New Jersey Devils' Biggest Question Heading Into Season
As part of its "32 in 32" series, NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale identified Hughes' health as the single biggest question facing the Devils this season, and the numbers really back up why.
The Record Says Everything
Hughes posted 77 points, 27 goals and 50 assists, in just 61 games last season. New Jersey went 8-13-0 in the 21 games he missed.
"This remains the biggest question around the Devils because when Hughes is on the ice, New Jersey's ceiling changes dramatically," Morreale wrote.
Where will the @NJDevils' one-two combo of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier land on NHL Network's Top 20 Centers Right Now list?
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 19, 2026
📺: #NHLTopPlayers on NHL Network pic.twitter.com/BgdoVrl9YL
Hughes missed 18 straight games because of a hand injury sustained during a team dinner in Chicago, when he was hurt by broken glass, then missed three more with a lower-body injury before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The year before that, he sat out 25 games recovering from shoulder surgery. Since entering the league in 2019-20, he's topped 62 regular-season games in a single season just once.
What A Healthy Hughes Looks Like
That one season is the reason New Jersey keeps building around him.
In 2022-23, Hughes played 78 games, posted 99 points, and led the Devils to the Eastern Conference Second Round.
As Morreale wrote, he doesn't necessarily need to play all 84 games this season for New Jersey to succeed, but he probably needs to be available for at least 70 and be healthy entering the playoffs.
Jack Hughes on what he'd say to fans who have lost faith in the Devils when looking at the standings: "I honestly have nothing to say to them."
— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) February 3, 2026
Hughes goes on to say that it's on the group to finish strong.
pic.twitter.com/5vavBUl3Xi
The Devils built a supporting cast this offseason designed to lessen the burden if Hughes does miss time. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Luke Hughes, and new addition Anthony Mantha all return or arrive with real offensive pedigree of their own.
New Jersey also has a second question mark to sort out in net, having traded longtime starter Jacob Markstrom to Florida this offseason, shifting the crease toward a less proven group.
But per Morreale, none of that changes the fundamental math. Hughes staying healthy is the difference between New Jersey being a playoff hopeful and a legitimate threat, and after a career built almost entirely around durability questions, there's no reason to expect that pattern to simply disappear heading into 2026-27.
