New Jersey Devils get Jack Hughes back healthy and hope to make a deeper playoff run

Last season: 42-33-7 (99 points), lost in the first round to Carolina.

COACH: Sheldon Keefe (second season with New Jersey; 431-254-130 career).

SEASON OPENER: Oct. 9 at Carolina.

DEPARTURES: C Erik Haula, F Stefan Noesen, F Nathan Bastian, F Daniel Sprong, F Tomas Tatar, assistants Chris Taylor and Ryan McGill.

ADDITIONS: F Connor Brown, F Evgenii Dadonov, F Juho Lammikko, rookie F Arseny Gritsyuk, assistant Brad Shaw.

GOALIES: Jacob Markstrom (26-16-6, 2.50 goals-against average, .900 save percentage), Jake Allen (13-16, 1, 2.66, .908).

BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 14-1.

The Devils are getting first-line center Jack Hughes back healthy after he crashed into the boards and injured his right shoulder in March, an injury that required surgery and ended his season. New Jersey is firmly in win-now mode with so many players in their prime. General manager Tom Fitzgerald signed Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov for more offense up front after finishing 20th in the NHL in goals scored. The expectation is for this group to take the next step. The Devils should compete with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. If they get back to the playoffs, they'll have some demons to exorcise to make a run.

The good: The Devils were a top-five team at keeping the puck out of their own net last season, so running it back in net with Markstrom and Allen is a nice luxury. Keefe is a chic pick to win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. A big part of his influence is on special teams, where New Jersey had the league's second-best penalty kill and ranked third on the power play. Defenseman Luke Hughes also signed a seven-year deal after missing the first couple of weeks of training camp.

The not-so-good: Everything about the Devils screams regular-season success, and someone has to step up when the playoffs begin to show they can actually take that next step when it matters most. A long-term injury to Johnathan Kovacevic will test their blue line depth over the first couple of months. And when Kovacevic is ready, it's a test for GM Tom Fitzgerald to get his team under the salary cap.

Jesper Bratt is coming off putting up 88 points in 81 games and could be a big producer again while trying to audition for Sweden’s Olympic team. Captain Nico Hischier was already named to Switzerland's roster but will still be plenty motivated. Jack Hughes is tired of the questions about staying healthy, which is justified given the last injury was more bad luck than anything else, and he's the star who can carry New Jersey when needed.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

New Jersey Devils' Dawson Mercer, right, falls as he collides with Ottawa Senators' Donovan Sebrango, left, during third-period NHL hockey preseason game action in Quebec City, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Senators' Thomas Chabot, left, falls while fighting for a puck with New Jersey Devils' Cody Glass (12), Paul Cotter (47) and Dawson Mercer (91) during second-period NHL hockey preseason game action in Quebec City, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Feb. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge made no immediate decision Wednesday on Minnesota's request to suspend the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the state, where federal agents have yanked people from cars and confronted angry bystanders demanding they pack up and leave.

Plumes of tear gas, the deployment of chemical irritants and the screech of protest whistles have become common on the streets of Minneapolis, especially since an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head on Jan. 7 as she drove away.

“What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to be lowered," state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said during the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez promised to keep the case “on the front burner” and gave the U.S. Justice Department until Monday to file a response to the request for a restraining order. Local leaders say the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with the surge of law enforcement.

Menendez said the state and cities will have a few more days to respond.

“It is simply recognition that these are grave and important matters,” the judge said of the timetable, noting there are few legal precedents to apply to some of the key points in the case.

Justice Department attorney Andrew Warden suggested the slower approach set by Menendez was appropriate.

The judge is also handling a separate lawsuit challenging the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officers when encountering protesters and observers. A decision could be released this week.

The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down. The Pentagon is preparing to send military lawyers to Minneapolis to assist, CNN reported.

“What we see right now is discrimination taking place only on the basis of race: Are you Latino or are you Somali? And then it is indiscriminate thereafter,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told Fox News. “In other words, they are pulling people off the streets. They have pulled U.S. citizens off the streets and you don’t need to take my word for it at this point. This has been very well documented."

The president of Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota said four tribal members were detained while at a homeless camp in Minnesota last week. Three remained in custody late Tuesday.

“Enrolled tribal members are citizens of the United States by statute and citizens of the Oglala Sioux Nation by treaty,” said tribe President Frank Star Comes Out, who demanded their release.

Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit and Graham Lee Brewer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, contributed.

Federal officers stand guard after detaining people outside of Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People visits a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A person is detained by federal agents near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)