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LD Luke Hughes (2021, 4th, NJD)

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TheDogCerby said:
Very good offensively, questionable defensively, but it's not like he's projected to be a defensive stalwart, or anything, so good debut.
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He's been better in actual defensive situations than I expected. I think where he'll give you defensive issues is through offensive plays gone awry like the mistake on the PP.

WhiskeyYerTheDevils said:
There's nothing questionable about his defensive game. He's already elite on retrievals and controlled breakouts.

He's biggest weakness is just getting too aggressive in the offensive zone, which can lead to breaks the other way. But aside from that he's going to be a very solid defender.
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lol I basically said the same thing
 
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Hey did you guys know he's freakin 19 years old?

I'd be more surprised if a 19 Y/O defenseman in the NHL didn't have the occasional hiccup. Kid looked like a stud out there in high pressure situations, folks are here talking about long term concerns about his defensive game?
 
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swiiscompos said:
I disagree, “concerns” usually indicates long term worry. Luke has a learning process ahead, but nothing indicates he will have issues learning. Of course, being offensive minded, he’s never going to be on the safest side defensively, but that‘s not his role anyway.
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So Luke Hughes has no defensive concerns at all now. Wow narratives change quick! Guess we will see, wish him the best

I love the kid, think he was worth going to 5 for sure. But after watching him for two years, I think it’s perfectly fair to address defensive concerns despite plenty of great individual defensive outings like last game. His decision making in the defensive end was pretty terrible at times in the past. Of course he can improve; but that doesn’t meant we can’t mention shortcomings in his game up to this point.
 
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Lavar Ball said:
So Luke Hughes has no defensive concerns at all now. Wow narratives change quick! Guess we will see, wish him the best

I love the kid, think he was worth going to 5 for sure. But after watching him for two years, I think it’s perfectly fair to address defensive concerns despite plenty of great individual defensive outings like last game. His decision making in the defensive end was pretty terrible at times in the past. Of course he can improve; but that doesn’t meant we can’t mention shortcomings in his game up to this point.
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I think you may just be a terrible scout. Kid is going to learn, and to have concerns means to assume he won’t pan out as advertised. Stick to your day job, Luke is going to be an all star
 
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Lavar Ball said:
So Luke Hughes has no defensive concerns at all now. Wow narratives change quick! Guess we will see, wish him the best

I love the kid, think he was worth going to 5 for sure. But after watching him for two years, I think it’s perfectly fair to address defensive concerns despite plenty of great individual defensive outings like last game. His decision making in the defensive end was pretty terrible at times in the past. Of course he can improve; but that doesn’t meant we can’t mention shortcomings in his game up to this point.
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It's almost impossible to assess his defense based on his play in Michigan. He was used in an ultra offensive role in a league he was completely dominating. Those NCAA teams also play with very little structure.

In his three games with the Devils Luke has shown he was perfectly able to adapt, and he obviously has the physical tools and IQ to defend well enough. Finally, most good defenders, even the more defense-minded ones, make plenty of defensive mistakes when they first join the NHL. It would be concerning if he was thinking the game too slowly, or seemed to lose confidence under pressure, but he's shown he had no issues with those aspects.
 
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Lavar Ball said:
So Luke Hughes has no defensive concerns at all now. Wow narratives change quick! Guess we will see, wish him the best
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Now you're just being argumentative.

No one is saying the kid is a perfect defenseman at, again, 19 years old. He has a ton of learning and growing to do, and I expect him to improve drastically over the next couple years.

Perhaps it's semantic, but the word "concern" to me implies that this is a long-term worry about Luke. What the rest of us are saying is that... no, we're not currently worried about his defensive game long-term.
 
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The kid did the college thing on the power play where you skim it along the blue line to the other point, but today's NHL player just jumps that play so hard and leads to a scoring chance short handed. He was guilty of that in game 3. Kid will learn what you can and can't do in the NHL. He's young with a lot of raw talent. He's going to make mistakes. He's also going to make you go .. WOW.

Devils fans, myself included, are banking on a lot more WOW moments that, YIKES.
 


This is something the Devils lacked a lot of this year. Despite all of their offensive talent, their power play was pretty average. (And had been struggling most of the playoffs)

Having that dynamic skater on the blue line that can draw defenders to him and get them scrambling before making the pass will do wonders for them on the man advantage imo.
 
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Devilsfan118 said:
Now you're just being argumentative.

No one is saying the kid is a perfect defenseman at, again, 19 years old. He has a ton of learning and growing to do, and I expect him to improve drastically over the next couple years.

Perhaps it's semantic, but the word "concern" to me implies that this is a long-term worry about Luke. What the rest of us are saying is that... no, we're not currently worried about his defensive game long-term.
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I'm honestly not trying to be, I apologize if my posts have come across as petty or demeaning. I used the word delusional in my first post which was a poor word choice. With that said, I stand by my point and I personally think almost every prospect has some concerns, no matter how great they are, I guess we define what concerns are differently.

But you would think I came in and said the kid is doomed on defense. All I said was that there are defensive concerns from his past performances, particularly with Team USA and Michigan. No one would have denied this last month. From my viewings, he can be exceptional on the defensive end in some games/shifts and very poor in others. I think it's unfair to not be able to point out any consistency problems in his game thus far simply because he may refine them in the long term. A guy like Luke has all the physical tools, so really any doubts people have of him could be gone in the future.

I also simply don't agree you can't judge Luke's defensive game simply due to his role on Team USA and Michigan. It absolutely needs to be taken into account sure, but just because he is deployed as an offensive defenseman doesn't mean he is put in defensive situations where he falls short of expectations. I have nothing against the kid and think he will be great, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is one day a stud from the back end as he has mostly looked with the Devils thus far.

I'm genuinely just trying to engage in discussion, not argue or put anyone down.
Random Comment said:
I think you may just be a terrible scout. Kid is going to learn, and to have concerns means to assume he won’t pan out as advertised. Stick to your day job, Luke is going to be an all star
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Thanks for that response. Did you miss the part where I said he was worthy of being a top five pick?
 
Random Comment said:
I think you may just be a terrible scout. Kid is going to learn, and to have concerns means to assume he won’t pan out as advertised. Stick to your day job, Luke is going to be an all star
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Hopefully reading isn't a part of your day job lmao
 
mphmiles said:


This is something the Devils lacked a lot of this year. Despite all of their offensive talent, their power play was pretty average. (And had been struggling most of the playoffs)

Having that dynamic skater on the blue line that can draw defenders to him and get them scrambling before making the pass will do wonders for them on the man advantage imo.
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I mean it was effectively a 5-on-3 but I agree. Him attacking from the point in and then moving it back out put those defenders in a blender. Chatfield and Aho looking completely confused
 
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Nocashstyle said:
Insanely overdramatic. He was 4th in the league amongst Dmen in the regular season and very likely a top 10 Norris finish. He didn’t have an actively great playoffs but not anywhere near as bad as some of you reactionary fans are making it seem.
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He was bad against the Hurricanes, okay against the Rangers. The Hurricanes exposed his weaknesses with speed and forechecking.

Really impressive game by Hughes.
 
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Luke seems to have ice water in his veins, he looked so calm and cool out there. Played really well.

Looking forward to what he can do next year. I'm worried about losing Graves and Severson, but Luke looks ready from what we've seen so far.
 
Nocashstyle said:
Insanely overdramatic. He was 4th in the league amongst Dmen in the regular season and very likely a top 10 Norris finish. He didn’t have an actively great playoffs but not anywhere near as bad as some of you reactionary fans are making it seem.
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I disagree, he plays with no intensity, doesn't handle the puck well in his own end, is atrocious against the rush, isn't physical and loses coverage.

Yes he is elite offensively at the blueline but you are running the risk of him being a complete black hole in his own end very soon. Think a Subban fall from grace.

Severson outplayed him by leaps and bounds this postseason.
 
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Jason MacIsaac said:
I disagree, he plays with no intensity, doesn't handle the puck well in his own end, is atrocious against the rush, isn't physical and loses coverage.

Yes he is elite offensively at the blueline but you are running the risk of him being a complete black hole in his own end very soon. Think a Subban fall from grace.

Severson outplayed him by leaps and bounds this postseason.
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Pretty awful comparison. Subban’s game was always reliant on his physical skills and abilities. Hamilton was always a slow and a sometimes lumbering skater. His best asset is his IQ, knowing when to jump into the play, and getting shots from the point.
 
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Nocashstyle said:
Pretty awful comparison. Subban’s game was always reliant on his physical skills and abilities. Hamilton was always a slow and a sometimes lumbering skater. His best asset is his IQ, knowing when to jump into the play, and getting shots from the point.
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I'm telling you, this isn't an overreaction. Seeing him play in the playoffs first hand has left a terrible taste in my mouth. Sure if 4 of those posts eneded up goals maybe it softens my tone but I'm not sure you can win the cup with a defensmen like this as your number one.
 
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