The New Jersey Devils played one game in the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. We finally got to see Jack Hughes play, but there was one thing we didn’t like.
Less than three months after Jack Hughes officially became a member of the New Jersey Devils, he put on the NJ crest and played an opponent that wasn’t a Devils prospect. The Devils had a rough start against the Buffalo Sabres in this year’s Prospect Challenge, but they were able to make it a respectable 6-4 loss.
Again, we told you it was a rough start, but despite the start Hughes looked great. His passing was already on an elite level, and he was able to find the open man on almost every pass. The problem was his linemates, Jepser Boqvist and Nathan Bastian for most of the game, had trouble finishing in the first period. That’s obviously frustrating for anyone, but Hughes made the mistake that almost every young superstar makes. He tried to play Superman.
There were multiple times that Hughes would attempt to skate through two players, trying to make a play. It’s admirable, but 90 percent of the time it doesn’t work in the NHL. This is instinct for him, because with the USNDT he could absolutely skate through two players. The problem is most of those players were teenagers.
Not trying to start the “he’s never played against men” argument, because that’s not what this is. Taylor Hall got into a bad habit of this at times last season because he knew he had the best shot at scoring. However, this makes it too easy on the defense. If they know the puck carrier is attempting to make a play for the net, they can set them up to lose the puck entirely.
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This is a TINY flaw that we expect to happen to players who dominate in less leagues. There are times when that works, and it is beautiful. Unfortunately, it only works once every ten tries if you’re doing it all the time. It needs to be a selective move.
Hughes is going to be fine. This was clearly him just trying to jump start the Devils. Also, this was one game, but this was our takeaway. Hughes looked fabulous, but he needs to stop being a super hero and just being the super skilled cog that he can be. We’re sure the trust grew as the game went on, but there were too many turnovers for how much better he is than everyone on the ice.
Here’s to Saturday, where we are sure Hughes is going to put in an amazing performance. This will look like a blip on the radar in hindsight, because were sure the coaches are pointing out this one flaw.