The New Jersey Devils have failed to sign RFA defenseman Luke Hughes to a contract extension. And in this story from THN.com's Vani Hanamirian, Devils coach Sheldon Keefe spoke out about the hole in the lineup in Hughes' absence -- specifically, in the spot alongside veteran Brett Pesce as one of New Jersey's key defense pairings.
“Obviously, that’s (Luke Hughes’) spot, and Luke’s not here,” Keefe said of that spot on 'D'. “So, there’s an opportunity there to both have a young player go into that spot that can benefit from that mentorship. But also, we need it. We need a player. So, we’re giving him an opportunity, as we’ve talked a bunch about.”
How much of an issue do you think Hughes' absence is going to be? We want to hear your point of view, so feel free to tell us how you feel in the comment section below. Your voice counts, and we're interested to hear it.