While New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes has struggled to stay healthy during his career, it’s impossible to fault him for his latest injury: an unfortunate “freak” accident that has him sidelined for a total of eight weeks.
With the Olympics coming up in February — the first with NHL participation since Sochi in 2014 — many have speculated whether Hughes’ participation will be impacted. Barring any setbacks, there’s no reason it should.
Related: Devils’ Tight Bond Is Everything as Team Pushes Past Adversity
Hughes Belongs on Team USA
Exactly eight weeks from the injury would be Jan. 8, giving Hughes 14 whole games to acclimate himself prior to the Olympic break. And according to a recent report from Emily Kaplan on ESPN’s “The Point”, it appears there’s a chance he can return even earlier:
“The good news is this isn’t as bad as initially feared,” said Kaplan. “Best case scenario is we can see him back as early as Christmas, more likely it’s early January.”
While he has not yet officially been named to Team USA’s roster, he was part of the 4 Nations Face-Off and this summer’s Olympic Orientation Camp. He was also named a Polo Ralph Lauren Ambassador for the Olympics.
At the time of his injury, Hughes was tied for sixth in points by American skaters (20), including fourth in goals (10). He had the fourth-most even strength points, trailing only Matthew Knies, Cutter Gauthier and Dylan Larkin.
In all honesty, you shouldn’t even need numbers to know that Hughes is one of the best American forward talents in the NHL. You just need to watch him play. On many nights, he’s clearly the best skater on the ice.
“But 4 Nations!”
Hughes has caught a lot of flak for his performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off: just one point (a secondary assist) in four games. The criticism is severely unfair.
He started three of his four games on different lines, including the final where he was placed alongside Brock Nelson and J.T. Miller, arguably the two U.S. forwards who brought the least offense on that roster. Despite this, Hughes successfully filled a role he wasn’t super familiar with, as he had the second-highest net defensive rating among 81 skaters to play in the tournament. He was the 21st-most effective skater overall, placing him in the 74th percentile. In other words, he certainly held his own and provided value despite the lack of point production. (via Dom Luszczyszyn)
Top 25 skaters at the 4 Nations Face-Off pic.twitter.com/jzqHK170iY
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) February 21, 2025
Per Moneypuck, Team USA generated 3.08 expected goals with Hughes on the ice…and gave up just 1.46. That’s a 67.8 expected goals percentage (xGF%) — higher than all 50 forward lines to play 100+ minutes in the NHL this season. The only game where Hughes was a net-negative on the ice was their preliminary round matchup against Canada, where he had a 26.1 xGF%. Every other game — including the final against Canada — was above 70%.
Sure, in an ideal world, he would’ve liked to bring more offense. But he had 11 shots on goal in those four games; if one or two went in, the narrative is entirely different. Regardless, Hughes’ improved defensive game ensures he’s typically not a liability like he once was in his teenage years. His plus-12 rating for the Devils last season led the team and was the best mark of his career. Prior to his recent injury, he was on pace for a plus-14 rating.
Of course, all of this only matters if NHL players end up going to the Olympics. Concern is gradually rising as construction deadlines for the arena continue to be missed. But as long as they do — and Hughes is healthy — he’ll be poised for a big role on Team USA.
