NHL insider urges New Jersey Devils to make 'significant' move in trade market following Jack Hughes' concerning injury

The New Jersey Devils are bracing for an injury update on superstar Jack Hughes sometime on Tuesday.

Hughes was injured late in the third period of Sunday night's 2–0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights after crashing hard into the boards in a collision with Jack Eichel. There's been no official update or timeline on Hughes, though he's expected to miss some time.

With Hughes' looming absence, New Jersey's general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, may need to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline to help his team make the Stanley Cup playoffs.

On Tuesday, during "Insider Trading," TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger shared his thoughts on the Devils' plans ahead of the trade deadline.

"And prior to this injury, again status unknown on Jack Hughes, he was willing to again get aggressive in different areas," Dreger said (2:20). "So if Hughes is out long term, then maybe this pushes Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils to do something more significant, especially in his want up front.

But it's a tough market to get into right now. We just talked about the Toronto Maple Leafs. There'll be other teams that we discuss here that are looking for centers and other pieces up front. So if New Jersey has to get in that game because of injury this late in the process, it's going to be a challenge," Dreger added.

Hughes leads the team in point scoring this season, having scored 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games. It will be impossible to replace his production and skillset, though they'll have to give it a shot.

The Devils are no sure thing to make the playoffs

While the New Jersey Devils appear to be secure in a playoff spot as the third seed in the Metropolitan division, things are tightening up.

With a 33-23-26 record (72 points), the Devils can now see the Columbus Blue Jackets (68 points) and the New York Rangers (66 points) right on their heels in the division. Columbus has two games in hand on New Jersey, while New York has one game in hand.

The potential long-term absence of Jack Hughes, combined with other Eastern Conference teams heating up puts the Devils in a much more difficult position to make the postseason than anyone would've expected.

New Jersey will return to action on Tuesday night, likely without Hughes, against the Stars in Dallas. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at the American Airlines Center.