Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jack Hughes

Evening Notes: Atlanta, Kane/Toews, Hughes Brothers

at CDT | by 14 Comments

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke openly about the potential for an expansion team in Atlanta during a media availability on Tuesday. In it, Daly shared that the league hasn’t yet received a full proposal yet, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Wyshynski further points out that a group backed by Krause Sports and Entertainment has received approval on a $3B arena development in Forsyth County, Georgia. They are one of multiple groups vying for ownership over a potential Atlanta squad.

Notably, Daly also voiced support for the idea of expansion overall. He told Wyshynski that the NHL is “uniquely positioned” for more teams because of how deep the player pool has become. Daly pointed towards the growth of smaller hockey markets as evidence of that growth, and said that adding new teams would be no issue for the NHL. That’s a strong bode of confidence towards the idea of expansion, though it doesn’t seem the league isn’t growing any more roots just yet.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Future Hall-of-Fame winger Patrick Kane spoke with Wynshynski about Jonathan Toews’ return to the NHL. Kane called his former batterymate’s comeback a great story, and remarked that it’s been enjoyable to follow Toews’ return as the two still talk frequently. The conversation led to Kane, once again, receiving the question of whether he’d have interest in moving to his own hometown club, the Buffalo Sabres, in the same way that Toews chose to join the Winnipeg Jets. Kane batted away the question, instead affirming how much he’s enjoyed playing for the clubs he has already played for – including Detroit. He called the Red Wings a team on the rise, and the source of his career’s revival. Kane scored 21 goals and 59 points in 72 games with the Red Wings last season. It brought his total scoring with the club up to 106 points in 122 games – and his career-long scoring up to 1,343 points in 1,302 games.
  • Top New Jersey Devils centerman Jack Hughes also caught attention for interview comments on Wednesday. While participating at the NHL Media Tour, Hughes said that he would love to have a chance to play with his brother Quinn, whether that been in New Jersey or not, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. The storyline of if, and when, the Hughes brothers would reconnect has been a rich one all summer. They’re a close-knit trio of brothers, including youngest brother Luke, with two-thirds currently playing in the Devils organization. But acquiring Quinn would be a near-impossible task for Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Quinn is among the league’s best defensemen. He won the 2024 Norris Trophy, and finished last season as a Norris finalist. New Jersey – or, any team – would need to sell the farm to land Quinn. Luckily, he is roughly one month away from his 26th birthday, giving the Hughes brothers plenty of time to regroup with their oldest sibling before he’s past his prime yeras.

College Notes: Howard, Hughes, Sumpf, Medvedev

at CDT | by 11 Comments

It felt like the draft might have been the right time for the Lightning to move prospect Isaac Howard after the 2022 first-rounder indicated that he wouldn’t sign with Tampa Bay.  However, GM Julien BriseBois indicated to reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that they’re at a bit of a roadblock.  While there are teams offering up a strong enough return for his services, they haven’t been able to work out a deal with Howard.  Meanwhile, teams that Howard is willing to sign with haven’t offered up enough of a return yet.  As things stand, the 21-year-old is set to return to Michigan State for his senior year and if he ultimately becomes a free agent next year, Tampa Bay would receive the 31st pick of the second round (63rd overall) as compensation.

Other college hockey news:

  • The Kings are expected to sign prospect Jack Hughes to an entry-level contract, Mayor’s Manor reports. The 21-year-old (who has no relation to the New Jersey center with the same name) was a second-round pick by Los Angeles in 2022, going 51st overall.  Hughes had 25 points in 40 games in his senior year at Boston University and could have become an unrestricted free agent in mid-August if he waited a little longer to sign.  Instead, he’ll become the sixth player from the Kings’ 2022 class to sign a contract, assuming he puts pen to paper on a deal in the coming days.
  • Blackhawks draft pick Julius Sumpf is expected to play at Providence College next season, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was the 98th overall pick on Saturday following a solid season with QMJHL Moncton that saw him pick up 65 points in 58 games.  He also had seven points in five games for Germany at the World Juniors.
  • Canucks draft pick Alexei Medvedev has declined interest from several NCAA schools and will return to OHL London next season, relays Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 17-year-old was a second-round pick on Saturday, going 47th overall following a solid rookie year with the Knights.  He put up a 2.79 GAA and a .912 SV% in 34 games during the regular season and with platoon partner and playoff starter Austin Elliott off to college next season, Medvedev should have a path to a much bigger role in 2025-26.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Jack Hughes, Karlstrom

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

During today’s exit interviews, New Jersey Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald gave a blunt assessment on the team’s future roster, noting that changes are needed as the team isn’t good enough as currently constructed, per team reporter Amanda Stein.

As Fitzgerald told reporters: “It simply wasn’t good enough. I believe in the core of this team, but it’s my responsibility to keep improving it. We’ve got a lot of tough choices ahead, whether that means re-signing players, making trades, or moving on from certain guys.”

Several New Jersey players are set for free agency, including Tomas Tatar, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong, Jake Allen and Brian Dumoulin. Additionally, several players are set for restricted free agency, including defender Luke Hughes, 21, who is set for a massive raise on his current $925,000 contract. Hughes was sidelined during the playoffs due to a shoulder injury and has since undergone surgery to address the issue. According to Fitzgerald, Hughes is expected to be ready in time for training camp.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Fitzgerald also shared that the team believes Jack Hughes, Luke’s brother, has moved past his own shoulder issues following surgery, per Stein. However, Fitzgerald added that the star forward does have a lot of work ahead of him this summer to get back into game shape. He successfully underwent shoulder surgery in early March and was placed on the team’s long-term injured reserve. The Devils noted at the time of his surgery that he was expected to fully recover and be ready for training camp, so Fitzgerald’s announcement today confirms the team’s original timeline.
  • Forward Fredrik Karlstrom, most recently with the New York Islanders organization, has signed a four-year deal with Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey. Karlstrom is set to return to his home country after underwhelming in North America since being drafted in the third round by the Dallas Stars in the 2016 draft. He remained in Sweden until 2021-22 season, when he played in three games for the Stars and 65 games for their AHL-affiliate. He spent three seasons playing in the Stars’ organization but mostly suited up in the AHL. All told, he appeared in just eight NHL contests, posting just a single assist. Karlstrom did have his best AHL season last season, posting 21 goals and 44 points in 72 games for the Texas Stars. However, it wasn’t enough for the organization to retain his services, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Islanders last July. He appeared in 30 games for the Isles’ AHL-affiliate, posting just 13 points and a minus-nine rating.

Devils’ Jack Hughes Done For The Season After Shoulder Surgery

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The New Jersey Devils took a massive blow to their Stanley Cup aspirations. New Jersey announced that center Jack Hughes has successfully undergone shoulder surgery and will be placed on the team’s long-term injured reserve. The team noted he’s expected to fully recover and be ready for next year’s training camp, informally confirming he’s done for the 2024-25 season.

The news is nothing short of a disaster for the Devils. After missing the playoffs last season, the team has rebounded into postseason positioning this year, thanks to a healthier group.

Hughes is the leader of that resurgence, too. The former first overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft was tied for the team lead in scoring with 27 goals and 43 assists in 62 games. Interestingly enough, Hughes will finish the 2024-25 campaign with nearly identical production from last season, scoring 27 goals and 47 assists in 62 appearances.

It also extends Hughes’ recurring injury issues from the last several years. Since the NHL returned to a full 82-game schedule after the 2020-21 campaign, Hughes will have only played in 76% of New Jersey’s regular season contests. The team is objectively better when he’s in the lineup, making the situation all the more unbearable for their playoff hopes.

The loss of Hughes will inevitably shift New Jersey’s trade deadline strategy. The Devils had already been rumored to be scouting the market for an upgrade at their third-line center position. They’ll now need two middle-six centers, assuming captain Nico Hischier steps into the first-line role.

If anything, this should make New Jersey more committed to buying. Although they don’t have their first-round pick for the 2025 NHL Draft, the Devils still have a trio of second-round picks and a few tradeable prospects. Defenseman Simon Nemec comes to mind as an obvious headliner for any trade of magnitude. Since the team is placing Hughes on LTIR, that will open up $8MM in cap space for the team to work with.

Still, it’s difficult to think highly of New Jersey’s chances even if they go big-game hunting. It’s improbable the team will have the capacity to acquire a player of Hughes’ caliber in the next two days.

According to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, the Devils have reportedly contacted the Carolina Hurricanes regarding Mikko Rantanen’s availability for this circumstance. The Hurricanes are unlikely to move one of their best players to a divisional-rival and likely postseason adversary. Still, Rantanen is exactly the kind of player New Jersey should be pursuing to get reasonably close to filling the void left by Hughes.

Devils’ Nico Hischier Day-To-Day, Jack Hughes Banged Up

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The New Jersey Devils could soon be without their two top forwards. Captain Nico Hischier left the team’s Saturday night matchup against the Montreal Canadiens in the second period, after receiving a slash from Canadiens center Nick Suzuki. No penalty was called on the play, and instead Suzuki skated up the ice and recorded the primary assist on Montreal’s second goal. Now, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe has shared that Hischier could be out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now.

Nichols also shared that Jack Hughes is, “less than 100 percent” due to a nagging finger injury. He suffered the injury partway through New Jersey’s Wednesday win over the Boston Bruins, exiting in the first period to get stitches in his finger but returning shortly after the start of the second. Hughes missed the team’s Friday practice to avoid risk of infection or further inflammation, but played in 20 minutes of New Jersey’s overtime win on Saturday. His status will be monitored closely as the Devils gear up for two weekday games against the Philadelphia Flyers.

There’s been no indication of whether or not the Devils top two centers will play on Monday. If they don’t, New Jersey will play their first game without the star duo in over two years. Despite routine injuries, one of the Devils’ star centers has found a way to stand at the top of the lineup – which would make matching absences incredibly tough to fill. Hughes and Hischier currently rank first and third on the Devils in scoring, with 57 and 43 points in 51 games respectively.

The only extra forward on New Jersey’s lineup is presently Kurtis MacDermid, who’s stepped into four games since the start of January. He doesn’t have any scoring through 19 games this season, which could force the Devils to look towards their minor leagues for meaningful fill-ins. Nolan Foote and Brian Halonen lead the AHL’s Utica Comets in scoring, with 25 points in 33 games and 24 points in 34 games respectively. Both players have served as injury fill-ins throughout the season, though neither has managed any NHL scoring in their spot starts. New Jersey could also turn towards Adam Beckman, who has 22 points in 29 AHL games and also managed two assists in 11 NHL games earlier this year. But none of those players bring natural center ability to the NHL lineup, likely meaning that any recall would need coupled with someone like Stefan Noesen, Ondrej Palat, or Dawson Mercer shifting into the middle-lane.

Snapshots: McLeod, Huska, Hughes, Daws

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sabres will welcome back Ryan McLeod back to their lineup on Saturday.  Team reporter Jourdan LaBarber indicates that the center will be activated and return after missing just three games with what was described as a nagging upper-body injury.  The 25-year-old is in his first season with Buffalo since being acquired from Edmonton over the summer and has fared pretty well, notching 10 goals and 15 assists in 45 games while winning over 52% of his draws.  He’ll likely line up on the second line against his former team.  Buffalo has a full roster at the moment so they will need to make a corresponding roster move in order to officially activate McLeod before the game.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Flames have been one of the biggest surprises around the league this season. Expected to struggle by many, they instead find themselves in the second Wild Card spot in the West.  Despite their success, GM Craig Conroy acknowledged to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that there have not been any discussions on an extension for head coach Ryan Huska yet.  He’s in the second season of a three-year deal and with coaches rarely working with only one year left on their contracts, this sounds like something that will get done by the summer at the latest.
  • While Devils center Jack Hughes was held out of practice today, it appears he won’t miss any game action. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that Hughes is dealing with a swollen finger so they opted not to take the risk of infection by putting his glove on for a practice.  However, he is expected to play on Saturday against Montreal.  Hughes leads New Jersey with 56 points in 50 games and is tied for the team lead in assists (38) with Jesper Bratt.
  • Still with the Devils, while Isaac Poulter was recalled earlier today to serve as the interim backup to Jake Allen, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be up for too long. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now that the plan is for Nico Daws to play with AHL Utica over the weekend and then be recalled.  Daws has been limited to just two appearances in the last four weeks due to injury so the extra game action is needed before he can be considered to suit up in New Jersey when Allen needs a night off.

Morning Notes: Kadri, Kuznetsov, Hughes

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Calgary Flames Forward Nazem Kadri left yesterday’s practice with an apparent knee injury (as per Salim Nadim Valji of TSN). Kadri suffered the injury after a collision with teammate Blake Coleman and went to the locker room right away. No word yet on the severity of the injury to the 33-year-old but Kadri and Coleman did collide knee on knee. Flames head coach Ryan Huska commented after practice that the team got off lucky, so the news sounds encouraging.

Kadri is expected to be one of the Flames’ on-ice leaders this year as the team has entered a rebuild. He was one of Calgary’s most consistent contributors last season posting 29 goals and 46 assists in 82 games. The Flames reportedly listened to offers on Kadri this past summer but opted to keep the veteran with the Flames.

In other morning notes:

  • Former Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov was reportedly injured and will miss the next two months (KHL twitter link). Kuznetsov has dressed in nine KHL games this season for SKA St. Petersburg and posted a goal and four assists. Specific details about his injury are murky but the ailment is being called a serious one. Kuznetsov has been playing on the third line this year after mutually terminating the final year of his NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • Jack Hughes was a scratch last night for the New Jersey Devils after he was originally slated to play in their preseason game (as per James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now). Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe clarified the reason for the scratch post-game saying that Hughes experienced a Charley horse in the previous game, and the team opted to hold him out of the game before their trip to Prague. Hughes is expected to play when the team arrives overseas and did work yesterday with the second training camp group before getting the evening off to rest.

2024 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Today, the NHL announced the 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

Each team submitted their nominee; they are as follows:

Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes: Nick Bjugstad
Boston Bruins: Linus Ullmark
Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane
Carolina Hurricanes: Jaccob Slavin
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Cale Makar
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger
Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Kevin Fiala
Minnesota Wild: Marc-Andre Fleury
Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Luke Kunin
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay Lightning: Nick Paul
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey

Unlike most awards which are voted on by the players or media, the winner of this award is selected by a committee consisting of Commissioner Gary Bettman and former winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award, one that was awarded from 1997-98 through 2016-17.

Last year’s winner was Calgary’s Mikael Backlund.  The winner for this season will be revealed in late June.

Devils’ Jack Hughes To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The New Jersey Devils have announced that star centerman Jack Hughes will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery on April 10th (Twitter link). His season will come to a close after just 62 games, with Hughes scoring 27 goals and 74 points.

This news finally brings an end to what’s been an injury-riddled year for Hughes. He missed two weeks of action in November with a right shoulder injury and earned a spot on injured reserve for one month in January with another upper-body injury. And while Hughes has been consistently in the lineup since February 8th, he hasn’t seemed to be in full health – shying away from physicality and not taking a single faceoff since his last injury.

But even when hobbled, Hughes was still a dominant player for the Devils. He’s scored 29 points in 30 games since February 8th, while averaging 21:28 in ice time. That ranks Hughes second on the team in scoring in that span, behind Nico Hischier and tied with Timo Meier. It also ranks him in the top 30 in league scoring over the last two months.

New Jersey has gone 31-31 with Hughes in the lineup, compared to 6-10 in the games he’s missed, and 12-16 since his return from injured reserve. They’ll now have to finish the year off without him, though there’s not much left to fight for – with New Jersey sat five points, and five spots, away from an Eastern Conference Wild Card. Nolan Foote is expected to make his season debut in Hughes’ absence on Tuesday. Foote has missed a large portion of the season with an upper-body injury suffered during the preseason. He’ll be playing in his 20th career NHL game, and his first since March of 2023.

Devils Notes: Hughes, Marino, Foote

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils will be without star forward Jack Hughes tonight, and potentially longer according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com. Officially, Hughes will be out tonight with an undisclosed injury, and head coach Travis Green alluded to the idea that Hughes could miss the remainder of New Jersey’s regular season.

It will be the second time in three seasons that Hughes will have his season significantly shortened by injury, as his last complete year came back in the 2020-21 NHL season, although he did compete in 78 games last year. If Hughes is indeed done for the remaining schedule, he will have finished with 27 goals and 74 points in 62 games, the second-highest points-per-game mark of his young career.

In a season to forget for the Devils organization, the team will only be able to finish with a maximum of 87 points, a 25-point drop off from just a season ago. With 16 games missed on the season, New Jersey has only been able to procure a 6-9-1 record without their top player this season, partially leading to their fall in the standings.

Other Devils notes:

  • After having missed the last two games due to an undisclosed injury, it appears that defenseman John Marino could be returning tonight for the Devils (X Link). Much like Hughes and several other members of New Jersey’s roster, Marino has missed a handful of games across the season due to injuries. When healthy, Marino has been able to suit up in 71 games for the Devils up to this point, scoring four goals and 29 points overall while averaging 20:51 of ice time per night.
  • Now that Hughes has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game, team reporter for the Devils, Amanda Stein, is reporting that forward Nolan Foote could be making his season debut with the club. Having recently been activated from Season Opening Injured Reserve on March 11th, Foote has only managed four games for the team’s AHL affiliate altogether this season, scoring three goals and four points in a small sample size.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top