Can Jack Hughes become the second best player behind Connor McDavid?

[olli]

Yeah, my point with the Hall comparison (as a fellow 1 pick) is that the range of what he might become is still very wide. He could be the second best player in the league or he could follow more of a Hall trajectory, where the stars align and he has one amazing season but otherwise stays in the tier of very good.

I don’t think he’ll have more than 1 mvp caliber season but I think he will have a longer peak and better prime than Hall.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Comparison is about overall trajectory, not the details of how they produce.

History judges goals and points and championships, it doesn’t care how they come about.

Well when you’re considering overall trajectory, you need to consider their skillset. They’re not mutually exclusive of each other.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Any CAN happen, I can become supreme ruler of the free world, Aliens can land on Earth anytime.

 

[geebster]

Going -6 Against Dallas... Until he learns to become an above avg defender I'm going to have to go with a nope.

I mean he was statistically a great defender in 2022. He hasn't been since but he has it in him. Having a healthy off season he could bounce back to it.

 

[BB88]

Wild how Barkov went from perennially underrated to now way, way overrated by the average fan.

He’s not even regularly making the top ranking from fans or experts so in that way yes he’s underrated

There’s very very few players in the league who impact the game as much as him, Hughes isn’t one of them

 

[Goose]

Well when you’re considering overall trajectory, you need to consider their skillset. They’re not mutually exclusive of each other.

I did consider it, here's what I said:

I think he’s the better player, but talking about #2 behind McDavid seems pretty optimistic.

I said he was the better player (I accounted for skillset), but I used Hall to provide a grounding point in terms of production, which is the only thing people care about when talking about who's #2 in the world.

You can't be considered the #2 player in the world without producing like it.

 

[Video Nasty]

Remember that 17 points in first 6 games start?

Scored just 57 in 56 the rest of the way.

Hope he’s healthy and gets back on track, so we can see what he can really do during a full season.

 

[Devilsfan118]

He’s not even regularly making the top ranking from fans or experts so in that way yes he’s underrated

There’s very very few players in the league who impact the game as much as him, Hughes isn’t one of them

We'll see what Jack looks like as he continues to develop.

Assuming he can stay reasonably healthy, he should be an absolute terror in 5-years when he's 28 as Barkov is now.

Remember that 17 points in first 6 games start?

Scored just 57 in 56 the rest of the way.

Hope he’s healthy and gets back on track, so we can see what he can really do during a full season.

>just PPG the rest of the way

.......kay

 

[My3Sons]

We'll see what Jack looks like as he continues to develop.

Assuming he can stay reasonably healthy, he should be an absolute terror in 5-years when he's 28 as Barkov is now.


>just PPG the rest of the way

.......kay

With one arm.

 

[Video Nasty]

>just PPG the rest of the way

.......kay

Check the top of your screen. That’s the thread we’re in. “Just PPG”, even while shifting in and out of injury land, is not good enough for that expectation and/or claim. I acknowledged those injuries, which is fair, especially since I’ve been crying all year about McDavid. Again, hopefully he has a nice, full season in 2024-2025, so we can get a better idea what to expect in his mid-20s.

 

[Brookbank]

Why was the Jack Hughs hype thread bumped ?

Jack Hughs won't have a sniff over Bedard.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

Never thought I’d say this, but it’s possible.

 

[TopShelfYzerman]

this is a joke right?

 

[wetcoast]

Remember that 17 points in first 6 games start?

Scored just 57 in 56 the rest of the way.

Hope he’s healthy and gets back on track, so we can see what he can really do during a full season.

The thing is that even in that short stretch there wasn't any serious talk of Jack being the second best player in the world.

He might be in consideration for top 5 at some point but let's see him hit top 10 first.

 

[KevinRedkey]

McDavid is the best point producer since Lemieux, and Kucherov has bested him twice.

Hughes being a smaller non-"intangibles" player makes it quite tough for him to be considered better than a player like that. It's doable and he has the talent, but it's a damn tall order.

 

[Toby91ca]

Honestly, I haven't read the 18 pages here, apologies for that, but what is the impetus for this to even be a question? Is it his hot start to the season........and we are using a 6 game sample? Come on! Currently, his best statistical season was last 2022-23 when he finished 12th in points....8th in goals. Really, really good player.....but there is no way I'm considering him being potentially #2 in the world until he shows he can finish top 10 and do it consistently.

 

[tfwnogf]

I understood the hype behind him before this year. But another year lost to injuries...while he's sitting out other players have really stepped up like Mackinnon and Kucherov, and 69 goal Matthews. How can Jack Hughes compete with these guys? Going further down the list, is he better than Panarin, Pasta, Draisaitl, Ranta, Miller, Kaprizov, etc etc. It goes on and on. If you say well he'll be 2nd best someday, is that when up and comers like Bedard and Johnston start dominating the field?

Does he have a chance? Maybe, but it is minuscule at best. Get healthy first, then see what he can do.

 

[Nocashstyle]

I understood the hype behind him before this year. But another year lost to injuries...while he's sitting out other players have really stepped up like Mackinnon and Kucherov, and 69 goal Matthews. How can Jack Hughes compete with these guys? Going further down the list, is he better than Panarin, Pasta, Draisaitl, Ranta, Miller, Kaprizov, etc etc. It goes on and on. If you say well he'll be 2nd best someday, is that when up and comers like Bedard and Johnston start dominating the field?

Does he have a chance? Maybe, but it is minuscule at best. Get healthy first, then see what he can do.

Hughes’ 21 year old season (99 points) was better than or equal to all those guys you listed. Hell, Mac and Kuch hadn’t even put up a ppg year yet. This is all about projection and, yes, development/progress isn’t linear. But Hughes absolutely has the skillset to be in that discussion. This year Hughes started really hot but then got hurt. Sure, he played 62 games, but the reality is, he was probably only 100% healthy for about 15 of those games. I think the question is much more about health right now than it is about ability. A fully healthy J Hughes should absolutely be in the discussion with all those guys you listed.

Shoulder injuries have been what have plagued him the past three years. He finally got surgery this offseason. Hopefully that puts those issues to rest, but who knows.

 

[tfwnogf]

Hughes’ 21 year old season (99 points) was better than or equal to all those guys you listed. Hell, Mac and Kuch hadn’t even put up a ppg year yet. This is all about projection and, yes, development/progress isn’t linear. But Hughes absolutely has the skillset to be in that discussion. This year Hughes started really hot but then got hurt. Sure, he played 62 games, but the reality is, he was probably only 100% healthy for about 15 of those games. I think the question is much more about health right now than it is about ability. A fully healthy J Hughes should absolutely be in the discussion with all those guys you listed.

Shoulder injuries have been what have plagued him the past three years. He finally got surgery this offseason. Hopefully that puts those issues to rest, but who knows.

Hopefully he'll be better for next year. Hard to compare a player who plays 15 games healthy to players who play 82 healthy, and put up 140 points. I thought he would be right up there with them with his hot start, but shit happens.

 

[TBF1972]

Not a great comparison at all. For an elite player, as Hall once was for a season or two, he never had great hockey sense or made linemates better.

he absolutely made better teammates

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

He's not passing Draisaitl...

 

[Nocashstyle]

he absolutely made better teammates

Hard disagree. His game was based on pure speed, determination, and willing things to happen. He didn’t make anyone better by just being on his line. His hockey IQ was never great and incredibly predictable his game was not going to age well.

 

[57special]

Why was the Jack Hughs hype thread bumped ?

Jack Hughs won't have a sniff over Faber

fixed 4U

 

[TBF1972]

Hard disagree. His game was based on pure speed, determination, and willing things to happen. He didn’t make anyone better by just being on his line. His hockey IQ was never great and incredibly predictable his game was not going to age well.

read again

i didn't say he made his teammates better.

he made better teammates. mcdavid, hischier, hughes are proof for the draft lottery lucky charm called taylor hall.

 

[TageGod]

Mack Kuch Pasta. Then there is 1D like Maker to consider too.