Jack Hughes injury clouds the New Jersey Devils' season

Put simply, the Devils can't get to where they want to go without their best player.

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The New Jersey Devils were shut out (again) Sunday night in Vegas, but falling to the Golden Knights is completely irrelevant. The loss of consequence is Jack Hughes.

New Jersey’s superstar center tangled up with Jack Eichel late and fell awkwardly into the boards, smashing his shoulder/arm with great force.

We don’t yet know the extent of the injury. It sure looked like something that could keep Hughes out of the mix for an extended period. Reading the tea leaves, it’s hard to think otherwise.

Sheldon Keefe probably doesn’t blow a gasket and get himself ejected from the game if he’s not extremely concerned about Hughes.

Luke Hughes is probably not shaken up unless he believes his older brother suffered a real injury. There’s a lot of cause for concern here. And there should be.

Jack Hughes is the New Jersey Devils. He is their best player. He is their most passionate player. He is the guy who can ignite the offense any given shift. He is the guy who makes things tick on one of the league’s elite power plays. He is the guy who has turned into one of the most dominant penalty killers in the sport. He is the guy who can completely take over a game. He is the guy who can play a four-minute shift when the chips are down and still make something happen.

He is everything for the Devils. Everything. And I have the numbers to prove it.