The young defensive duo is the future of the New Jersey Devils, but Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec are already contributing on both ends of the ice.
The New Jersey Devils used their first-round picks in 2021 and 2022 to select Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, both in the top five. That was a clear sign of the Devils' intent to create a defensive force, something they had in the 90s and early 2000s.