The Stanley Cup hopes of the New Jersey Devils took a serious hit when star forward Jack Hughes was lost for the season earlier this month. He’s undergone shoulder surgery and won’t play again until the fall.
At the outset of the NHL season, the opening Stanley Cup future book odds was listing the Devils with betting odds of +1100 to win the Stanley Cup at various NJ betting sites. That’s something the franchise has achieved three times, but hasn’t done since 2003.
Today, that betting line has lengthened significantly. Bet365 sportsbook is showing the Devils at +2800 to win the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. At Fanduel NJ, the line has grown to +3300.
Despite missing the playoffs last season, there was cause of optimism after New Jersey acquired all-star goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames during the summer. A lack of quality netminding was a major cause for last season’s downfall. The Devils finished 26th out of 32 teams in goals against a year ago, allowing 281 goals, or 3.43 goals against per game. This season, they rank fourth overall in goals against. The Devils have knocked nearly a full goal off that total, going down to 2.53 goals against per game.
During the 2022-23 NHL season, New Jersey was among the NHL’s surprise teams, collecting 52 wins and 112 points. Suiting up a deep, talented roster that besides Hughes also includes highly-skilled forwards Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and Nico Hischier, the club captain, there was definite optimism that last season was the outlier and the previous campaign much more resembled what this New Jersey team was capable of achieving. New coach Sheldon Keefe also buoyed the club’s hopes. His teams have averaged 50 wins over the past three seasons.
Hughes Injury Latest New Jersey Heartbreak
The first player chosen in the 2019 NHL entry draft, Hughes was injured March 2 in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He underwent surgery three days later. The sixth-year center still shares the New Jersey lead in goals with 27 and is second in the club with 70 points. During the 2022-23 season, Hughes collected career highs with 43 goals and 99 points. The two-time NHL All-Star has scored at least 26 goals in each of the past four seasons.
Hughes is among eight New Jersey players to reach double digits in goals this season. His loss was the latest blow to a Devils season that opened with such promise. On December 27, the team was 24-11-3. Placing a future wager on New Jersey to win the Stanley Cup at that point was looking like a worthwhile play.
Devils Were Already Sliding
The Devils would win just two of the next 11 games. Then on January 22, Markstrom suffered a serious knee injury.
He only recently returned to the lineup in early March, but lost his first three starts. New Jersey was 5-5 during Markstrom’s absence.
Along with Hughes, defensemen Dougie Hamilton (lower-body injury) and Jonas Siegenthaler (lower-body injury) are also hurt. Hamilton, who has 9-31-40 totals, including five goals and 15 points on the power play, is out for an extended period. Like Hughes, Siegenthaler is done for the season. Solid defensively, his plus-nine rating is second-best among New Jersey defensemen.
Taking into account all that’s gone south for this team, at this juncture, betting the Devils to win the Stanley Cup would feel more like a donation than an investment.
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