Kakko, I think he’s better. Would only pick Hughes because he’s a centre, which isn’t a priority here.
I'll say this again and again, Kakko's more likely to C in NHL than Hughes.
Playstyle? Perfect fit for C. Size? No issues. Experience? He's played a decent amount of C this season, certainly more than Kotkaniemi last season and he's doing quite fine.
Hughes, on the other hand? He's like Marner, Gaudreau, Kane etc. and NHL has no 1Cs like those. I think he's less likely to be C than Kakko so it's pretty annoying to see bolded as an argument.
Overall, Patrick Kane could be the closest comparable to Hughes. However, Hughes does not have anything close to Kane's shot and as such, I don't see him getting to a similar level. I genuinely don't think Hughes has a measurable advantage over Kane in IQ, hands or skating.
Auston Matthews could be a good comparable for Kakko. However, Kakko's more physical and "mean". Matthews could have a better shot, though. Still, Kakko's goal-scoring has been very impressive this season.
Brayden Point is 5'10 and doing just fine at center.
So is Bryan Little but they don't play this sort of a style. Hughes will not play like Point.