The outlook on the New Jersey Devils‘ 2025-26 season looks pretty bleak. Per Moneypuck, they have just an 8.9% chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs; only the dreadful New York Rangers are keeping them out of last place in the Eastern Conference.
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In this edition of Devils News & Rumors, we discuss Jack Hughes’ injury and whether it will impact his Olympic availability, Arseny Gritsyuk’s new vlogs, and dig deeper into the standings.
Will Jack Hughes Head to Olympics!?
Just a few minutes into Thursday night’s contest vs. Nashville, star Devils’ forward Jack Hughes went down the tunnel, before returning for a quick shift and heading back down. After head coach Sheldon Keefe said it was a “lower body” injury that likely wasn’t too serious, Jack also missed Saturday’s contest in Ottawa.
On Monday, Jack was absent for morning skate but according to team reporter Amanda Stein, he hopped on the ice afterwards. However, Jack did not attend today’s optional skate and Keefe subsequently pronounced him out.
While things can always change, it certainly appears good for Team USA that Jack is not a ‘no’ for Thursday against the New York Islanders — a whole week before the U.S. kicks off their tournament against Latvia. Furthermore, TSN insider Pierre LeBrun gave further clarification on X: “At this point no one involved seems worried it might affect Hughes’ Olympic availability. Sounds more day to day. But obviously this close to Milan, it’s noteworthy.”
Furthermore, at Monday night’s Devils’ Sweep the Deck Gala, Jack said, “Obviously, that’s the goal [to play in Milan]. I’d like to be [back]. It’s day by day. It’s seeing how I feel each day.”
Keefe on where Jack needs to get to in order to return: pic.twitter.com/ufv6dvq0nF
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) February 3, 2026
Arseny Gritsyuk Vlogs
While a lot has gone wrong for the Devils this season, the addition of Arseny Gritsyuk into the lineup has been wonderful. While nine goals and 23 points in 51 games isn’t earth-shattering, he has a strong two-way game that fits well in any team’s middle-six. He’s virtually never a liability.
But off the ice, he’s no stranger to cracking jokes and messing around with his teammates, even despite the language barrier. His updates via social media platform ‘Telegram’ quickly turned him into a fan favorite.
After polling the fans to see if he should implement a new kind of content, he ordered Meta Glasses to create his own vlogs, giving fans an inside look into some behind the scenes. Here’s his first vlog:
Eastern Conference Standings Look Rough
Not only have the Devils struggled to string wins together, but in the meantime: the teams they’re chasing keep winning. As it stands, every single Eastern Conference playoff team is on pace for 98+ points.
In all actuality, there’s a possibility that they have a better shot at the third Metropolitan Division spot compared to the second Wild Card spot. With just 58 standings points, the Devils would have to go something like 20-6-1 the rest of the season in order to surpass 98 points.
While things can change; for example, a team like the Islanders (who currently occupy the third Metro spot) can stumble. If they finish with 91 points, and no other chasing team passes them, the Devils could go 16-8-2 — still very unlikely but more do-able. Unfortunately, that scenario appears less likely as the Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers are all sandwiched between the Devils and Islanders.
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