The Minnesota Wilds' Ryan Hartman had an insane scoring output this past week, but stars from the New Jersey Devils have been lighting up the score sheet as well, writes Adam Proteau.

Welcome back to THN.com’s Three Stars of the Week, an ongoing feature in which we examine the past seven days of NHL games and identify three individual players with the biggest impact in that period. Onward we go:

3. Ryan Hartman, Minnesota Wild

The Wild didn’t have a great week, going 1-1-1, but they couldn’t fault Hartman for that, as the 29-year-old center posted four goals and six points in three games to give him the (shared) lead for Minnesota’s goal-producers, with five goals and eight points in eight games.

Hartman is in the final season of a three-year contract that pays him a salary of $1.7 million per year, and that’s a massive bargain for what he brings to the table. But Hartman just agreed to a three-year contract extension that has an average annual value of $4 million. Even that seems like a bargain for Hartman and the role he plays with the team, but given how tight the Wild are to the cap ceiling, they need every dollar they can get.

That said, Hartman will remain one of Minnesota’s top-six forwards, and if the Wild are to succeed, they’ll need him to produce at or near the 34-goal, 65-point level he reached in the 2021-22 campaign. Hartman missed 21 games in 2022-23 with an injury, but when he’s healthy, he’s an integral part of the team.

2. Tyler Toffoli, New Jersey Devils

In his first season with the Devils, Toffoli has settled in nicely, playing on the first line and getting better with every game. This week, Toffoli led the league in goals, with five in just three games, including a hat trick against Montreal Tuesday, then a two-goal performance the next night against Washington.

The 31-year-old winger now leads the Devils with six goals in seven games, and he’s warming up at just the right time, as his current contract – paying him an average of $4.25-million per season – expires next summer. The Devils will have enough salary cap space to re-sign Toffoli, but the sooner they get a contract extension done, the more likely they can get Toffoli at a cap number that allows them to augment the roster with better depth up front in particular.

Toffoli was clearly a steal from the Calgary Flames in the trade that brought him to New Jersey, but soon enough, his cap hit is going to rise significantly, and Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald is well aware he has to move quickly to secure Toffoli’s services beyond this season. The longer he waits, the harder it will be to keep Toffoli in the fold. But at the moment, the New Jersey brass are very pleased with the decision to trade for him.

1. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils

Speaking of Devils who’ve had a terrific week, Hughes has led the way for them – and the NHL – with a league-best seven assists and eight points in three games. The ascent of Hughes to the top of the league’s forwards group has been spectacular, with his totals this season rising to an astonishing 13 assists and 18 points – both the best totals in the NHL thus far – in just seven games.

At age 22, Hughes is on a pace that will see him break his career-highs of 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games, which he set last season. He’s the straw that stirs the drink in New Jersey, and his current salary cap hit of $8 million – which will last through the 2029-30 season – is already one of the biggest bargains in the league.

The sky is the limit for Hughes, and the Devils are going to benefit from every step he makes as a performer. And this week was another example of how much better he’s been with every game.