New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes Struggling To Find His Game
The New Jersey Devils are off to a horrendous start. None of us expected what has transpired over the last two games, a blown lead, a blowout loss, and a bad Jack Hughes.
The Devils magical summer began when they won the NHL Draft Lottery and the chance to draft a player as exciting as Hughes. The kid is 18-years-old and probably doesn’t even shave, yet he’s burdened by the weight of an entire franchise and that’s not an overstatement. Make no mistake, that’s a lot for anybody, let alone a young man like Hughes to deal with and so far he’s struggled to deliver.
Hughes comes to the Devils and the NHL with plenty of fanfare. Nico Hischier did not garnering nearly the same amount of interest or league-wide hype. This further exemplifies why his slow start has been so demoralizing for a fanbase craving a good hockey team once again. But, all the goodwill built up over the summer can’t save Jersey Jack from the facts.
Two games in, and Hughes’ size and lack of experience have been a factor. The Devils have been outplayed, out-chanced and outscored with Hughes on the ice. The advanced stats are ugly and beyond a few slick moves, he’s been a ship lost at sea trying to find safe harbor from a storm. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but nonetheless, it speaks to his glaring shortcomings – at least thus far.
For as much as Hughes has struggled offensively, the defensive holes in his game are far more damning. He’s been weak on the puck, turnover-prone and lost on the backcheck. To be fair, when the Devils drafted Hughes it wasn’t for his solid defensive play, but the NHL is a 200-foot game. What you do in your own end is equally as important as what you do in your opponent’s end.
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The burden of success doesn’t fall squarely on number 86’s shoulders. It’s up to John Hynes and his staff to set Hughes up for success in any and all ways imaginable. For one, they should slide him in between players that can handle physical play and are not easily separated from the puck. Having Hughes play with other slight-framed defensive liabilities is proving to be a disaster. He’s already played alongside Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, and Nikita Gusev and it’s not working. None of them are overly physical and none of them are even average NHL defenders.
A player of Hughes’ caliber must have the freedom to let his creativity dictate play. The coaching staff should be able to recognize this and pair him with better options on his wings. He needs someone to complement that his skill set, not stifle it. Fortunately, the most recent line combinations in practice suggest Hynes agrees.
Hughes was penciled in between Blake Coleman and Wayne Simmonds. Coleman is one of the Devils best two-way forwards and Simmonds is a gritty force down low. Both have offensive upside and both will offer Hughes additional levels of protection on the ice. With players like that around him, Hughes may finally find enough space to get comfortable and not be forced into bad decisions leading to turnovers.
Hughes will get better as the Devils figure out how to properly utilize him. He is a phenomenal talent just two games into what promises to be a very good NHL career. Hughes will be given every opportunity to flourish with the Devils. The coaching staff will show patience throughout the growing pains because how they handle him going forward is paramount to his long-term development as a player and future star in this league. Just breath deep and enjoy the ride. It’s way too early to panic.