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Four Devils Replacements for Injured Luke Hughes

Now that we’ve learned Luke Hughes will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks, it’s time to look at four potential replacements for the star defenseman.

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4 months ago

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New Jersey Devils
Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (91) attempts to poke the puck from New Jersey Devils defenseman Santeri Hatakka (82) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Newark, N.J.(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Certainly, receiving the Luke Hughes news on Thursday was not the way the New Jersey Devils and their fans wanted to start the 2024-25 season. Life goes on, however, and the Devils are going to need a replacement.

REQUIRED READING: Devils Release Update On Luke Hughes Injury

The Devils star defenseman will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks and is projected to return sometime in early November. That means the 21-year-old defenseman will miss a minimum of 11 games. With veterans reporting to training camp in just a few short days, there will be a spot on the roster and in the lineup for grabs.

So, who will take it?

Here are four candidates who we could see slide in for the injured sophomore defenseman.

Santeri Hatakka

Purely from the perspective of handedness, Santeri Hatakka makes the most sense as the next man up in the Devils’ depth chart.

GO DEEPER: Santeri Hatakka Wants Full-Time NHL Role With Devils

The Devils are losing a left-shot, puck-moving defenseman who accrued nearly 50 points in his rookie season in Hughes. Hatakka won’t exactly be a one-for-one replacement in the offensive regard. However, the return of the previously injured Dougie Hamilton will already make up for the points Hughes has now left on the table.

Regardless, Hatakka would certainly slide right in as the next left-shot defenseman in the Devils’ system. And, he’s shown some offensive ability, playmaking from the blue line.

In a small sample with the Devils last season, Hatakka proved to be a reliable defenseman in the Devils’ end of the ice. He keeps his game simple by forcing attackers to the perimeter and is perfectly capable of clearing pucks from the defensive end of the ice.

In 12 games with the Devils last season, in which he accrued two assists, Hatakka showed no jitters with the puck on the end of his stick. His NHL-average skating is good enough to move the puck in transition, and the Finnish defenseman showed a solid first-pass.

Losing Hughes and replacing him with Hatakka might leave the Devils without a true puck-moving defenseman. However, if Simon Nemec is, in fact, healthy for the start of the regular season, he and Hamilton could split the duty.

Hatakka wanted to be on the plane that heads to Prague for the Global Series against the Buffalo Sabres. This is likely not how he wanted it to happen, but the door is now wide-open.

Nick DeSimone

The remaining candidates who could potentially be a replacement for Hughes are all right-handed shots. From a stylistic perspective, Nick DeSimone very well could make the most sense as a one-to-one replacement.

DeSimone won’t replicate the offensive total that Hughes would have produced. However, the 29-year-old defenseman impressed the Devils so much in his short stint that they inked him to a one-year, one-way contract extension.

So what did they see?

In 11 games with New Jersey, DeSimone accrued two goals and seven points after sitting out of game action for over a month. Even more impressive than his point total in a short period was DeSimone’s ability as a puck-mover.

DeSimone possesses plus-skating ability and chooses simple routes to move the puck from one end of the ice to the other. His plus-speed allows DeSimone to skate by defenders with the puck, join the attack, and get back to defensive position when deep in the offensive zone.

DeSimone’s skating alone gives the Devils the option to have someone who can lead the rush like Hughes would.

Similarly to Hughes, DeSimone might struggle a little bit in his own end of the ice. However, with a strong defensive partner such as Brett Pesce, the veteran should be able to help DeSimone recover the puck and move it from danger.

Johnathan Kovacevic

Now, if the Devils prefer a little more size on the blue line, Johnathan Kovacevic is their guy.

The Devils acquired 6-foot-5 defenseman from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick.

Kovacevic is a puck-carrying, two-way defenseman who has solid metrics defensively. He’s active in his own end and has shown adequate ability to clear the puck from danger.

The former Habs defenseman has really only seen limited minutes, but his body of work in a third pair role has been solid. The 27-year-old could stand to give the puck away a lot less. As opposed to his nine takeaways in 62 contests last season, Kovacevic committed 50 giveaways.

The interesting thing about Kovacevic is he isn’t overly physical, but when he does throw a hit, it could be a big one.

Should he clean up his turnovers if he’s skating next to a strong partner such as Brett Pesce, Kovacevic should be a fine band-aid until Hughes returns to the lineup.

Seamus Casey

Now is as good a time as any to make his NHL debut, right?

Seamus Casey is going into the 2024-25 season with an open mind. He’s happy to head down to the Utica Comets and serve as their top defenseman.

However, his goal in training camp remains focused on making the Devils varsity squad.

Hughes and Casey come from the same background. Both are graduates from the University of Michigan’s hockey program. When Hughes left Michigan to turn pro, Casey became the Wolverine’s No.1 offensive defenseman and he excelled.

Last season, Casey collected seven goals and 45 points in 40 NCAA games. What’s encouraging is the pipeline from the NCAA to the NHL has strengthened over the last few years, and Casey could be more prepared for NHL minutes as a result.

Casey’s puck-handling skills are top-notch, as he’s comfortable in both carrying the puck and playmaking on both his forehand and backhand. As far as one-to-one talent, Casey could actually be the most skilled of the group who could be the closest to replicate Hughes’ production.

He’ll need to have a phenomenal training camp in order to convince Tom Fitzgerald and Sheldon Keefe he’s the choice over the aforementioned. However, despite falling to the second round in his draft year, there’s a reason why Casey is held in such high regard by so many. His ceiling is certainly the highest of all candidates to potentially replace Hughes.

If he steals a roster spot for opening night now that there is at least one void to fill, no one should really be all the surprised.

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