Sheldon Keefe takes shots at two of the brightest defenders for the New Jersey Devils

The 2024/25 season has been an overall positive one for the New Jersey Devils, but after an injury to goaltender Jacob Markstrom, things haven't been going as well, as the team have dropped eight of their last 13 games to fall to third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Their return to regular season action after the Four Nations break wasn't a good starting point either, as they fell 4-2 to the Dallas Stars in a poor defensive performance, one that has Head Coach Sheldon Keefe frustrated.

After the game, he was asked about the third pairing of Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes, two of the most impressive young players in the organization, and it's safe to say that he wasn't too happy with their play.

Individually, Hughes and Nemec are two of the most talented players in the organization, but trying to figure things out at the NHL level together with very little experience clearly isn't helping them, and it may lead one of them to fall out of the lineup.

In the top four, the Devils have a great blend of youth and experience, with one of the most balanced groups in the entire NHL, and as a result, it's led to Hughes and Nemec having to play together, as the Devils clearly don't want either out of the lineup.

It's unclear at this point what the solution for this situation will be in New Jersey, as they want both Nemec and Hughes to play huge roles for the team moving forward, but if things can't change, Keefe's hand may forced in the coming months as they push for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.