The New Jersey Devils have seen a lot of change on their blueline over the last couple of seasons. After moving on from Damon Severson and Ryan Graves, the Devils tried the youth movement, which did not yield the desired results. So last offseason, Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald made sure the defence was more formidable to play against, adding Brenden Dillon, Brett Pesce, and Johnathan Kovacevic. But even with those changes, you saw Luke Hughes starting to take control of that defence and making it his own.
Luke Hughes Deserved to be on NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen List
There is a reason why he should have been named to the NHL Network’s Top 20 defenseman list. But it is clear that as the Devils wait for Simon Nemec and potentially Seamus Casey to come aboard and solidify their spots on the blueline, Luke Hughes is showing why the Devils made the right choice taking him fourth overall in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
He brings a different element and dynamic to the Devils defense, the likes of which the team has not seen since Scott Niedermayer. And before we go making comparisons to the two, what makes the players so good and one great in Niedermayer is the way they can move the puck out of the defensive zone with their skating. Transitioning from defense to offense is not a problem for either player.
During a recent segment on NHL Network, Mike Rupp, Billy Jaffe, and Jamison Coyle discussed the latest with the restricted free agents left on the market and what it means for Luke Hughes and the Devils to have him on the blueline. As former Devils player Mike Rupp said, it’s Luke Hughes’s blueline now.
DevilsNation.com Transcriptions
Devils Rumors: Dougie Hamilton Will Remain with the New Jersey Devils For At Least The Season
Jamison Coyle: We’ll start in New Jersey, Luke Hughes. What does he mean to the future and the success of the New Jersey
Devils.
Mike Rupp: Everything really. I think we’re getting to the point here, where we’ve seen enough of Luke Hughes, and we’re going to continue to see the development of him. He’s the centrepiece of the back end. I mean, they went out and they got Dougie Hamilton a number of years ago, came in here, served a role, unable to really stay healthy, so that’s really hurt them a lot of ways. But it’s now Luke Hughes’s blue line, in my opinion. So I think that makes Dougie a little bit expendable. We’ll see where that kind of goes as well. But this is a guy that needs to drive and connect the dots.
Billy Jaffe: But we are seeing trends are upper now where two big guys are on the back, I think (Lane)Hutson andNoah Dobson in Montreal, because the cap goes up. Got a lefty righty. You got a first pair, second pair guy on the other hand, the other thing we’ve already heard in certain places too is, well, wait a second, only one guy usually can play the power play. That becomes one of the big issues.
But I digress, but I agree with you about Luke Hughes. I mean, Dougie Hamilton, when healthy, has a big offensive style to him. Still, Luke Hughes is that new-age defenseman with the skating, the magical breakouts, the maneuverability, walking the blue line, etc. And so I agree with Rupper. It’s his blue line, per se. Now they just need to figure out a deal. I’m guessing his side, his agent, saying, Hey, we know that this is his blue line now. So they’re trying to get as much as possible, obvious business.
Devils Rumors: Dawson Mercer Continues to Be a Trade Target
There is a reason why Luke Hughes and the Devils have not agreed on a contract extension, besides the money part, which the Devils are trying to work out. Moving out Dougie Hamilton is not the answer. He isn’t as expendable as many think, despite the rise of Luke Hughes. The rest of the defense would take a step back.
But it comes down to how the team values him compared to others around the league. While the agent may feel the player is in the Brock Faber range, the team thinks he may not be worth that.
But the New Jersey Devils have seen the progression in Luke Hughes despite him missing time in the regular season last year and then again in the first round of the playoffs after suffering a shoulder injury. The coaching staff is giving him more responsibilities, and he will only continue to grow as a player.
You can see from his game that as the league adapts to him, he is adapting to the rest of the teams in the league. Again, there is still room for him to grow. The Devils are trying to get him to sign a long-term contract. All reports are that he wants to sign a long-term one, too, but it isn’t done yet.
However, there is no denying the fact that Luke Hughes is the number one guy on the New Jersey Devils defense. He proved it last year, and that is when it became his blueline.
