New Jersey Devils: What To Expect From Jack Hughes In Year One

The 2019 season is going to bring much-needed excitement to the New Jersey Devils organization and it will all start with Jack Hughes. How much will Hughes contribute to the team in his rookie season?

Being a rookie in the NHL is no simple task. It may seem simple to play a sport for a living, but to become a professional in the biggest league in the world takes a lot. This isn’t lost on New Jersey Devils rookie Jack Hughes.

Hughes is one of the rarest players to come through the league in a long time. He’s rare because he’s relatable as a young kid playing his favorite game, and he has a gifted skill set to go along with it. How often have we seen a player come into the league at his age and have the kind of effect on the media like he does? If he was in a major market like Chicago or Boston, he would be getting even more attention.

What can we expect from Hughes in year one? The sky is the limit. If he is surrounded with the right role players, then his game will excel and grow. To become the star that we all expect him to be, he is going to need help. What better help can he ask for than Nikita Gusev and Jesper Bratt? This would be an ideal line but not until Hughes has seen enough time in the league to adjust to its speed and size. To start his career out we should expect to see Hughes on a line with either Gusev or Bratt and then Wayne Simmonds to protect him. Simmonds is in his own little experiment, but to pair him with Hughes would be a smart way to start the year off.

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As the year progresses, we can expect to see Hughes get an expanded role to come into his own, which is the natural progression of a rookie. After he becomes acclimated to things, expect John Hynes to surround him with more and more talent.

Hughes has the makings of being a top center in the league and making those he plays with even better, much like Sidney Crosby. Should we expect him to be like Crosby? No. Sidney Crosby is a once in a lifetime kind of player, but what we can expect is a variation of him and maybe it will be one that is evolved from Crosby. It’s easy to get excited over a number-one overall pick, but Hughes has more going for him than other top picks in recent years, our own Nico Hischier included.

So let’s say it again, what should we expect from Jack Hughes? If he is given the best circumstances that a rookie could ask for, this guy is going to win the Calder Trophy with 80 points. That may seem bold to some, but that is how good this kid can be. Five years from now he may be going north of 100 points.

He is exactly what you would want in a center. His vision for the ice is second to none, he finds room where there isn’t any and when it doesn’t seem like there is a lane to pass the puck, and he finds it.

As Devils fans, don’t think it’s out of line to expect a great year from Hughes. As a hockey fan in general, you want to see youth come into the league hot in order to grow our sport. That is yet another aspect to Hughes’ draw. He can grow the game with his success especially in America being American born. But as fans, we should be embracing this time and relishing in our number one pick because this time will never come around again. When Jack Hughes is accepting his second or third Hart trophy we’ll always have this time to be able to look back on and say “that’s our number-one pick and he’s going to take this league over”.