Hughes' absence will create a devastating hole in the lineup, but Ruff has confidence in how his team as a whole will respond and try to fill the void.
"I am very confident," Ruff said, asked about the team's ability to overcome an injury like Hughes, "I think it's going to be a little bit more ice-time for different individuals. When somebody has gone down, we've really had the next man up, we lost (Ondrej) Palat for a long period of time, I know we're talking about a little different players. But every team has to deal with key injuries."
With Hughes out, Alexander Holtz will draw into the lineup. Tonight against Seattle will be his first game since Jan. 7. Having sat out over a month Ruff shared that Holtz has spent considerable time working on his game, waiting for his next opportunity -- which has now arrived.
"He's worked hard on his game, and I know it's been a while since he's played," Ruff said, "Just the pace of his game, I know what he can do offensively, the details away from the puck and defensively, I think there's the area that he's really starting to understand and worked hard at."
With Holtz a winger, other pieces will have to move around in order to balance the lineup. Dawson Mercer will move back to the center position tonight. He had been playing on Erik Haula's wing in recent games, alongside Tomas Tatar.
The full scope of the lineup will become clearer during warmups.
- Amanda Stein, Lead Reporter NJD.TV
