Fans and Analysts Call on New Jersey Devils to Demote Jack Hughes
Fans and analysts have not been too happy with a specific aspect of Devils' Jack Hughes, and they are making their voices heard that changes are needed.
During Tuesday's shootout contest that resulted in a loss against the Florida Panthers, Jack Hughes, along with Jesper Bratt, failed to score with only Paul Cotter being the sole scorer out of all the Devils players in the shootout.
Judging by Hughes' career stats, it is pretty obvious he isn't the greatest in shootouts, as he's been 3-for-17 which stands for 17.6 percent which he achieved by being in the NHL for 6 seasons.
Even though Hughes is a great performer, scoring a career-high 43 goals in 2022-23, he still struggles with shootouts.
Fans and analysts no longer want Jack Hughes taking shootouts
Moving forward, Hughes shouldn't be attempting shootouts for the New Jersey Devils, per fans and analysts. Although Hughes is one of the best offensive players in the league, shootouts are definitely not one of his strong suits.
Sheldon Keefe, the Devils head coach, allowed Hughes a chance during the most recent shootout, but unsurprisingly, Hughes couldn't perform.
Hughes finds great success in playing situations fueled by immense speed where his gut takes charge, however, in contrast, his performance drastically decreases when he has to hesitate.
While shootouts hold little to no value in the playoffs, the same cannot be said when it comes to the regular season.
Keefe would need to be able to better assess which of his players would be optimal when a high-pressure situation arises in order to earn those extra points.
Hughes might not be able to shine in this area, but that is not to say he doesn't add value in other respects.
The root cause of the problem is not Hughes, but rather the entire team. It is evident that the Devils have some adapting to do in order to improve.
The next time they approach a shootout, it would be best to unfocus from their star player and instead look at the broader picture.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Ryan McLeod | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brent Burns | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Dylan Cozens | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Hyman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Martin Necas | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marco Rossi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Evan Bouchard | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Connor Clifton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Joel Eriksson Ek | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jesperi Kotkaniemi | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Tuch | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 44 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 63 | |
Jets | 45 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 63 | |
Golden Knights | 44 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 61 | |
Wild | 44 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 58 | |
Oilers | 43 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 57 | |
Stars | 43 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 57 | |
Devils | 46 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 57 | |
Maple Leafs | 45 | 27 | 16 | 2 | 56 | |
Hurricanes | 44 | 26 | 15 | 3 | 55 | |
Avalanche | 45 | 27 | 17 | 1 | 55 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||