The New Jersey Devils' defense corps got some key reinforcements Thursday.
Both Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce made their season debuts Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Hughes was sidelined by a shoulder ailment, while Pesce's first game as a Devil was delayed by a leg injury.
Hughes was a Calder Trophy finalist last season after logging 47 points in 82 games while averaging a team-leading 21:28 minutes of ice time per contest. Pesce, meanwhile, joined New Jersey as a free agent this past summer after being a key player for the Carolina Hurricanes for nine campaigns.
Pesce and Hughes are expected to form a pair after going through their injury recoveries together.
"I've gotten really close with this guy," Pesce said, according to team reporter Amanda Stein. "I've learned a lot about him over the past month or so. I'm just excited to play with him. Seeing what he does in the rehab skates, just so talented. I'm just going to try to make his life easy."
New Jersey went 5-3-1 without them in the lineup. Here's how the Devils' blue line predominantly shaped up in their absences:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Brenden Dillon | Dougie Hamilton |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | Johnathan Kovacevic |
| Seamus Casey | Simon Nemec |
Half of those rearguards weren't with the Devils last campaign: Dillon and Kovacevic, who were acquired in the offseason, and rookie Casey, who was reassigned to the AHL on Monday. Daniil Misyul took his place in the lineup Tuesday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Casey logged three goals and four points in his first eight NHL appearances, earning praise from Keefe in the process, but his underlying defensive numbers were lackluster. Though the Devils outscored opponents 3-1 with the youngster on the ice at five-on-five, they controlled just 39.1% of the shot attempts, 37.9% of the expected goals, and 40.6% of the high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
As for New Jersey's top two duos of Dillon-Hamilton and Siegenthaler-Kovacevic, the Devils have dictated over 55% of the expected goals with them on the ice at five-on-five, according to Evolving-Hockey. However, the blue line had a rough go during New Jersey's back-to-back losses to the Washington Capitals and Lightning, getting outscored 14-10.
Nemec, meanwhile, played in 60 games with the Devils last season, but he suffered a shoulder injury at the Olympic qualifiers in late August and has struggled so far this campaign. Keefe said last Saturday that Nemec's start has "left a lot to be desired," per Stein.
Both Nemec and Casey are exempt from waivers.
Puck drops on the Devils' clash with the Red Wings at 7 p.m. ET.
