Though Kaapo Kakko made the debate far more interesting than anyone anticipated, the New Jersey Devils made the right choice selecting future star Jack Hughes with the first overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
The New Jersey Devils face a critical offseason. They must improve their team if they want to keep 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall around. Lady Luck smiled upon them at the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery, as the ping-pong balls came up with the Devils number, ensuring them of the first overall pick. With that first pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, they have selected Jack Hughes, as expected.
Granted, Kaapo Kakko deserves a hand for making this decision way harder than anticipated. Hughes entered the 2018-19 season as the overwhelming favorite to be the top pick. He’s been the consensus top pick for years.
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Kakko made up a ton of ground by dominating in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league. He set records and nearly overthrew Hughes from his spot at the top. The mere fact that Kakko was even in the conversation to be the top overall pick is impressive.
However, let’s not overthink this. Kakko is going to be one heck of a player. But Hughes has been the right pick all along. He’s precisely what the Devils need and he should give their offense a much-needed spark.
There should be no buyer’s remorse for the Devils with Hughes. He has every tool you like to see in a franchise center. Hughes has dominated at every level of hockey he’s played in and, though Kakko is more NHL ready, Hughes should prove to be the better player in the long run.
Drafting Hughes is just the start of a busy summer for the Devils. It’s a heck of a start too. Here’s a look at why Hughes has what it takes to save the Devils.
Center of Attention
Ultimately, even if Kakko was tied with Hughes, the tiebreaker would go to Hughes anyway because he’s a center. I believe Kakko has the tools to be an excellent center, but his toolset is one better suited to be a wing.
He protects the puck extremely well and his play along the boards stood out. Even though Kakko should probably at least get a look at center, it’s understandable if teams want to keep him at wing, where he dominated against grown adults.
You need centers if you want to win in today’s NHL. If you have one franchise center, you need to get another. Even if you have two, a third one couldn’t hurt. You get the picture. The more you have, the better.
The Devils already have Nico Hischier, who’s indisputably a top-line caliber center. Adding Hughes into the mix is going to make the team much harder to play against. Hischier and Hughes could be the Devils answer for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Obviously, they won’t be quite that good. After all, Crosby and Malkin are unquestionably Hall of Fame players. But with Hughes and Hischier down the middle, few teams are going to be able to post a better one-two punch than the Devils.
Modern Player
Hughes is the prototype for modern NHL players. Today’s league is built around speed and skill. Hughes has the potential to have elite skill and speed. He’s no Connor McDavid, but let’s be fair, if he’s the measuring stick, everyone falls short.
He shattered records while with the USNTDP. Hughes leaves as their most prolific player of all-time. His offensive potential should make him a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.
Hughes is also lightning fast. Not only that, but he knows how to use his speed. Hughes uses his speed to break away from opponents and set up chances, both for himself and for his teammates. His edgework is top-notch as well.
He uses his speed in transition as well. Hughes navigates through the neutral zone like a NASCAR driver navigates through traffic. If he gets to his top speed, he can take it through the neutral zone like it’s nothing.
Perfect Role
Hughes is going to be a franchise center. Think of Patrick Kane if he was a center. Hughes not only plays fast and skilled, he can make the hardest of plays while skating at his top speed. That’s downright scary.
However, Hughes isn’t that good defensively. He’s struggled mightily in the defensive zone. That’s why going to the Devils is the best thing that could have happened for him. Hischier has proven to be, at worst, a very good two-way center.
Hughes should thrive off easier zone starts as he continues to grow defensively. If he can merely be average in the defensive zone, that’s more than good enough because of what he brings to the table on offense.