Devils Dodged a Bullet With Luke Hughes Injury
The Luke Hughes injury is a less-than-ideal start to 2024-25 for the New Jersey Devils, but it could have been much worse.
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Hello, darkness, my old friend. Injuries were a problem for the New Jersey Devils last season, and before they even could step on the ice for a preseason game, they already have some injury concerns to deal with ahead of training camp.
Šimon Nemec was injured in an Olympic qualifier earlier this month with Team Slovakia. We don't know his status yet, and yesterday, we got more bad news.
After images of Luke Hughes in a sling at a Michigan Wolverines football game this weekend surfaced on social media, the Devils announced he'd be out for 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury.
However, while that may be bad news, it could've been much worse. And as we talked about on this Substack recently, the Devils should have the defensive depth to manage the start of the season.
Hughes Should Be Back Sooner Rather Than Later
Hughes had an impressive rookie season in 2023-24, totaling nine goals and 48 points in 82 games, leading to him finishing third in Calder Trophy voting.
The hope is that the Devils would enter camp healthy and that someone like Hughes could hit the ground running. While it's a less-than-ideal situation, he could have been out for months instead of weeks.
Plus, given the timeline of the injury, Hughes may not miss much game action. A six to eight-week timeframe would put him on schedule to return in late October/early November. That's assuming the injury is six to eight weeks from yesterday when the team announced it.
But as the Devils said in their tweet, Hughes' injury happened earlier this month. Perhaps it's a six to eight-week timeline from when the injury occurred, so he could be back a little bit sooner than late October if there aren't any setbacks.
Fortunately, the Devils' schedule in October isn't too burdensome. They open the season in Prague as part of the Global Series, where they'll take on Lindy Ruff and the Buffalo Sabres in a back-to-back. After that, they'll get five days off before their next game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 10.
Overall, the Devils have 13 games in October, Global Series included. Let's say Hughes is back for the Hughes Cup against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 30, he'll only have missed 12 games, something the Devils should be able to manage with the defensive depth they've built.
Hatakka Time? Or Someone Else?
General manager Tom Fitzgerald made the Johnathan Kovacevic trade for this exact reason, to cover for injuries. If Nemec misses some time to start the regular season, Kovacevic will likely fill that third spot on the right side of the Devils' blue line.
But Kovacevic isn't the only defenseman the Devils have who can play NHL minutes if needed. Santeri Hatakka's sample with the team last season wasn't much (just 152 minutes), but his results were solid. He posted a 53.04 expected goals share (xG%) and created plenty of offense when he was on the ice.
When looking at Hatakka's RAPM chart (which I shouldn't, given the sample size, but I'm going to anyway), there might be an NHL-caliber depth defender here:
Hatakka is one option new coach Sheldon Keefe will have to replace Hughes at the start of the season, but he's also not the only one.
Topias Vilén has rounded out his game nicely since getting drafted in 2021 and had a solid season with the Utica Comets in 2023-24, totaling 29 points in 54 games. His offensive game has developed well, and he seems to be getting used to how to play defense on North American ice.
Vilén would probably need a fantastic camp to make the Devils' opening-night roster, but you never know. If he earns it, he earns it. And he has the talent to make an impression.
If not Vilén, Daniil Misyul could be another option. If my memory serves me well, he looked solid last preseason, even numbers-wise. He's got an NHL frame at 6-foot-3, 196 pounds, skates well, isn't afraid to shoot the puck, and plays a physical game.
Misyul also has plenty of pro experience, having spent four seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL before playing for the Comets in 2023-24. At 23 years old, it might be his time to show he belongs.
There's also Seamus Casey, who's a bit of a wild card in this situation. One reason I think the Devils acquired Kovacevic is to shield Casey and not have him thrown into the fire as a rookie when he might not be ready for it.
Casey would probably need the training camp of all training camps to start the season with the Devils, but he is talented. He skates extremely well, has excellent puck skills and hockey sense, and can move the puck efficiently.
In this case, Casey (pun intended) would have to play on his off-hand on the left side, but I don't think that matters too much. That might even suit Casey well, given the type of high-end skating, puck-moving defenseman he is.
I think it's a long shot that Casey begins the season with the Devils. It's likely best for him to start with the Comets, but like Vilén, if he earns it, he earns it.
Lastly, there's Jakub Zboril, who will join the Devils on a PTO for training camp. He last played in the NHL in 2022-23, but does have 76 games of NHL experience. I don't anticipate him being out someone like Hatakka, but he'll at least be in the mix.
Devils Avoided a Worst-Case Scenario
The Luke Hughes (and Nemec) injuries are a less-than-ideal way to head into training camp next week. But the Devils should be able to manage with Kovacevic, Hatakka, and the other depth defenders they've acquired in recent weeks, months, and years.
And fortunately, the Hughes injury could have been much worse than it is, given the timeline. He should only miss the first month of games at most, and the Devils have enough talent to get through that to start the season.
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Bold of you to assume the injuries will stop here. This season is already primed to be another worst case scenario.