Eventually, Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko will be entrenched in the Battle of the Hudson River.
For now, the two star prospects expected to be taken with the top two selections in June’s NHL draft — held by the Devils and Rangers in that order — will have to settle for the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia.
Hughes and Kakko faced off Monday as the United States took down Finland, 3-2 in overtime, though neither made much of a dent in their already solidified stocks.
The American Hughes, as he’s been for the last few years, remains the consensus No.