New Jersey Devils: 5 Players Competing with Jack Hughes for Calder Trophy
Jack Hughes is now playing on the first line of the New Jersey Devils bringing exposure to Taylor Hall. He may no longer be the favorite for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, but he’s will absolutely be in competition.
We are about 10 percent into the season and almost into the second month of the Jack Hughes era. Rookies have been a massive storyline throughout these first few weeks as some have disappointed on the stat sheet such as our own Hughesy and our enemies’ Kaapo Kakko and others have taken off as expected. I wrote up an article right before the season began of players who will challenge Jack Hughes for the spot of the top rookie in 2019-2020. Here, we take a look at my predictions to see how they are doing so far and add a new name to the list as well.
Cale Makar
Original: The Colorado Avalanche may have the best lineup in the NHL from top to bottom. Joe Sakic has done a great job retooling this team for a deep playoff run while also preparing it for the future.
Cale Makar made a 10-game cameo in last years playoff and dominated. Not only did he have 6 points in 10 games, but he was a driver of play. He is noticeably responsible compared to most rookie defensemen, possibly due to his time playing in the NCAA at UMass Amherst. He pinches in at the right times as well as plays the quarterback position, bringing the puck into the offensive zone due to his speed and handling.
It is hard to predict exactly where he will play for the Avalanche because they may want to shelter him a bit until he is fully prepared for the NHL, but he will be their first-line right-side defenseman by early December, barring injury. This comes with exposure to the best bargain in the NHL, Nathan Mackinnon, as well as elite forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
He will also be the quarterback of what is expected to be a top Powerplay unit with the aforementioned forwards along with someone such as Nazem Kadri or Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche have an exciting future and Makar will be the driver of that beginning this upcoming season.
Update: Cale Makar is showing out to be the superstar everyone believed he would be. He opened the season with 6 points in his first 5 games and is now sitting at 8 points (all assists) in 9 games. The Avalanche have come out to a blistering 7-1-1 start and are looking like a Stanley Cup favorite. Goals are coming aplenty due to the exceptional play of the top guys, Mackinnon, Landeskog, Rantanen and Makar. Makar is fast, electric and living up to all the hype on his way to being the favorite for the Calder Trophy.
Victor Olofsson
Victor Olofsson came into the season without too many expectations but did impress in the preseason. Playing on the first line with an elite Jack Eichel and a dangerous playmaker in Sam Reinhart, Olofsson is feasting on the powerplay due to his absolutely wicked shot next to Jeff Skinner‘s.
The Sabres are 8-1-1 and I would not expect this to continue, therefore hurting his chances to continue his torrid pace throughout the entire season and hurting his chances as other rookies adjust and begin to dominate (we’re looking at you, Jack).
At 24 years old, he is on the older side of this rookie class but is currently playing as a man possessed and his 28.6% shooting percentage is proof of that. He has raised his profile in the early goings, but I believe he will drop off and make way for a couple of the younger guys to overtake him in this race including our own Jack “Lil Jizzy” Hughes.
Kappo Kakko
Original: As much as us Devils fans and writers hate to admit this, Kappo Kakko will be an elite player in the NHL. The combination of size and skill means he will come out of the gate like a cannon for the beginning of his career in the best league in the world. Though a sniper from the eye test, Kakko has underrated playmaking abilities as well.
Watching him last week against the Devils was nerve-wracking as I noticed he was zipping pass after pass between our penalty killers. The powerplay is where he will be most valuable at the start of the season as I expect him to start on the second even-strength line with valuable forward Chris Kreider and either Filip Chytil or Ryan Strome.
The powerplay comes with its exposure to elite playmakers Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Jacob Trouba. Assuming Kakko progresses as expected, it will not be long until he is playing first line minutes flanking Zibanejad with Panarin. The Rangers are top-heavy, but if they make moves into the playoff race and Kakko has a 30 goal, 60-point season as I expect, it will be hard to pick someone else for the Calder.
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Update: Kakko is finally practicing with Zibanejad and Kreider on the Rangers top line, dropping Panarin to the second to spread out the scoring.
I expect playing with Zibanejad is going to jumpstart Kakko into his groove after his comments recently stating that he is not playing to the best of his ability.
For a player of Kakko’s stature and playing history, he should have more than 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points, but I still believe he will turn it around and finish in the top 5 of Calder voting.
Quinn Hughes
Original: Everyone loves a little brotherly rivalry. Some of the great ones such as Serena and Venus Williams and Tony and Phil Esposito have come to define eras within their sports. Jack, Quinn, and eventually Luke Hughes may come to define this next era of hockey in the Post Crosby and Ovechkin years.
This upcoming year though, Jack and Quinn Hughes will be competing head-to-head for the Calder trophy. Us Devils fans know all about Jack and his potential, but Quinn can hold his ground in this battle of brothers. He made an immediate impact last season posting 3 assists in 5 games while garnering first powerplay minutes with elite forwards Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser.
This upcoming season, he will start on the even-strength second unit of the defense, playing alongside the veteran Tyler Myers, but will continue to have the exposure to the valuable forwards of Vancouver’s top two lines. Quinn has the perfect game for this new age of defensemen.
Speed, handling, and quick decision making is his forte. He is extremely creative and has an elite vision like a certain other player with the last name Hughes. Although he is an offensive defenseman, he can hold his own defensively by taking steps in the neutral zone to prevent his opponent from getting a quick and easy entry into the attacking zone. All in all, he will be an integral part of the Canucks team this upcoming season. Mark the date 10/19 at 1 pm EST down to watch Jack go up against Quinn for the first team in their young NHL careers.
Update: Well 10/19/19 did not disappoint for us Devils fans as it is a day we will not forget for many years. We were also able to watch Quinn Hughes for the first time as well and I need to say I am very impressed with his abilities.
Similar to Makar, he is a smooth skater, electric, but also is very responsible defensively. The 6-3-0 Canucks have come out of the gate fast as has Hughes: 6 points in his first 9 games while playing just around 20 minutes per night and being a +3. He looks to be growing every time out on the ice and has the looks of a future elite defenseman in the NHL and a definite option for the Calder if his play continues.
Adam Boqvist
Original: The dark horses are ones that not many people are talking about but are way too skilled to be left out of the conversation. Here’s another brother rivalry involving the Devils that may come to define the NHL. Jesper and Adam Boqvist have all the talent in the world, but just need a little development to put it all together and dominate the way Quinn and Jack Hughes are expected to.
Adam specifically can have a massive impact this season the way Miro Heiskanen did a season ago. Although Miro was not in the Calder conversation as much as Rasmus Dahlin, his expectations were also not as high, and his team did much better overall as well. Boqvist is expected to start in the AHL this season unless Calvin de Haan is not ready to begin the season.
The first injury or laggard play will result in a call-up for Boqvist and he will not go back down. His talent is too much to deny playing time. A lot of the praise I gave Quinn Hughes can be repeated here. They are similar players in that they are responsively defensively, especially in the neutral zone.
The only difference I can really see is that Boqvist has a minimally better skating ability, but their hands are about the same elite level as well as their accurate shots. The only reason Boqvist is a Dark Horse and not in the second tier with Hughes is their individual situations. Hughes is expected to have more of a chance to shine, but if Boqvist gets 20+ minutes a game with first powerplay time that comes with exposure to Patrick Kane and Alex Debrincat, watch out NHL.
Update: Boqvist is playing well in the Rockford affiliate for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is not scoring at an insane pace, but he is showing that he can keep up professionally. We may not see him in the NHL this year at all, but if we do, I do not see him giving up that spot. He looks ready to go, but his planned extended stay will hurt his chances at the Calder Trophy.
Elvis Merzlikins
Original: This pick is extremely off-book compared to the other four picks I have made to compete with our star, Jack Hughes, for the Calder Trophy. The only rookie goalie with a chance to really take over a netminding position in the NHL this upcoming season is playing for a much-weakened Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis is not the biggest goaltender in the NHL, although he is certainly big enough and he is not always the most poised goalie, but his athleticism is amazing to watch. He stays outside the crease and challenges shooters like the best goalies of our time do.
He does not have the best reflexes, but he is a master at letting pucks hit him that he may not even always see and is able to gobble up the rebounds. Another attribute that is important is he is an excellent stick handler compared to most goalies. Although this will not show up on the stat sheet, it is important in clearing the pressure from the forecheck as well as starting fast breaks the other way. He will start as the backup to Joonas Korpisalo but may overtake him quickly like Jordan Binnington did last season in St. Louis and help Columbus out of a deep hole. He is a true dark horse, but he has the talent to change a game.
Update: Welp, I was wrong… That’s why we call them dark horses. Here is Merzlikins’ statline: 0-1-1, 5.00 GAA, .863 Sv%. Yes, it has been rough and yes it will probably stay this way.
3 Young Players To Get In A Taylor Hall Trade. dark. Next
Conclusion
A lot has happened in this young season and we can see these young players are again having big impacts on their organizations, both good and bad. We all want to see our boy Jack take home the trophy, but this is a horse race between anywhere from 6-10 horses. It will be a challenge and a fun season to watch.