Hughes, Nemec heading to the Worlds + areas of improvement for Foote and Holtz

There were plenty of noteworthy items to come from locker cleanout day. Let's take a closer look.

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A few thoughts on the notable New Jersey Devils items to come from locker cleanout day:

L. Hughes, Nemec heading to the Worlds

I was very pleased to see Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec will be heading to the World Hockey Championship.

Hughes hit a healthy wall earlier in 2024 but responded in the best way possible down the stretch.

He was the only regular defenseman on the roster to finish above 50% in terms of Corsi, expected goals, or goal differential from March 1st onwards – and he did so in all three categories. That is no small feat playing on a team that was routinely outplayed and lost a ton of games down the stretch.

Then there’s Nemec, who was probably the best two-way defenseman the Devils had this season. The stability we see in his game now is miles ahead of what it was in September when he was a little too prone to head-scratching blunders, whether it was risky passes with the puck or getting caught severely out of position.

I think the extra reps at the Worlds will serve them both well. It’s an opportunity for each to play high-stakes hockey they didn’t necessarily experience this year.

Hughes only has three playoff games to his name and has never really gotten to be part of a playoff push.

Nemec has zero NHL playoff games to his name and, like Hughes, didn’t benefit from being involved in a real post-season push this season.

Both players should log big minutes for their countries in a variety of situations and, with any luck, take part in some high-pressure elimination games. That will only help their development.

A clean slate for Foote