5 Players New Jersey Devils Can’t Afford To Get Injured This Season

The New Jersey Devils got a scare on Saturday when Jack Hughes went to the locker room during their game against the New York Islanders. This was mostly a game to see the goalies play, as Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood were two of the only players who had any hopes of contributing to the NHL team this season. The Devils did play Yegor Sharangovich and Jack Hughes, so they were trying to carry the offense on their own. Then, it was only Sharangovich. Luckily, Lindy Ruff says they don’t believe Hughes is dealing with anything serious. Taking him out was likely only precautionary.

All hockey teams have to deal with injuries. The Devils are dealing with one right now with Ty Smith. He seems to be day to day, but it isn’t a player they really want to lose for any significant amount of time.

Injuries will happen, but if they happen to the wrong person, it could make the entire season fall apart. We’ve seen it happen to the Devils in the past. Last year, the injury to Nico Hischier really made an impact, but the Devils looked alright until they were hit by a COVID outbreak. However, we saw what happened to the Buffalo Sabres when Jack Eichel went down with an injury.

The Devils need to stay healthy if they are going to hit their expectations. Some people don’t expect much, but after a lot of wins to start the preseason, the fans are building up their own expectations. After a few undesirable seasons, it’s time for the Devils to overachieve. They need to avoid these five injuries if that is going to happen.