After a very poor start to the 2023-24 National Hockey League campaign, the New Jersey Devils have begun to turn things around in earnest. A stretch without star centers Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier was challenging, as is the injury to Dougie Hamilton that could keep the D-man out until the postseason.
But at 19-13-2 and right in the thick of things in the Metropolitan Division, this is looking like a team that will have no trouble advancing to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs next April. That's especially true now that Hughes and Hischier are healthy. The Devils have won three in a row and six of their last 10, including a convincing 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.
It looks like the early season woes have been put behind this team. The goaltending is still a serious problem, with both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid failing to gain any meaningful momentum through the first 34 games. That has caused Nico Daws to get a look between the pipes, and he was very solid in his first start of the year on Friday. The 23-year-old German stopped 25-of-27 shots en route to the win over the Sens, and he could get a longer look after that performance.
Still, it's safe to say that no goaltenders will be representing the Devils at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. But Jack Hughes certainly will be.
Jack Hughes is a lock
Jack Hughes remains the best player on the Devils — and one of the top centers in the NHL — in 2023-24. Hughes broke onto the scene last year, scoring a ridiculous 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games. He was also a key factor in the postseason, scoring six goals and 11 points in 12 games as the Devils upset the New York Rangers in Round 1 and took the Carolina Hurricanes to five games in the Eastern Conference semis.
Hughes continues to get better and better this season; the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft is leading the team with 15 goals and 43 points. And he's played just 29 games on the year, looking poised to eclipse 100 points for the first time in his young career.
Hughes' resume speaks for itself, but he's also just a fun player. He's the perfect type of skater to improve the ASG and make it as entertaining as possible, and there's really no chance he gets left out of the festivities come February. The question is, will his brother join him?
A Jack-Luke Hughes combination would be electric
When Dougie Hamilton tore his pectoral muscle and was deemed out indefinitely, it was an awful blow to this New Jersey defense. Hamilton has been a rock on the blue line for years in Newark, and had the best season of his career in 2022-23 with 22 goals and 74 points in 82 games.
Hamilton was looking strong to begin this season as well, but obviously, the injury derailed that. In his absence, former No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec has been getting a look, and is seeming like a lock to remain on the roster for the rest of the season. But a key reason the blue line has held up without Hamilton is the excellent play of Luke Hughes.
Hughes joined the team in the postseason last year, and didn't look at all out of place against the Hurricanes. In 2023-24, he's looking like the team's best defender, and he's also quarterbacking an elite powerplay that features, besides his brother, Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Tyler Toffoli. Hughes is fourth in team scoring with six goals and 20 points in 34 contests, and he seems to be getting better every time he steps on the ice. The former University of Michigan Wolverine has a legitimate choice to be selected along with his brother for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, and that would certainly be giving the fans what they want.
Jesper Bratt a great outside choice
Although every team gets to send a representative to the ASG, there's no guarantee that any club will get two, or more, selections. Jack Hughes is probably a lock, and considering the defensive options in the Metropolitan Division, Luke Hughes certainly has a chance.
But Jesper Bratt has also been lights out after securing the bag this offseason. The 25-year-old, playing in the first year of an eight-year, $63 million contract extension, has been phenomenal on Hughes' wing. The speedy Swede has accounted for 42 points of his own in 34 games, a fantastic total that is just behind his linemate. He's easily trending towards shattering his career-highs across the board.
There's a very good chance that Bratt will be considered for his first NHL All-Star Game in 2024, and he is certainly deserving. But it's very likely that the Devils will go with the brother-brother combo, and have Luke and Jack Hughes represent the team in Toronto. With Quinn Hughes a lock to be participating for the Vancouver Canucks, getting all three brothers involved will be a prospect probably too salivating to pass up for Gary Bettman and the NHL.
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