Just 119 games into his NHL career, Jack Hughes got paid.
The first overall pick in the 2019 draft, the New Jersey Devils signed Hughes to an eight-year, $64 million extension Tuesday in Newark, shortly before he played only his 120th NHL game. The $8 million AAV left many fans wondering why the 20-year-old center will be making only $500,000 a year less than Leon Draisaitl, an established NHL star.
Draisaitl, a 26-year-old center for the Edmonton Oilers, is six years older, has played in more than twice as many games as Hughes, scored 199 more goals than him and won a Hart Trophy.