On Jack Hughes' injury and its impact

JP Gambatese takes a closer look at the fallout from the New Jersey Devils' best player going down.

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By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

It would seem as though the New Jersey Devils have avoided the nightmare scenario that would be Jack Hughes missing an extended amount of time this year. 

As per Eliotte Friedman, perhaps the best-connected insider in the NHL, Hughes and the Devils circumvented the “worst-case scenario.” While Jack is expected to miss time, it seems to be less than initially expected. 

Jack crashed hard into the boards Friday night against the Blues, seemingly shoulder first, after tripping over either himself or the sticks of Justin Faulk and Jordan Binnington. He was visibly shaken up on the play and stayed down on the ice for about a minute before getting up on his own accord. 

He returned for a minute-long shift before getting crunched into the boards and leaving the game for good. 

I do think his short shift before exiting the game is a good sign, conceivably indicating that whatever was ailing him could potentially be shaken off. I’m no doctor, however, I think the hit is what did him in.

With Nico Hischier already out with what sounds like a concussion, the Devils really need other players to step up. Dawson Mercer I’m looking at, in particular. 

It’s no secret that Mercer has struggled mightily to begin the season. He is pointless in the team’s first 10 games and sporting an xGF% of just 46.18. He has mostly looked lost on the ice, though I must admit he has played better over the team’s last couple games. 

With the Devils’ top pivots out, Mercer will be centering one of the Devils’ top two lines. I don’t think Ruff is going to break up the Palat-McLeod-Bratt line, so that leaves Mercer with Meier and Toffoli. 

Mercer isn’t the only one on his presumptive line who needs to step up, though. As good as Meier has been lately — he’s now up to eight points in 10 games — there’s still very clearly another gear he needs to hit.

Meier has just a 46.70% xGF% this season. Although, much like Mercer, he’s been better recently. I think Hughes’ absence is a good place for him to regain the playdriving juggernaut status that the Devils signed him for. 

Once Jack left the game for good — and specifically in the third period on Friday — I thought Meier transformed into a completely different player than what we’ve seen. He was the guy on his line in transition, using his slick hands to get around defenders. He used his trademarked power move a few times in the same period, something I’m not sure if we’ve seen all season. More importantly, he put seven shots on net. 

Meier has averaged over 4.2 shots per game in his last two seasons. Excluding Friday’s game, he was shooting at a clip of just 2.0 per game. He seemed more timid, more inclined to hand the puck off to another guy.

Not on Friday, though. If this is how Meier looks in Jack’s absence, he might legitimately be able to mitigate part of the playdriving void that’s now missing from the Devils’ lineup. Meier finished the night next to Mercer and Toffoli, and in the process posted a 58.01% xGF% at 5-on-5.

Moving down the lineup, I’d anticipate Erik Haula to remain as the team’s 3C. Max Willman was called up yesterday, so I’d imagine he gets the starting nod at 4C — or at least plays on the fourth line in some capacity next to Chris Tierney at center. As a whole, I’d imagine the Devils’ lineup looks something like this:

Toffoli - Mercer - Meier

Palat - McLeod - Bratt

Holtz - Haula - Lazar

Tierney - Willman - Bastian

Willman has looked good in Utica to start the season, scoring four goals and seven points in seven games. He should be a serviceable addition to the fourth line. 

Yes, being down the team’s top two centers really hurts; especially with Jack blazing at a two-point-per-game pace to start the year. However, I don’t think Hischier will miss too much time. We could hopefully see the captain back by the Devils’ next home game. 

As far as Jack’s injury is concerned, it’s anyone’s guess what the timetable on his return will be. The good news is it’s a long season and Jack isn’t missing all of it — potentially not a whole lot of it, either.