Although the house isn’t burning down for the New Jersey Devils just yet, the team can’t seem to catch a break. Losing 4 out of their last 7 games, the Devils, despite their best efforts, have lost ground on their shot at definitively making the postseason. Now with Jack Hughes’ injury looming over their heads, the team is arguably in the worst position they’ve been. Or are they?

Well, RDS Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun has a different theory. Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said the team is waiting to know the “full extent” of the injury before operating on Hughes. Meanwhile, seeing how the Devils were already perusing the trade market, LeBrun believes they may have found a way to capitalize on the trade window before Friday’s deadline.

“Devils aren’t yet operating as if they’ll have Hughes’ $8M cap hit to use at the deadline,” explained the senior NHL Columnist. If Jack Hughes’ shoulder injury does put him out of action for the rest of the season, NJD might be able to put his salary cap in the Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). Doing so will give the Devils a cap boost, which they might use to bag some last-minute deals.

Just this Sunday, the Florida Panthers placed Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR after significant chatter about the status of the forward since the 4 Nations Face-Off. The elder of the bash brothers picked up an injury during the tournament which saw him sit out the game against Sweden and clock a little over 6 minutes during the championship game against Canada. “Matthew is going to be out for an extended period of time,” said Panthers GM Bill Zito. The LTIR has reportedly freed up around $8.7 million in cap space, and with teams not needing to be cap-compliant during the playoffs, the Panthers could go on a shopping spree. As for the Devils, LeBrun thinks they could do the same.

The TSN journalist backed up and added to his theory with some of the possible trades the New Jersey Devils might make in the dying days of the trade window. “They’ll be looking for offense whether it’s C or W before Friday’s deadline. Plus maybe add a D depth piece,” added Pierre LeBrun. Meanwhile, NJD beat reporter James Nichols also added his “nugget” of information.

“Depending on if he hits LTIR or not, I’m told the have already called to let Carolina know if they’re selling Mikko Rantanen, they’ll be in the mix,” the reporter posted on X. But the Devils themselves have revealed nothing about their next move. Head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t mention the team’s trade intentions on Tuesday. Instead, he had a lot to say about Jack Hughes.

Keefe called Hughes a “a very important player,” while discussing the injury. “So the whole group was feeling for him the other night — myself and our coaching staff included,” explained Coach Keefe. Unfortunately, we still don’t know anything about the true nature of the NHL star’s injury.

Speculation about Jack Hughes’ injury runs rife

Exceeding the salary cap thanks to the LTIR may net the New Jersey Devils some last-minute trades. However, as Keefe hinted, losing Jack Hughes was a huge blow for the team. “Injuries are part of the game, but the nature of it makes it tougher,” added the NHL coach. Meanwhile, the community has already chalked out the best and worst-case scenarios for Hughes.

“Worst case scenario is that Jack Hughes is going to be sidelined the rest of the season,” broadcaster Trey Matthews explained on the Locked On Devils podcast. Matthews cited the high likelihood of the scenario, citing the fact that the regular season will be done and dusted after just a month and a half.

The New Jersey Devils coach also weighed in, saying the injury “didn’t look good” on Tuesday. The Devils’ leading goalscorer with 27 goals and 70 points was looking to answer back in the final two minutes of his team’s game against the Golden Knights. Instead, he collided with Jack Eichel, tripped, and smashed shoulder-first into the boards.

Jack Hughes finally recovered and skated off the ice holding his arm, clearly in a lot of pain. Besides the speculation surrounding his injury, news of who’ll replace him for the rest of the season has also started floating around. Dawson Mercer seems to be the prime candidate as per Rotowire. Yet, what do you think of the New Jersey Devils’ predicament? Tell us in the comments.