Devils move former first-round pick to IR

The New Jersey Devils have moved star forward Jack Hughes to injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on Jan. 5, and moved star defenseman Dougie Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, per team reporter James Nichols. 

Hughes will be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy, which isn’t expected to come until after the All-Star break, but Hamilton will now be set to miss at least 24 days of action. The top defender is recovering from a pectoral injury that required surgery earlier in the season.

The Devils have missed both Hughes and Hamilton for prolonged periods this season. Hamilton appeared in the team’s first 20 games before being knocked out of the lineup. He scored admirably in those games, netting 16 points — a mark that still ranks second among Devils defensemen in scoring.

Hughes has managed a bit more ice time, appearing in 32 games and ranking second on the team with 45 points. The 22-year-old centerman is scoring at a 115-point pace across 82 games, which would mark the most points any Devils player has ever recorded. 

It’s a record Hughes already set last season, with his 99 points in 78 games beating out the 96 points Patrik Elias scored in 2000-01. While injuries have clouded his red-hot season, Hughes is working hard to solidify himself as New Jersey’s next franchise centerman and is already outplaying the eight-year, $64M contract extension he was signed to midway through the 2021-22 season.