The New Jersey Devils are making a transition on the defensive side of the puck. It started last year in the playoffs and has carried over into this season. It all started when Luke Hughes was inserted into the lineup in Game 3 of Round 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Since that point, he has not left the lineup. Now add in Simon Nemec, and the future is bright for the Devils’ defense.
Luke Hughes is the youngest brother of Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes. It has been said he is the best of the Hughes brothers. You can already see this kid’s poise this season with the puck in his defensive zone. While his skating has always been his greatest weapon, his decision-making has improved. Again, he is still a rookie, but the skillset is there, and he will be a staple and a foundation piece for the Devils’ defense for years to come.
You can live with his mistakes because he’s a rookie. But those mistakes are few and far between. Luke Hughes is years ahead of where he should be. Development helps. The 4th overall selection from the 2021 played two seasons at Michigan and went right to the NHL when his college career was over. This helped him tremendously. But once he got into the lineup, he was not coming out. He just added a different element to the Devils’ defense that was missing since the days of Brian Rafalski and Scott Niedermayer.
Not to mention he is fourth in rookie scoring with 16 points (four goals and 12 assists). And what he brings to the Devils’ power play is special. He is the perfect player to quarterback the power play from the blue line with his skating and passing ability. Not to mention, he knows when to jump him and shoot. Again, it’s just a different element to the team.
At the beginning of the season, the Devils’ defense was going to struggle without Ryan Graves and Damon Severson. It was a transition period, considering what those players brought to the team last year. However, neither was going to get extensions for two or three years. Both have been bigger losses than people thought, but again, the Devils are in a transition period with their defense.
But they’ve come a long way. Not to mention, it is not the rookies who are the issue. That is the issue. It’s guys like John Marino, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Dougie Hamilton. You can’t have your veteran players making costly mistakes in the defensive zone or neutral zone. With Hamilton out of the lineup, it has opened the door for Simon Nemec to show what he is capable of at the NHL level.
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The second overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft is showing in the limited sample size that he can play at the National League level. Nemec had a solid training camp and probably should have made the team. However, with the Devils up against the salary cap, Nemec had to start in the AHL again this season. This was following a year where Nemec dominated the AHL with the Utica Devils.
While the Devils do miss Dougie Hamilton in the lineup, Nemec has come in and not missed a beat. In five games for the Devils this season, he has played really well. Again, like with Luke Hughes, he is going to make mistakes. However, you can live with those mistakes because these guys are both rookies. But you are seeing why the future is so bright for the Devils’ defense moving forward.
Nemec had two points in his first career NHL game and then, in his third game, scored his first career NHL goal. It also happened to be the game-winner. Luke Hughes scored a game-winning goal for his first career NHL goal as well for the Devils to close out the regular season against Washington before he was inserted into the playoff lineup.
The Devils knew what they had in these two players. Hence, they were not rushed along. The Devils and Tom Fitzgerald knew they had time on their side. Both Hughes and Nemec are foundational pieces for the Devils defense moving forward.
But the issue for New Jersey is finding somebody to play with these guys. Both are offensively gifted but they need work in their own defensive zone. This is not to say their defensive abilities are not good now, but they can get better. Sometimes, they take a little bit too long to move the puck. Not to mention, they have to learn to brace themselves for a hit. That is why having a veteran stay-at-home defenseman would be perfect for this team.
Brendan Smith was not the answer for Luke Hughes. When he was playing with John Marino, Hughes had more confidence in his abilities.  By the way, the kids have been having the majority of ice time recently. If you look at it over the last several games, they’ve been averaging close to about 17-18 minutes a night or even more. Sometimes 20 minutes a night. Why? Because head coach Lindy Ruff has the belief in them to get the job done.
And that’s a good thing because they’re going to be logged in those minutes for years to come. And Simon Nemec said after the win in Seattle, “I hope to stay in New Jersey for the rest of the season.” He is staying because they have no other option right now with Hamilton on IR, and nobody knows when he is going to come back from a torn pectoral muscle.
And with the way Nemec is playing and the way he played in the preseason and training camp, it will be tough for him to be sent back down. He’s probably not going anywhere. However, the Devils will look to add some grit and size on the back end. But again, the future is bright with these two players on the back end for the New Jersey Devils because they are difference-makers.
Yes, you can live with the mistakes. Yes, they’re gonna make mistakes, but they make fewer mistakes than the veterans are right now. And that’s a good thing for New Jersey. The Devils are playing better defensively with these kids in the lineup. Their play has allowed the goaltenders to play better as well. Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid just have to play their games now. They do not have to overplay their game and try to make every save.
Again, mistakes are gonna happen. That’s what happens with young defensemen in the NHL. But these guys have shown that they can adapt and play in this league even though defensemen take longer than forwards to develop. These guys have been developed the right way.
Look out because the Devils’ defense is going to be a threat for years to come.