Jack Hughes’ criticism of Four Nations team unfounded, should still be Olympic lock despite injuries – Hockey Writer – New Jersey Devils
While New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, we can’t blame him for his latest injury: an unfortunate “freak” accident that sidelined him for a total of eight weeks.
With the Olympics approaching in February – the first time the NHL will compete in the Games since Sochi in 2014 – many are speculating whether Hughes’ participation will be affected. Barring any setbacks, there’s no reason to do this.
Related: Devils’ tight connection is all it takes for team to overcome adversity
Hughes belongs on Team USA
Exactly eight weeks after the injury, on January 8, Hughes had 14 full games to acclimate before the Olympic break. According to a recent report from Emily Kaplan on ESPN’s “The Point,” it seems possible that he could return sooner:
“The good news is that the situation is not as bad as initially feared,” Kaplan said. “The best case scenario is that we see him come back back at christmas timemore likely early January. “
While he has yet to officially make the U.S. roster, he participated in the Four Nations tournament and this summer’s Olympic orientation camp. He was also named Polo Ralph Lauren Olympic Ambassador.
At the time of the injury, Hughes was tied for sixth on the U.S. skateboard standings in points (20) and fourth in goals (10). He ranked fourth in strength points, behind Matthew Ness, Carter Gauthier and Dylan Larkin.
Honestly, you don’t even need the numbers to know that Hughes is one of the best American forward talents in the NHL. You just have to watch him play. On many nights, he was clearly the best skater on the ice.
“But four countries!”
Hughes received a lot of criticism for his performance in the Four Nations showdown: just one point (secondary assist) in four games. This criticism is extremely unfair.
He started four games in varying formats, including the finale where he played alongside Brock Nelson and JT Miller, two American forwards who were arguably the least offensive players on the roster. Still, Hughes managed to fill a role with which he was less familiar, as he had the second-highest net defensive rating among the 81 skaters who entered the game. He is the 21st most efficient skater, ranking in the 74th percentile. In other words, despite the lack of scoring, he did hold his own and provided value. (via Dom Lushchisin)
The top 25 skaters in the 4-nation competition pic.twitter.com/jzqHK170iY
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) February 21, 2025
According to Moneypuck, the U.S. has an expected goals against rating of 3.08 when Hughes is on the court… while only conceding 1.46. That’s an expected goals against rate (xGF%) of 67.8, which is better than all 50 forward lines who have played more than 100 minutes in the NHL this season. this only The game where Hughes had a negative net loss on the ice was their qualifying game against Team Canada, where his xGF% was 26.1%. All other games – including the final against Canada – had ratings above 70%.
Of course, in an ideal world, he would want to bring more offense. But he had 11 shots on goal in those four games; if one or two guys had gone in, it would have been a completely different story. Regardless, Hughes’ improved defensive game ensures he won’t be as much of a liability as he was as a teenager. His team-leading +12 rating with the Devils last season was the best of his career. Prior to his recent injury, he was on pace to be a +14 grade.
Of course, all of this only matters if NHL players end up competing in the Olympics. Concerns are growing as construction deadlines for the stadium continue to be missed. But as long as they do — and Hughes is healthy — he’ll have a big role on Team USA.
