New Jersey Devils notes: On Jack Hughes' continued rise and lineup changes

Hughes was a monster in 2021-22 and yet he has managed to find a whole new gear this season. Plus, notes on Ruff's lineup alterations.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes on this off-day:

Jack Hughes is hitting a new level

Last season Hughes produced at a 94-point pace despite an abundance of injuries to key players around him, an absolutely useless power play under Mark Recchi, and a somewhat flawed roster.

A lot of that production stemmed from his ability to facilitate all of the team’s offense on a nightly basis. Peep the 5v5 shot contributions numbers; he lapped the field.

Considering the underwhelming circumstances, Hughes provided the Devils with the caliber of hockey you’d expect from a true superstar. He was fantastic in every sense of the word.

Yet, here Hughes is in 2022-23, making the insane breakout we saw in Year 3 look like garbage.

It is not an exaggeration to say Hughes has been noticeably better in every way imaginable this season, which is almost hard to believe given the level Hughes was at last year.

Hughes leads the NHL – yes, you read that correctly – in 5v5 goals this season. That’s right; David Pastrnak, Jason Robertson, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and all the league’s best scoring threats lag behind Hughes in that regard.

He has also easily surpassed his previous highs in *deep breath* goals, points, shot attempts, shots on goal, expected goals, scoring chances, high-danger chances, rebounds created, and penalties drawn on a per 60 minute basis; all while turning the puck over less frequently than ever.

As if all of that isn’t enough, Hughes has taken things up another gear in terms of primary shot contributions. He is averaging a career high 10.08 per game at 5v5 while (again) lapping the field when it comes to his teammates.

Bratt and Hischier are point per game players with dynamic puck skills. It’s not as if we’re comparing Hughes to run of the mill players here.

That we’re seeing this kind of discrepancy in volume is borderline absurd and says a lot about where Hughes is at as a player.

He deserves real Hart Trophy consideration.