do.”
Dawson Mercer replaced Hughes on line rushes during Tuesday’s morning skate ahead of a cross-conference tilt with Dallas, skating with Ondrej Palat and Tomas Tatar, per NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale.
“You see a guy going down that puts everything into it every night, puts everything into it for the team,” said forward Timo Meier, per Stein. “It’s tough to see Jack going down. The conversations now, everyone knows. You’ve got to give more, especially now.”
If Hughes is forced to miss any time, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald will likely be looking for a replacement between now and Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline.
It’s already been rumored that the front office is looking to improve the forward group, and that will become even more pressing depending on how long Hughes is forced to miss.
As it stands, the Devils have been struggling, playing .500 hockey since the end of January. They’re currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division, but are just six points up on the Detroit Red Wings, who occupy the second wild card slot in the Eastern Conference.
It’ll be interesting to see what moves Fitzgerald makes ahead of the deadline as New Jersey looks to return to the postseason after missing out in 2023-24.
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