Hughes focused on ‘expanding my game’ to become more valuable to Devils

“Jack knows exactly what he needs to work on, and he worked on his one-timer,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “All I heard from our skill development coaches was, ‘You’ve got to see this one-timer and the way it comes off that stick.’ But he worked at it.”

It’s obvious Hughes has refused to rest on his laurels even after his record-setting season.

“It was just another summer of trying to get better, working on my physical aspects and trying to get bigger, stronger, faster,” he said. “Not bigger, like bulky, but [stronger], and feeling good heading into the year. I feel like I’m in a good spot, and mentally I’m really excited to get going.”

In addition to his offensive exploits, Hughes was able to showcase another side of his game during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season that certainly caught the attention of his teammates.

“What I saw that really impressed me was the way he competes, and you saw that in the playoffs,” forward Timo Meier said. “He’s a smaller guy (5-foot-11, 175 pounds), not the most physical, but he competes on every puck. He goes in on 50/50 pucks, so I think that’s what you want to see out of a guy like that. It sets the tone for everybody else. If a guy like that competes that hard, it should motivate everybody else to compete and kind of give it all you got.”

Forward Tyler Toffoli, who was acquired by the Devils in a trade with the Calgary Flames on June 27, already has high praise for Hughes.

“He’s definitely one of the most skilled, if not the most skilled guy, I’ve ever played with, and I’d like to say I’ve played with some pretty good players throughout my career,” said Toffoli, who is entering his 12th NHL season. “Some of the stuff he does on the ice is impressive and the way he competes and demands the puck, it’s pretty special.”

Hughes is healed from an upper-body injury that almost kept him out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils, who defeated the New York Rangers in seven games in the first round, lost 3-2 in overtime and the series in five games.

Why did he decide to play despite not feeling 100 percent?

“I’m a competitive guy and when you’re in the locker room with the guys, you’re looking at them eye to eye and it’s hard to just give in,” Hughes said. “Even now, looking back, if I didn’t play, I’d be like, ‘I probably wish I could have gone back.’ It’s just the person I am, and for the boys inside the room. That’s all it really was. Just being out there for my teammates and competing just like all of them were doing.