Habs Potential College Free Agent Target: T.J. Hughes

Now, D’Amico didn’t say who the front-runners are in his article, as with the Wolverines still in action, there isn’t any team that is able to sign Hughes yet until the Wolverines season comes to an end on either April 9th or April 11th during the National Championship game. However, it should be noted that Hughes, who grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, was a big Habs fan growing up, which could be something to entice the player in signing with the team after his fourth and final season with the Wolverines comes to a conclusion.

On top of having grown up a Canadiens fan, signing with the Habs allows him the opportunity to continue playing with current Michigan teammate Michael Hage, who is expected to sign with them after the college campaign. The two have spent a lot of the season pivoting separate lines with the Wolverines this season, but there have been moments where they made magic together when the team needed a goal or on the power play. With that being said, Hughes signing alongside Hage could give the Habs a potential duo that may be interesting alongside Ivan Demidov if ever it were to happen.

Although at the same time, he is 24 years old, and playing in the NHL is a lot harder than college, so he may never be able to use his chemistry with Hage at the pro level, with Hage likely becoming a top 6 forward, while Hughes may only ever become a 3rd line player at best given how late he already is into his development. Nonetheless, if he does sign in Montreal, with the Habs likely already locked into a playoff spot, he could get to prove that he has the opportunity to be more than just a depth forward at the NHL level. Although at his age it is highly unlikely at this point that he will progress into the top 6 forwards that Hage is expected to become.

This past season after three years where he averaged about a point per game each year, Hughes broke out with a massive 21 goals and 56 points in 38 games, which is the 2nd best point production in the entire NCAA behind Calgary Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach. Hughes is also given big defensive responsibilities for Michigan, showing that he is more than just an offensive player. With that being said, his overall game should allow him to, at the very least, transition into an everyday NHL player in the near future. If the Habs were to get him, he could easily provide some nice scoring depth that would be needed more regularly on a 3rd line while also giving them great 2-way. Not to mention, he can play either centre or either wing, allowing him to be a versatile player for any team.

One other aspect that is intriguing from D’Amico’s article is that Hughes already acts and trains like a pro, as he is always the first guy in the gym, according to his head coach, Brandon Naurato. For a team that is built on skill and hard work, Hughes would probably fit in very well.

The only issue in thinking Hughes would come here is that the Habs have a lot of NHL depth at the forward position locked up for next season, and the 24-year-old may prefer signing with a team that he will get more of a chance to play in the NHL. Once the Wolverines’ season is over, we will see what happens with both Hage and Hughes, but it definitely would be cool to end up with more than Hage, given just how deadly the centre duo has been this year.