There is no getting around the hard truth.
The Devils are missing their top two forwards, both former No. 1-overall draft picks, in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes due to upper-body injuries.
And what the team is missing in their absence is immense.
Hischier, out for the past six games, is the club’s captain and leader. The 24-year-old Swiss is also the team’s best defensive forward, often tasked with shutting down the opposing team’s best players – and also often successful in that task. Hischier is a deadly 200-foot threat, potting 30 goals and 80 points last season to go with a plus-33. In fact, Hischier finished as the runner-up for the Selke Trophy as the best two-way forward in the entire NHL (the award winner, Patrice Bergeron, has since retired).
Hughes, out for the past three games, is a top-5 talent in the NHL. He notched 43 goals and 99 points last season and was the NHL’s point leader with 20 at the time of his injury. His talent is the ultimate driver of the Devils’ offense, which ranked fourth (tied) last season. Hughes’ dynamic threat and 1-on-1 ability forces opponents to play less aggressive and opens up lanes, holes and space for his linemates.
So, how do you replace arguably the best two-way player in the NHL and a potential NHL scoring champion?
The hard truth is, you can’t. And thus, the team must adjust the way it plays without its two best pieces.
“We have to be serious that some of our offensive creativity without Jack and Nico in the lineup isn’t there,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “We miss them. Our game has to be different. It can’t be the same without those two guys. You have to grind your way through.”
That adjustment means understanding what worked with Hughes and Hischier in the lineup won’t necessarily work with them out of the lineup. Hughes and Hischier combined for 73 goals and 179 points last year. With the loss of that offensive production, the onus on tightening up defensively becomes even more important.
“Our game has to be a little bit different. We’re working hard on that part of the game,” Ruff said. “The understanding of what we can give up versus what we’re going to create with the absence of a couple key offensive players.”
The Devils can’t replace Hughes and Hischier’s impact per se, but they can recreate it in the aggregate. The combination of squeezing extra offense out of some players and cutting down on goals against defensively can have that overall effect.
“Everyone is a great player in here,” forward Dawson Mercer said. “Those two guys, everyone knows they’re unbelievably talented players. Things will change with those guys out of the lineup. We have to do our best to stay on track, keep playing and do what we can to get ourselves some wins.”
Ruff emphasized that the Devils need to be better overall on their 50-50 puck battles and holding onto pucks. That answer may simply come down to a case of effort.
“The main thing is we just have to focus on making sure that we work,” Mercer said. “You never want to get out-competed.”
“You can earn confidence with hard work,” forward Timo Meier said. “If we work hard, sometimes you might not have the legs and feeling tired, that’s not an excuse. You have to go out there and simplify your game a bit more. … So, we have to go out there and grind, simplify and work.”
The Devils grinded out a victory in Chicago, 4-2, without Hughes and Hischer. But have suffered setbacks against Colorado, 6-3, and Washington, 4-2. The two losses were within reach and a couple of plays could have made the difference.
Without Hughes, some of his former linemates won't have as much free space and open looks. They'll have to fight and claw for those chances now. Without Hughes, the power play will create fewer scoring chances. The Devils will have to be more opportunistic on converting on those fewer chances. Without Hischier, other players will have to handle the opposition's best offensive threats. It will require a defense-first mentality. It's going to take a little bit more from everyone to replace what Hughes and Hischier bring to the table.
The Devils believe the answer is already in the locker room.
“We have a great group of guys in here,” Mercer said. “Obviously, we know that we have more. These games are ours to win. We want to make sure we do that. We know there is more that we have to put out there.”
“You have to have other players step in and replace that creativity and replace those roles that (Hischier and Hughes) were assuming,” Ruff said. “Sometimes the struggle is something that will keep making you better. We have to keep grinding.”
