New Jersey Devils: Outlook For Jack Hughes Going Into Next Season
The New Jersey Devils didn’t get a perfect rookie season from their first-overall pick, Jack Hughes. With that, he definitely had flashes of brilliance.
Jack Hughes had an up-and-down season for the New Jersey Devils. He didn’t have the rookie season that we were all hoping for, but he showed his brilliance at multiple points, just not consistently. He made some plays that only a few players in the world can make. He was put into the shadows at times because of the situation. From the minute the Devils traded Taylor Hall, Hughes was never on a line that can maximize him at his age.
Playing with bottom-six forwards like Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha will do no good for a player like Hughes. He needs wingers that can drive offense and shoot the puck on a regular basis. He didn’t ever really have that in 2019-20 but the hope is that changes for next season. The first step could be getting a coach that knows what to do with him in certain situations.
His outlook for the 2020-21 season seems like it could go either way. This team needs to not be so dysfunctional next season and that could allow Hughes to excel. In his rookie year, he has had both his coach and GM fired, Hall was traded, and the season was cut short. They need to get some of these things fixed in the long term for the sake of their young players.
He has all of the skills needed to be an elite offensive player at the National Hockey League level. There were times this season where he was brilliant but the numbers didn’t show that as much. He had seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 61 games played. He was given only an average of 15:52 of ice time. These are numbers that need to grow as his career goes on but expecting too much from him as an undersized 18-year-old is unrealistic.
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Hughes needs to ignore people who don’t understand how development works. Some people expected Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid type production from him right away but that is simply unrealistic. Jack needs to continue doing what he’s doing and everything will be great for him. Getting stronger and quicker is key for Hughes going forward. He needs to continue developing his man muscle and then he will be well on his way. One day, Hughes is just going to pop off to be one of the better offensive players in the world.