T.J. Hughes didn't exactly blow the doors off the NHL in his debut.
And that's perfectly fine.
The Colorado Avalanche weren't expecting the rookie forward to suddenly morph into Nathan MacKinnon. Hughes had already done enough in the preseason to warrant a lineup spot. And his performance, while hardly mind-shocking, provided a glimpse into what he could become.
Now he gets another chance.
Hughes ended the night pointless and finished minus-3 in Colorado's 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, but the box score doesn't tell the whole story. He showed flashes of what he could become. And playing mostly on the third line is a good place for a rookie to find his bearing in the NHL.
More importantly, the Avalanche are going right back to him against the St. Louis Blues.
That's exactly what Hughes needed.
The Avalanche should give Hughes more time on the power play
Colorado's power play was outstanding against Los Angeles.
The Avalanche went 4-for-5 with the man advantage, with Brock Nelson scoring once and Artturi Lehkonen scoring twice.
Hughes didn't receive the same headline treatment, but this is where the opportunity gets interesting.
The Avalanche had already put Hughes on their top power-play unit during the preseason and opening night, alongside MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Martin Necas and Cale Makar. The organization clearly sees something in his ability to move the puck and make plays.
And Hughes has earned the right to stay there for a little while.
He doesn't need to score immediately. He needs to show that he can keep the puck moving, find passing lanes and avoid becoming overwhelmed by the speed of NHL penalty killers.
That's a much more reasonable test.
If the power play continues producing, Bednar has little reason to pull Hughes from it simply because he didn't score in his first game.
Give the kid some time.
Hughes needs time to settle in, and he has it
This is where the situation gets particularly interesting.
Colorado is carrying only 11 forwards because of injuries to Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux. Both players were considered day-to-day entering the season, but the shortage has created an immediate opportunity for Hughes.
He's not going back to the AHL anytime soon.
Hughes needs several games to figure out where he fits, how quickly he needs to make decisions and what Bednar expects from him away from the puck. Those are things he simply can't learn from a couple of practices.
The Avalanche are giving him an opportunity to learn on the job.
But the runway isn't quite as long as it looks.
Once Colorado gets healthier, the roster crunch returns. Hughes will eventually have to prove he isn't simply filling a temporary vacancy.
That's why Saturday matters.
He doesn't need to put up three points. He doesn't need to become a star overnight.
He just needs to look a little more comfortable than he did in Game 1.
Hughes may never get a better chance to establish himself as an NHL player with the Avalanche.
And right now, Colorado is giving him every opportunity to take it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google