New Jersey Devils Who Should End Up On Olympic Teams

Jack Hughes – Team U.S.A.

This one might not seem obvious now, but we feel like it will be obvious then. Right now, the Americans have Eichel and Matthews down the middle, but after that, there are a lot of questions to be answered. On the third and fourth lines, they have Dylan Larkin, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Vincent Trochek as options. However, outside of Larkin none of them are out worldly superstars.

Jack Hughes could very well make this roster as a center, but there’s another option. Be prepared, because a lot of us won’t like this. Team U.S.A. will likely play Hughes at wing. The team has a lot less depth on the wings, and it would give Hughes more options to play his game on a star-studded roster.

Honestly, he could probably play next to Eichel on the second line if we see some major growth to Hughes’ game. That would be really important to his career. He could learn how to play the position while on the ice with one of the best in the game.

This should be a very interesting year for Hughes. It’s the final year of his entry-level contract, and we don’t foresee the Devils treating him like they treated Nico Hischier. Hischier was given a massive deal before he even came close to restricted free agency. However, Hischier showed he was a budding superstar in his rookie year. Hughes did not.

If Hughes can have a big Olympic tournament, it could help elevate his popularity, which might make him more expensive. Either way, we don’t see the Devils letting him go anywhere. Still, watching him play with some of the best American talents in the world will be a lot of fun.