Didn’t he play his best hockey of the season when he was moved to wing?
If he’s so great back-checking and stripping pucks, why has he not played any PK in junior or the NHL? Usually if you are even half-decent in those areas when you are a star junior player, you’ll be all situations. I’ve watched him play a lot of hockey, and those parts of his game were what I considered weaknesses. He doesn’t work hard for the team defensively. That’s okay because he’s great offensively, but you don’t want your centers not putting in work all over the ice.
Hughes does not play in the middle of the ice. That’s a joke. One of the most perimeter oriented players I’ve seen in a long time. And that’s not a bad thing when you skate, pass the puck, deke like he can, but it’s a very perimeter oriented approach.
Skating is a valid point, but that can’t be the only basis.
It seems like NJ and NJ fans ignore the concerns with playing him at center because they feel like it would ruin the narrative that they drafted a future 1C. Why not just see the guy for what he is? A player with a lot of offensive skill, but very unlikely to be a center, and a one way player.