GDT: The Lizard Man Returns: Predators vs. Devils, 7:30 PM, NBCSN

[Spoiled Bratt]

Hughes, the hockey player and not the person, is facing adversity for the first time in his life.

It’s a shame that his rookie year happens to be in a year where we fired our coach, fired our Gm and we’re struggling to win games.

Couldn’t of asked for more of a negative environment.

 

[MichaelJ]

I get he's a kid and all, which is why I only pointed out his interesting personality pre-draft (and immediately after). Would have been kinda stupid for me to criticize him at the time.

But now after seeing the same type of arrogance/lack of self awareness in interviews during a season he is getting his butt kicked, I'm kinda annoyed by it. For example, there was an interview this month where he was asked about the adjustment to the NHL and what he thinks he can improve on and he basically responded with "I think I'm always confident in my game".....

I don't think the Devs have handled his development properly at all either, which isn't helping. As I said repeatedly, he should be eased in at wing. Playing him a C is simply too big of a task for such an undersized kid. Let him learn D concepts on the wing first, where it isn't as complex. It also would allow him to play a more free flowing game with less d responsibility out of the gate. Additionally, I don't like that he was HANDED center, he was HANDED PP time, he was HANDED top line time, he was HANDED 16/min a night out of the gate.

It would be one thing if he was ready to take on these roles, but he clearly wasn't. Hence a non embarrassment of a coaching staff would have made him learn D concepts and eased him along.

I agree with all of this.

 

[Fear the Wushu]

Personality? What's wrong with his personality? Most 18 year-olds I have met are quite reserved, its pretty natural for a teenager to hold back especially one in the spotlight like Hughes is.

Not reserved - he seems like an overconfident little shit who keeps talking the same way despite the results not backing up the way he talks.

The kid is a winner no doubt about it but at some point you need to take a step back. He shouldn't be in the role he is anyway, the kid is not NHL ready.

 

[MartyOwns]

hughes is definitely a little smudge and arrogant

 

[vtdevils2k]

While I thought Hughes would be producing better numbers as a rookie and it is disappointing that he isn't, I am going to hold off my concern until next year, I'm sure there are plans in the works on getting him stronger in the off-season (there better be) and I think once he does get stronger he'll get more confident and his all around play will shine through like it did during the preseason games.

People seem to forget what Nico looked like his first year. Falling all over, weak on faceoffs, etc. It's an adjustment. Others said we botched the Nico pick blah blah, now look at Nico 3 years later. Turning into a STUD.

Having MVP Taylor Hall next to him helped him big time as well with his point totals that year. Hughes is playing with Simmonds and Zacha. I like Zacha with him, but take Simmonds off asap. They need someone else on that line(who is probably either in the minors, another team, draft etc). Would love Gusev, but looks like that won't happen.

Hughes will be fine, not worried, but he does have things to work on. You don't want a kid like that not confident though. Be humble, sure, but I'm glad he is still confident and not walking around with his head down based on his current point totals. This thing about his personality and all of that, you're going off sound and video clips etc, no one around here knows the kid personally.

Like someone else said, probably the first time he's facing adversity like this, which will be good in the long run.

The bigger issues though going forward; GM, coaching staff, more talent, goaltending, fixing the terrible defense

 

[TrufleShufle]

I'm not worried at all about Hughes, top prospect analyzers said this would be a tough year for him regardless. But I have to admit outside of a couple flashes he has looked lost and sloppy the last couple games. I think he's pushing it too much, a couple points might calm him down and return him to form and he will continue to progress positively.

 

[Patrik26]

Just look at his pants strap sticking out like the "extra" belt, just like boys in high school in NYC in the 90's. Whoever plays hockey with guys his age knows what that means. He needs major maturing. That hanging belt is a major ego trip, kid mentality, and insecurity. I am shocked his coaches never noticed that. Nas has to have a real talk with him, tuck the belt, make him part of the team, play for the team, and start working on his game (nervous passes, IQ, defense). He is not a star, neither he is on a high school team. He is in NHL. He is undeveloped. He is below almost the entire line up. He needs to be pulled back in on his ego, and realize where he is now, and where he needs to be. Someone needs to help him get there. Right now it's a Zoo there. I'm sure in 3 years it will be different, but I don't like his development so far. Someone like Trots would lay down expectations for a player of that caliber.

Exactly and in about 3 1/2 weeks we'll have a better idea of how much longer that continues. If the owners have tied Fitzgerald's hands from making any trades, then exactly is he going to listen to at that point if it's evident nobody has any leverage?

When I listen to his interviews, he speaks and sounds like an immature 18 year old which doesn't make him unique. Hopefully he grows out of that mode FAST or he's going to turn into a lightning rod. The franchise cannot afford that.

Also, if Hughes' father is truly friends with Shero and Fitzgerald, and the latter is let go after the season, don't dismiss the chance that it's being put into Jacks ear about getting out of Jersey when the chance comes.

 

[Call Me Al]

These projections about his maturity and his ego are laughable. he's an 18 year old kid he knows what his stats are and what he's doing on the team and there isn't a single account from anyone in the room that his attitude or ego are a concern.

he's undersized, young for his age group and making a bigger leap into the pros than almost anyone has before at his age playing a really tough position to play in the nhl. those are all issues that are completely reasonable but there's no evidence whatsoever to back up him being having an attitude other than a bunch of disgruntled fans projecting

 

[billingtons ghost]

While I thought Hughes would be producing better numbers as a rookie and it is disappointing that he isn't, I am going to hold off my concern until next year, I'm sure there are plans in the works on getting him stronger in the off-season (there better be) and I think once he does get stronger he'll get more confident and his all around play will shine through like it did during the preseason games.

I don't care at all about the numbers - I care about progression. I care about becoming a professional and taking the proper approach.

Up until last night I wrote off all possibly worries about Hughes - but something about last night's game, and his sloppy play (that got him benched) just led me to believe he wasn't following the Nico path of fundamentals coupled with steady forward progress and rounding out of his physical and mental game. Nico still makes mistakes, but you can see the confidence mounting.

What worries me about Hughes is that I'm afraid that he'll believe all of the folks telling him he's great - and like some posters on this board, point the finger at the team around him. Miles Wood is an example of rough materials that Jack Hughes could potentially turn into something great. Right now, Simmonds and Wood aren't what is holding Hughes back at all - and that should be terrifying to us all.

I love the talent, I love the cockiness, I love the familial support - but now I think there is definitely danger here of a Patrik Stefan type fail - and I wouldn't have said that earlier.

If this team continues as a nightmare sh*tshow - he could potentially have the excuse he needs to NOT fix his own problems.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I'm not sure why folks are hating on Wood all the time - he's actually put together a few good games there and he's really the only guy who consistently gets to the front of the net, and who consistently pushes the defense back on rushes a few times a game. At only 22 yrs old, I think if he finds a soft landing place on the right line - he's going to be a big asset along the lines of Tom Wilson someday.

Sorry but I don't see Wood becoming anything significant. He has 0 hockey IQ, it will hold him back a lot.

 

[billingtons ghost]

People seem to forget what Nico looked like his first year. Falling all over, weak on faceoffs, etc. It's an adjustment. Others said we botched the Nico pick blah blah, now look at Nico 3 years later. Turning into a STUD.

Having MVP Taylor Hall next to him helped him big time as well with his point totals that year. Hughes is playing with Simmonds and Zacha. I like Zacha with him, but take Simmonds off asap. They need someone else on that line(who is probably either in the minors, another team, draft etc). Would love Gusev, but looks like that won't happen.

Hughes will be fine, not worried, but he does have things to work on. You don't want a kid like that not confident though. Be humble, sure, but I'm glad he is still confident and not walking around with his head down based on his current point totals. This thing about his personality and all of that, you're going off sound and video clips etc, no one around here knows the kid personally.

Like someone else said, probably the first time he's facing adversity like this, which will be good in the long run.

The bigger issues though going forward; GM, coaching staff, more talent, goaltending, fixing the terrible defense

I agree - but as others pointed out - I think there are two types of 'confident':
1. Confident that my game will get better as I work to improve
2. Confident that I'm so good, it is my teammates that are dragging me down.

The world doesn't work like: I've got holes in my game, but put me with the right linemates and those holes will be fixed.

The minors are littered with the corpses of Reid Bouchers breaking Stamkos's record and not improving his skating enough to hang in the league (if only I had someone to get me the puck in my shooting spot!)

Ya simply can't compare Boucher and Hughes - it's ridiculous - but the point is there -

Jack better not be thinking to himself: If I was playing with Ovechkin, I'd have 90 points now...

 

[glenwo2]

I don't care at all about the numbers - I care about progression. I care about becoming a professional and taking the proper approach.

Up until last night I wrote off all possibly worries about Hughes - but something about last night's game, and his sloppy play (that got him benched) just led me to believe he wasn't following the Nico path of fundamentals coupled with steady forward progress and rounding out of his physical and mental game. Nico still makes mistakes, but you can see the confidence mounting.

What worries me about Hughes is that I'm afraid that he'll believe all of the folks telling him he's great - and like some posters on this board, point the finger at the team around him. Miles Wood is an example of rough materials that Jack Hughes could potentially turn into something great. Right now, Simmonds and Wood aren't what is holding Hughes back at all - and that should be terrifying to us all.

I love the talent, I love the cockiness, I love the familial support - but now I think there is definitely danger here of a Patrik Stefan type fail - and I wouldn't have said that earlier.

If this team continues as a nightmare sh*tshow - he could potentially have the excuse he needs to NOT fix his own problems.

The only thing terrifying is the amount of Devils fans turning on Jack and thinking that "attitude" is the reason he's struggling and not having a Moron on one wing and a Washed-up tough guy on the other.


So Hughes said, per @Edmonton East (really, Hall4Hart?), "I think I'm always confident in my game" and all of a sudden he's a "overconfident little **** who keeps talking the same way"(@Fear the Wushu )?

First off, what makes anyone of you guys believe that he isn't working on his game in Practice?

What did you want him to say? I am not confident in my game. I am a loser and I should focus on having a Better attitude WHILE LOSING? Give me a break..

Would you all please get a grip?

The sky is not falling and Jack will be fine just as soon as we get rid of the Coaching Staff we have and get a real one this offseason.

Many keep forgetting that this season is now one looong-azz glorified Practice with our young players being put in real-game situations to DEVELOP (Keyword here).

 

[billingtons ghost]

Sorry but I don't see Wood becoming anything significant. He has 0 hockey IQ, it will hold him back a lot.

I doubt there are alot of 4th round draft pick 22-yr olds, drafted solely because of speed/size who immediately set the league on fire with their hockey IQ. He's made some nice passes, some nice plays coming up the boards to pass back to defensemen - and he's the best on our team at pushing back the defense and going around them.

My point is that Jack needs to worry about Jack and make other players better. Worked for Tom Wilson.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

What worries me about Hughes is that I'm afraid that he'll believe all of the folks telling him he's great - and like some posters on this board, point the finger at the team around him. Miles Wood is an example of rough materials that Jack Hughes could potentially turn into something great. Right now, Simmonds and Wood aren't what is holding Hughes back at all - and that should be terrifying to us all.

Uh..what? Only 18 yr old who could make wood and simmonds into 30 goal scorers is McDavid...that's a ridiculous thing to say.

 

[Devils731]

I’d be more worried about Hughes if he started talking like he doubted himself. The Devils should want Hughes to be a supremely confident player who thinks he can make plays happen.

I don’t want Hughes to turn into the guy making the safe play because it avoids risks and he’s scared to fail. I want him pushing the risky plays over and over until he figures out what works and what doesn’t.

Multiple people talked pre-draft about how hard Hughes works on his game so I’m not going to think he won’t try to improve on his weaknesses without a reason to.

For the most part Hughes has been right about his play. His on ice offense has looked better than the numbers show, partially due to his own lack of finishing so far and his linemates not being big helps for much of the season.

 

[Triumph]

I doubt there are alot of 4th round draft pick 22-yr olds, drafted solely because of speed/size who immediately set the league on fire with their hockey IQ. He's made some nice passes, some nice plays coming up the boards to pass back to defensemen - and he's the best on our team at pushing back the defense and going around them.

My point is that Jack needs to worry about Jack and make other players better. Worked for Tom Wilson.

Why in the world do you think that Miles Wood is 22 years old? Miles Wood is 24 and turns 25 this year.

 

[glenwo2]

Uh..what? Only 18 yr old who could make wood and simmonds into 30 goal scorers is McDavid...that's a ridiculous thing to say.

It really is.

The amount of Scorching Hot Takes here on Hughes is mind-boggling.

 

[Devils731]

I doubt there are alot of 4th round draft pick 22-yr olds, drafted solely because of speed/size who immediately set the league on fire with their hockey IQ. He's made some nice passes, some nice plays coming up the boards to pass back to defensemen - and he's the best on our team at pushing back the defense and going around them.

My point is that Jack needs to worry about Jack and make other players better. Worked for Tom Wilson.

Wood is who he is and I don’t think his linemates affect what he is going to do very much because he mostly creates things just for himself and plays poor defense. Wood plays hard, skates up the ice fast, can pressure a defense but he doesn’t do much cycling, doesn’t have good vision, and is usually behind the play defensively.

Wood looks like he should be a 4th line guy. Play him with your 2 worst offensive players and Wood will still have some nice offensive rushes due to his physical gifts. His lack of vision won’t really hamper your 2 worst offensive players because they aren’t very good to begin with. Also, the less Wood plays the more he can play each shift at maximum energy, which is when he is at his best. 8 minutes of Wood going crazy is better than 15 minutes of Wood managing his game.

 

[vtdevils2k]

I agree - but as others pointed out - I think there are two types of 'confident':
1. Confident that my game will get better as I work to improve
2. Confident that I'm so good, it is my teammates that are dragging me down.

The world doesn't work like: I've got holes in my game, but put me with the right linemates and those holes will be fixed.

The minors are littered with the corpses of Reid Bouchers breaking Stamkos's record and not improving his skating enough to hang in the league (if only I had someone to get me the puck in my shooting spot!)

Ya simply can't compare Boucher and Hughes - it's ridiculous - but the point is there -

Jack better not be thinking to himself: If I was playing with Ovechkin, I'd have 90 points now...

Yeah, but honestly how many times has Hughes passed to Simmonds or Wood and they do absolutely nothing with it? He himself has missed glorious chances of course, but he also has made great plays and the forwards do nothing with it.

Hughes is and always was going to be more of a 20 goal/70+ assist guy. He's a play-maker.

One of the things we need to do going forward is get a "Caufield" type of player next to him, who will always be ready for that pass and can put it past the goalie.

Nico has Palms, Jack I thought would work with Gusev, and who knows, maybe they'll be reunited? Goose has looked worlds better defensively

I think the Devils have way too many play makers and not enough finishers, but that's another discussion.

 

[glenwo2]

I agree - but as others pointed out - I think there are two types of 'confident':
1. Confident that my game will get better as I work to improve
2. Confident that I'm so good, it is my teammates that are dragging me down.

The world doesn't work like: I've got holes in my game, but put me with the right linemates and those holes will be fixed.

The world doesn't work like that but that is the REALITY of the situation.

Put Hughes with more talented teammates and they'll end up finishing more often than those two anchors he's currently with.

The minors are littered with the corpses of Reid Bouchers breaking Stamkos's record and not improving his skating enough to hang in the league (if only I had someone to get me the puck in my shooting spot!)

Ya simply can't compare Boucher and Hughes - it's ridiculous - but the point is there -

Jack better not be thinking to himself: If I was playing with Ovechkin, I'd have 90 points now...

The fact that you even bring up Boucher is "Comparing Boucher and Hughes".

That was a poor example.

Boucher is a LIFETIME AHL Player for a reason and that's 'cause he had his chances in the NHL and just couldn't cut it.

And Jack SHOULD BE thinking to himself : "If I was playing with OTHER TEAMMATES not named Wood and Simmonds, I'd have more assists than NOTHING right now..."

'Cause that's the Reality of what's going on here.

 

[Triumph]

I’d be more worried about Hughes if he started talking like he doubted himself. The Devils should want Hughes to be a supremely confident player who thinks he can make plays happen.

I don’t want Hughes to turn into the guy making the safe play because it avoids risks and he’s scared to fail. I want him pushing the risky plays over and over until he figures out what works and what doesn’t.

Multiple people talked pre-draft about how hard Hughes works on his game so I’m not going to think he won’t try to improve on his weaknesses without a reason to.

For the most part Hughes has been right about his play. His on ice offense has looked better than the numbers show, partially due to his own lack of finishing so far and his linemates not being big helps for much of the season.

One play that's been mercifully removed from Hughes's arsenal is the flip-pass to himself in the offensive zone - I just don't see that one working at the NHL level. It's a crazy high-skill play but it's also very dangerous because it usually involves tracking the puck instead of looking out for defenders. Saw him try it a few times early on this season but not lately.

 

[Nubmer6]

Of all this talk about him being too smug and arrogant, I think it may just be the way he interviews and his experience talking to the media for years being expected to be the 1OA.

Looking at his body language, for me, tells a different story. He just doesn't look all that confident to me, the way he holds his head and droops shoulders. Maybe it's just his posture, but it seems to have gotten worse since draft day. I really think he has some doubts going on in his head, and his smugness in interviews may be overcompensation.

 

[devilsblood]

I'm not worried about Hughes, but I don't like this idea that Hughes's problem is linemates, or coaching.

As a small 18 year old he is having trouble adjusting to the NHL, that is the moral of the story.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Not reserved - he seems like an overconfident little **** who keeps talking the same way despite the results not backing up the way he talks.

The kid is a winner no doubt about it but at some point you need to take a step back. He shouldn't be in the role he is anyway, the kid is not NHL ready.

I think we're jumping to conclusions about his attitude and whether he's arrogant, cocky or scared, or immature, based on stuff I wouldn't rely on. Like what I infer from his posture, how he wears his belt, that he talks to media both in a reserved and nebulous manner . . . I am not saying you're wrong, just that I am not comfortable judging his attitude and work ethic based on the ambiguous things I see. I see certain thing in his play but how they relate to his attitude, well I don't have the information about it. People who know him, his coaches and team mates, now they know. Everybody in a locker room knows who the guys are who work hard and who are the guys that don't.

Now what I can judge is his play. There's been plenty to talk about there.

 

[Call Me Al]

he doesn't throw tantrums on the ice or bang his stick or complain to refs or anything like that - there's nothing to indicate he has a bad attitude or is too cocky for the nhl. he talks about wanting to play a full game and of course the defensive side is going to be harder for someone his size. that will come.

there's a big difference between being concerned about his performance and the leap being made to attack him now... does anyone have ANY evidence at all that he's not working as hard as he can?