Jack Hughes Is Key To New Jersey Devils Success This Season
By Nick Villano
Hockey is clearly a team sport. Even the most notable ironmen could only average 25 minutes per night. That means for more than half of the game, the best players are not on the ice. For forwards, it’s even longer. Yet, for those short bursts where a superstar is on the ice, they have to make an impact. Every shift matters that much more when a team’s star player is on the ice. If the team gets stuck in their own zone, it’s a massive waste.
For the New Jersey Devils, there was one star that mattered last season. Jack Hughes was an analytical star and someone who was starting to put together some counting stats despite being incredibly unlucky. He had 31 points in 56 games despite being one of the league leaders in posts hit. Hughes found a dynamic play style no matter who he was paired with. Despite a season filled with injuries and COVID-19 diagnoses, Hughes was able to show aspects of his breakout.
When looking at those advanced stats, it looks even better. Jack Hughes led the Devils in CF% at 5v5, CF% at all strengths, xGF at all strengths, high-danger chance percentage, and takeaways among many, many other stats. Hughes was great on another level despite the Devils being in the basement.
All success from the New Jersey Devils must go through Jack Hughes.
The Devils are making strides to get better this offseason. They signed the best player on the free agent market in Dougie Hamilton, finally giving the team the solidified defense they so sorely needed. They also added Ryan Graves to help them on the left side of the blue line. Tomas Tatar should give them a boost of offense, and with $12 million still available, the Devils might not be done.
Still, it doesn’t matter about what any of the additions for the Devils do. To be honest, it doesn’t matter what any of the Devils do. This team needs Jack Hughes to take a step forward. He is the key to this team. He’s more important than Mackenzie Blackwood, Nico Hischier, or even Hamilton. Hughes will drive the Devils to success if he so chooses.
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Hughes is expected to be one of the bigger breakout candidates next season. He looked like a different player at the beginning of last season, but COVID-19 caused him to lose a lot of his added muscle mass. The prevailing thought is he’s spending this offseason to get it back. Once he gets that bulk back, Hughes will be much harder to knock off the puck. That will help him with his ability to keep the puck as he enters the offensive zone. Not only is Hughes known for carrying the puck into the zone rather than dumping it, but Lindy Ruff’s system encourages it.
Hughes has an opportunity next season. He is in the final year of his entry-level contract, so he will be more than motivated to show himself as a dominant force. We talked earlier this month about the Devils need to sign him to a contract now, but that doesn’t seem to be the priority right now. So, Hughes will be looking to earn a massive payday while also proving to the league that he’s a superstar.