The big questions facing the Devils, plus the latest on Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, Senators winger Drake Batherson, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The health of Jack Hughes and the state of the goaltending are among the big questions facing the New Jersey Devils this season.

Hughes, 25, had 77 points in 61 games last season, but the Devils won only eight of 21 games without him. Durability has been an issue for the talented center throughout his seven NHL seasons.

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (NHL Images).

The Devils’ goaltending depth is in question after trading Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. They’ll go into this season with Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Hughes stays healthy and one of those three goalies adequately fills the starter’s role, the Devils should be a playoff team. Otherwise, it will be another disappointing campaign resulting in more changes to their roster.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Alex Ovechkin is looking forward to his 22nd NHL season, but he’s not committing to anything beyond that for now.

Ovechkin signed a one-year extension with the Capitals for this season. He turns 41 in September and will see how the season unfolds. He also intends to consult with his family before making any decisions beyond this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin’s status among the greatest players in NHL history is assured, as is his place as the greatest player in Capitals history. Nevertheless, age is catching up with him. Ovechkin could take on a lesser role with the Capitals this season, most likely as a power play specialist.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports league sources don’t believe that the Senators and winger Drake Batherson are getting close to a new contract. The 28-year-old winger is in the final season of a six-year deal worth an average annual value of $4.975 million.

Batherson seeks an eight-year deal, but he and the Senators have until Sept. 15 to negotiate an agreement. After that, the maximum length of NHL contracts will drop from eight years to seven for teams signing their own players, and from seven years to six for unrestricted free agents.

According to Garrioch, Batherson could command between $10 million and $11 million annually on the open market. That would be comparable to the contracts of Los Angeles Kings winger Adrian Kempe (eight years, $10.625 million) and Washington Capitals winger Alex Tuch (eight years, $10.5 million).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given the rise of the salary cap, Batherson could get over $12 million annually as a UFA if he has a strong performance this season.

Garrioch noted that Batherson wants to stay in Ottawa, and believes there’s no reason the two sides can’t work out a deal. However, he also speculated that the winger could go into this season without an extension if they haven’t reached an agreement by Sept. 15.

The two sides still have plenty of time to get an eight-year deal done, but we can expect more speculation about Batherson’s future in Ottawa if he’s still unsigned as Sept. 15 approaches.

NHL.COM: Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara is staging a farewell game in his hometown of Trencin, Slovakia. It will serve as a thank you to those who supported him during his playing career while raising money for several schools in Slovakia.

Chara, 49, will be joined by former Boston Bruins teammates David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. Hall of Famers Ray Bourque, Mark Recchi, and Marian Hossa will also be there, along with future Hall of Famers Jaromir Jagr and Anze Kopitar.

Long-time Bruins teammate Brad Marchand was also scheduled to play, but will miss the event due to surgery.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: A long, bitter legal dispute between the Stars and the NBA’s Mavericks has been settled. In a joint statement, the two clubs announced they’ve reached an agreement that resolves the outstanding matters between them.

A yearlong breakdown in the teams’ relationship came to a head last October when the Mavericks filed suit against the Stars over control of the American Airlines Center.