For those who were wondering if New Jersey Devils rookie Jack Hughes is going to be a phenomenal player, he is. This first season is merely a test drive of what will be his brilliance in the NHL. Now, he is not showing the progress of past number-one overall picks but that is okay. The reason being is the support group around him is underperforming. Wayne Simmonds is half the player he used to be. Miles Wood had a very good season and a half two years ago and not much since.
Jack Hughes is the type of player who can dish it to someone who can the send the puck home or get set up when opportunity is presented. That has rarely happened this season due to the fact that every winger he’s had can’t support him. Some say he’s been inconsistent, but you can argue that is a result of trying to do too much and not making the easy play rather forcing the issue.
As of late Jack Hughes has shown his game is improving as a two-way player as his defensive side has improved dramatically since the beginning of the season. To this point in the season though he has not been giving the opportunity to actually play with skilled players on his wing. Recently the second line has been Coleman-Zajac-Guzev, which has by far been one of the best line we have put forth since Alain Nasreddine has been named Interim coach. Yet you can only imagine what Hughes would be doing in between Guzev and Coleman who have been two of our best players this season.
This is a problem the New Jersey Devils will have to address in the off-season but worth talking about. The Devils need to acquire wing talent that can support the talent of Jack Hughes where he has not been supported to this point.
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These games are where you figure out what you have going forward, and Travis Zajac has passed the prime of his career. There is no reason that Jack Hughes should not be getting more minutes as a skilled player over Travis Zajac. Obviously the veteran deserves the playing time but at some point you have to look onto the future years and that is Jack Hughes.
For the fans who are worried about Jack Hughes and his progress, pump the breaks. His production with a weak support group around him can only provide so much. Also worth noting since the start of 2018 that Hughes has played in over 130 games. For an 18 year old, or any aged player for that matter that is a heavy workload. This season may be lost but that is no reason for concern when it comes to the progress of Jack Hughes. He will be one of the great Devils players for years to come. With this rebuild in quicksand, expect Jack Hughes to have a strong second half and an even better season next year.