On an encouraging start, the need for Luke Hughes' offense, and more

Despite a couple of hiccups along the way, the Devils should be very encouraged by their start. Plus, notes on Luke Hughes' offense, Jack Hughes' lack thereof, and more.

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

Looking big picture 📸

The Devils have laid a couple of eggs in the early going but – realistically speaking – their start to the season couldn’t be much better.

They have played all eight games without two top-4 caliber defensemen, they’ve dealt with a taxing journey to Prague and back, and the games have come in a very compact window – not ideal when still adjusting to a new bench boss and the systematic changes that come with that.

No other team has played eight times and only three other clubs have even played seven. It’s been a lot.

And yet the Devils have positioned themselves very well. They own a 5-2-1 record, +7 goal differential, and a 55.99 xGF% across all game states. That’s the 4th best mark in the NHL.

Although their 5v5 numbers are mid-tier, they’re being dragged down heavily by putrid numbers from the bottom of the roster. The 4th line and 3rd pairing have both struggled immensely.

The good news is reinforcements are on the way. Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are both practicing in regular jerseys and could return sooner rather than later.

Assuming they step in for Nemec and Casey – perhaps even taking those exact spots and forming their own pairing – the Devils can probably expect the 31 xGF% pairing to turn into another duo capable of controlling more than 50%. That would completely fix arguably the team’s biggest problem.

Not everything is perfect – and it probably never will be – but there’s a lot more good than bad going on with this team.

Bringing the juice 🧃