Jack Hughes looks like Jack Hughes again for the New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes’ 2023/24 season ended prematurely due to injury. Granted, there wasn’t much of the season left when the team announced this, and they made sure to announce that he would be ready for this season’s training camp. Jack had missed a few stints last season before being shut down and there were concerns as all of the injuries were upper body related. Because Jack was a young player, there was less concern that he wouldn’t be able to bounce back from injury, but so much of hockey is unpredictable. The players suffered fewer injuries and were significantly less effective upon their return than before.

The 2024-25 year began and things were still in flux for the Devils. A new coach with a new system coupled with new players meant an adjustment period. Jack, along with the rest of the team’s core, would be crucial to coming out the other side more successful. So he would be one of the best scorers right from the start. Right?

Well, not quite. After the first four games of the season, Jack only had two assists. He would pick up three more points in the next four games, but only one of those first five points was a goal. Jack would score three points in the ninth game of the season and was at a respectable nine points after ten games. There were some minor injury concerns, with only two scoring goals.

Currently, the Devils just played Game 28 this past Monday. Jack Hughes is now second on the team with 33 points. This applies to the last 18 games, Jack has matched the pace of previous seasons with 24 points in this period. That would equate to 109 points over a full season; his current pace with his “slow start” to start the season still puts him at 97. That doesn’t give him the first 100 points of the season for a Devils player, which he and Jesper Bratt are both chasing, but it allays fears .

Jack is again better than one point per player. More importantly, he looks as dominant on the ice as he did before last season’s injury problems. He dances around opposing players. He makes passes that are almost impossible for most of the team. His 11 goals also puts him at 32, which is much better than the 16 he was aiming for after 10 games. There’s still a lot of hockey to be played and slumps happening, but for now it looks like Jack and the Devils need this to keep going if they hope to make some noise this spring.

What do you think of Jack Hughes’ latest piece? Were you worried that the injury would affect him early in the season? Are you impressed with how much he’s picked up the pace? Do you think he will break 100 points this season? Leave any comments below and as always, thanks for reading!