Since the return from the Olympic break and more importantly (yes, we start with him again) a healthy Jack Hughes, the New Jersey Devils are averaging 3.615 goals per game. Suddenly a team that scored 0,1 o 2 goals for months, is regularly potting 4, 5 and 6 goals nearly every night. So what was the problem during the dark days in December, January and early February? Is this team not as weak as we thought?
No, they're still weak, but mostly in the mental capacity. This recent outburst of scoring and return to the early season elite level we saw when healthy, proves two things.
Firstly, Jack Hughes is clearly their MVP of this team until further notice. While his lack of availability makes him virtually ineligible for the Hart Trophy, it would be hard to argue that any single player's absence from their respective team is as impactful to that of #86. When Jack is out the team functions about as efficiently as the TSA during a government shutdown. From top to bottom, forwards, defense, goaltending, coaching and even management struggle. Even the hot dogs are a bit cold and the beers, flat and warm, or at least that's how it feels in a Jack-less Prudential Center.
Second is the fragile state of the psyche which the remainder of this roster posses. When the Devils are Jack Hughes-less, all players are suddenly rendered useless. Like scared children waiting for their dad to come home, the whole team just hides under their beds, quivering. This is something that has to be addressed in the off-season. Whether they require a full staff of sports psychologists for current personnel and or some new, veteran style, thick skinned type of players, the current state is unacceptable.
Remember when fans league wide would debate who the best player on NJ really is? The Jack haters were so quick to anoint Jesper Bratt as the best Devils player. That argument didn't last long...