Loading…
Loading…A 82.4 overall puts Hughes 37th among 327 rated defensemen, comfortably in the league's top quarter at the position.
The standout tool is power-play production (87), backed by penalty killing (81); finishing (51) is the part of his game that grades lowest.
His rating fell from 79.5 in 2024-25 to 68.1 in 2025-26, one of the bigger drops in his 3-season card history.
The contract, $9M through 2031-32, grades Fair: the model's expected value of $9.94M is within $937K of what he is paid.
His cap hit is the 2nd-largest on the New Jersey Devils NHL roster and uses 8.7% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $897K in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 79 |
| Defense | 57 |
| Play driving | 78 |
| Finishing | 51 |
| Power play | 87 |
| Penalty kill | 81 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | NJD | 68 | 68.1 | -0.3 |
| 2024-25 | NJD | 71 | 79.5 | 0.1 |
| 2023-24 | NJD | 82 | 89.4 | 0.4 |
Other NJD defensemen by rating: Dougie Hamilton (86.9), Vladislav Kolyachonok (67.4), Brett Pesce (64.3), Declan Chisholm (60.2). See the full New Jersey Devils cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.