Jack Hughes is must-watch television, and a legitimate star

We're really getting into the stretch run here, about to enter the final month of the regular season. With the trade deadline done and the playoffs just around the corner, our collective attention is going to primarily shift to the teams and players that'll actually be playing meaningful games in the postseason. 

That won't include the New Jersey Devils, which has unfortunately become a far too common trend for them. It'll be their fourth consecutive year on the outside, with just one playoff appearance sprinkled into the past nine campaigns (winning just one game total since their spirited run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2012, which came in 2018 when Taylor Hall had a Hart Trophy season to drag them into the postseason).

When you're stuck playing out the string on a team like that, it's fairly easy to become forgotten or overlooked this time of year. But Jack Hughes is the exception, because he's made it nearly impossible not to notice the way he's been playing. He's truly become must-watch television lately, taking a gigantic step in his natural progression from top prospect with a bright future to legitimate NHL star right now. 

Let's unpack how he's been able to do it, deep diving the parts of his game that have allowed him to turn all of the theoretical skills he'd shown flashes of in years one and two, into the tangible results to match them in year three.