Can this version of Jack Hughes exist in the playoffs?

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes has been on a tear since returning from the 2026 Winter Olympics. It was a pretty good trip for the 24-year-old American forward. He got to spend some time watching the women’s team, which his mother helped coach, win a gold medal. He met Tom Brady. Not a bad trip!

Oh, and he scored the overtime goal in the gold medal game that beat Canada and ended a 46-year drought for Team USA. Not bad at all!

The New Jersey Devils have made the playoffs twice since drafting Jack Hughes in 2019. That’s seven seasons of playoffs, with only two where the Devils were involved despite having two number-one overall picks on the roster. When the Devils made the playoffs last season, Hughes wasn’t even on the roster. He was out with shoulder surgery. 

This season, Hughes is back to his MVP-level self after a hand injury knocked him out for around six weeks. It took him another month to get back to his normal self, as he was playing with a cast on his hand under his glove. 

Hughes scored just one goal in January before another injury knocked him out until the Olympics. Then, he came back and went on a tear. He has 10 goals in March alone. He’s on his way to taking over as Devils point leader despite all the games he’s missed.

However, he’s still getting to play some of the dogs of the NHL, like the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. Those teams aren’t going to be in the playoffs (and neither will the Devils). 

The Devils have played six playoff teams since the Olympic break ended. Hughes has two goals and seven assists in those games. This includes a two-goal performance against the Dallas Stars and a three-assist performance against the Boston Bruins. 

When Hughes actually played in the playoffs in 2023, he was great against the New York Rangers. He wasn’t even bad against the Carolina Hurricanes, one of the only Devils to play consistent hockey. Hughes put himself in a new stratosphere that season. Yet, he hasn’t had a chance to do it again.

Will Hughes have multi-point games every night once he finally gets to play in the playoffs? Not quite, but he can definitely take over a game. He had two goals and two assists in 2023 in one game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He can out of nowhere put together a legendary performance.

He’s doing it now, and he can do it when it matters most. Hughes has shown he thrives in those big moments. We just haven’t seen it much because of the bad construction of this roster and the bad luck with injuries.